[HD2 General] ASCIIker:
to the OP: dude, the thread you've referenced is indeed some form of bashing/flaming but there is certainly no OBVIOUS wise-cracks or ill-mannered responses. i don't see why you view the behavior that way. once again, people might be venting on that thread but given the circumstances, the guy deserved it, not because he was a noob...just because he showed a strong desire to be spoon-fed, even after he was spoon-fed right after the opening post!

and now i'm going to justify why i agree with most people here that believe in enforcing the rules. XDA has been a GREAT RESOURCE and continues to be a GREAT RESOURCE.

it is a RESOURCE, it is NOT a tech support hot line. i was once a noob. go ahead and see how many threads i've started. you will find that i've NEVER started threads to ask direct questions that have searchable answers. most of the threads i've started have been reports of observations that might be helpful to others.

and i am also a helpful person by nature. i used to be so helpful back in my school years that i realized later on that people are often LAZY and will not hesitate to take advantage of other's helpful attitudes. so i changed my ways, and i started helping ONLY those that show that they can/have/might help themselves.

XDA is a RESOURCE where DEVELOPERS post findings/observations/tools/hacks/cracks, where OTHERS freely use this information, and LASTLY where someone can come for help offered VOLUNTARILY by others. because this help is voluntary, it can be requested but certainly not demanded. because this help is BEYOND the primary and secondary motivations for this site, it must not get in the way of the primary and secondary motivations. catch my drift?

in order to achieve the "cleanliness" and "organization" desired by the mods and the users and the community to efficiently and cleanly achieve the primary and secondary motivations, it is VITAL that the forum rules be enforced not just by the mods but also by the culture set up by the members of the community. thus, i find it perfectly acceptable to politely and sternly ask someone to search when they've posted a noobish question.

the idea is "give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. TEACH him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". if we have nothing to say but bashing, then we shouldn't post? rubbish...why? because then you are supporting the lazy behavior and effectively ALLOWING the forum to get cluttered and thereby making it more difficult for the few that are actually willing to search.

whats "2+2"? "4" you say? lets assume a "lazy" student (a noob in this case, but not necessarily a noob forever in ideal circumstances) asks this question and the "helpful" teachers just tell him the answer but didn't tell the student or the rest of the class why or how to learn more about the theory and approach and technique. then you would soon have a class of students that are fine with knowing the answers but totally incapable of being independent or doing any advanced things on their own. ideally, we all evolve from students to being experienced adults but the wrong kind of nurturing will leave these students to forever remain lazy students that ruin it for everyone else.

RANT OVER!