Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Thanks for the help not given :)

0 views
Skip to first unread message

J

unread,
Dec 29, 2009, 4:18:54 PM12/29/09
to pytho...@python.org
I just wanted to take a break from writing some code to thank the list
for all the help you've NOT given me :-)

And I do mean that.... but I should explain...

At least three times today, I've been working on various bits of code,
and run into a problem that I just could not figure out.

And each time, I started writing a post, complete with code samples
and my thoughts... and in EVERY case, so far, I've found the answer on
my own ONLY after writing that post. Thankfully, I've not actually
posted them, saving myself from looking like TOO much of an idiot
(especially since one case was a REALLY glaring example of a Logic
Error).

I could say that it's all because I'm learning and figuring things out
on my own, but because I don't want to post poorly formed help
requests on any list I belong to, actually writing out a post helps me
organize my thoughts, the problem, and what I've done so far, and
usually THAT is when the solution actually hits me. Even when I don't
send the post, just having a target that forces me to actually
organize and spell out what the problem is helps immensely.

So though I've only posted a small bit here and on python-win, I did
want to thank y'all for helping me when you have, and even when you
actually haven't!

Cheers
Jeff


--

Ted Turner - "Sports is like a war without the killing." -
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/ted_turner.html

Aahz

unread,
Dec 29, 2009, 4:28:48 PM12/29/09
to
In article <mailman.177.12621215...@python.org>,

J <dreadpi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>So though I've only posted a small bit here and on python-win, I did
>want to thank y'all for helping me when you have, and even when you
>actually haven't!

Get a teddybear, that helps, too. ;-) (I.e. try to explain your
problem to a teddybear.)
--
Aahz (aa...@pythoncraft.com) <*> http://www.pythoncraft.com/

Weinberg's Second Law: If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote
programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization.

Jon Clements

unread,
Dec 29, 2009, 5:05:17 PM12/29/09
to
On Dec 29, 9:28 pm, a...@pythoncraft.com (Aahz) wrote:
> In article <mailman.177.1262121555.28905.python-l...@python.org>,

>
> J  <dreadpiratej...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >So though I've only posted a small bit here and on python-win, I did
> >want to thank y'all for helping me when you have, and even when you
> >actually haven't!
>
> Get a teddybear, that helps, too.  ;-)  (I.e. try to explain your
> problem to a teddybear.)
> --
> Aahz (a...@pythoncraft.com)           <*>        http://www.pythoncraft.com/

You have a bear that likes a Python? The one I have just keeps going
on about Piglet and eating my honey reserves...

Jon :)

Ben Finney

unread,
Dec 29, 2009, 5:19:03 PM12/29/09
to
J <dreadpi...@gmail.com> writes:

> And each time, I started writing a post, complete with code samples
> and my thoughts... and in EVERY case, so far, I've found the answer on
> my own ONLY after writing that post.

> […] actually writing out a post helps me organize my thoughts, the


> problem, and what I've done so far, and usually THAT is when the
> solution actually hits me. Even when I don't send the post, just
> having a target that forces me to actually organize and spell out what
> the problem is helps immensely.

A very common experience, and I'm glad you've found it so consistently
helpful <URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging>. Thanks
for telling us how well it works!

--
\ “Our products just aren't engineered for security.” —Brian |
`\ Valentine, senior vice-president of Microsoft Windows |
_o__) development |
Ben Finney

Phlip

unread,
Dec 29, 2009, 5:58:03 PM12/29/09
to
To the OP - adding "... because Python sucks" to your subject lines will
increase the quantity of answers - but possibly not the quality.

You can also learn a little about good questions by answering others's here.

And I hope you answered your questions here, if no one else did, to avoid dead
search trails in the archives. You learn by teaching!

As for me, my questions are usually some combination of hopelessly retarded and
beyond the blue sky envelope that I take pity on anyone even reading them, less
answering them...

Jon Clements wrote:

> You have a bear that likes a Python? The one I have just keeps going
> on about Piglet and eating my honey reserves...

http://zeekland.zeroplayer.com/Pigleg_Too/1

Stefan Behnel

unread,
Dec 29, 2009, 6:00:14 PM12/29/09
to
Phlip, 29.12.2009 23:58:

> And I hope you answered your questions here, if no one else did, to
> avoid dead search trails in the archives.

You should have read the posting.

Stefan

J

unread,
Dec 29, 2009, 9:54:15 PM12/29/09
to Phlip, pytho...@python.org
On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 17:58, Phlip <phli...@gmail.com> wrote:
> To the OP - adding "... because Python sucks" to your subject lines will
> increase the quantity of answers - but possibly not the quality.

Unlike Stephan, I hope this was intended in humor/irony rather than
the way it looks, because my OP was meant humorously/ironically.

> You can also learn a little about good questions by answering others's here.

I don't answer questions without having $CLUE, fortunately. I've been
on lists like this for well over 15 years, going back to when the only
place to find them was usenet, and I've been party to and target of my
fair share of flame wars due to improperly formatted questions or
uninformed answers ;-)

> And I hope you answered your questions here, if no one else did, to avoid
> dead search trails in the archives. You learn by teaching!

Indeed, which is why I teach Linux 101 at the community college level
(credited, not con-ed, an actual, honest to goodness Linux course!!).
I have not answered my own questions here, because the ones that I can
and eventually answer myself, such as the three I mentioned in my OP,
were really so basic as to be just noise on this list (though I guess
this discussion probably borders on it too). My original POINT was
that the help/answers that I HAVE received here, in addition to the
various threads I read as they come up, has given me enough background
education to really start figuring things out on my own, as opposed to
constantly asking someone else for an answer or trying to grep my way
through various documents/tutorials/HOW-TOs/books/etc.

So it really was meant as a thanks for the people here who do have
$CLUE for helping me start getting one of my own.

> As for me, my questions are usually some combination of hopelessly retarded
> and beyond the blue sky envelope that I take pity on anyone even reading
> them, less answering them...

I sometimes think that of my own questions, though I really do try to
keep the basic questions to a minimum anywhere... then again, we all
have to start somewhere, which is why I try to not haze newbies, even
when that's my first reaction.

> Jon Clements wrote:
>
>> You have a bear that likes a Python? The one I have just keeps going
>> on about Piglet and eating my honey reserves...

As for Jon, and Aahz, I'd try the teddy bear approach, but the last
one I knew led me down the dark path to Perl and thus I try to avoid
them whenever possible ;-)

Cheers,

Jeff

--

Jonathan Swift - "May you live every day of your life." -
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jonathan_swift.html

Aahz

unread,
Dec 30, 2009, 6:06:34 PM12/30/09
to
In article <mailman.189.12621416...@python.org>,

J <dreadpi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Jon Clements wrote:
>>
>>> You have a bear that likes a Python? The one I have just keeps going
>>> on about Piglet and eating my honey reserves...
>
>As for Jon, and Aahz, I'd try the teddy bear approach, but the last
>one I knew led me down the dark path to Perl and thus I try to avoid
>them whenever possible ;-)

Don't worry, you have now been inoculated.

Message has been deleted
0 new messages