Thread: Trivial questions - what to do?

  1. #1
    Widdle Coding Peon Aerie's Avatar
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    Trivial questions - what to do?

    I'm in the process of teaching myself C.

    The problem is that, while I have a copy of K&R and C: A Reference Manual, I often have strange, trivial, or very abstract questions that are sometimes difficult to find answers to, even with the resources of this board and the almighty Google at my disposal.

    Since these questions are numerous, and tend to breed quickly, I do not at all want to clutter up the C board with ~20 topics a day, each asking a different question which is, frankly, almost insignificant on its own. It's the collective nature of these questions which presents a problem. Add to this that I've some issues with staying awake for more than a few hours at a time, and learning becomes a slow business.

    The question I have is this:
    Would it be a good idea to make one "Aerie's adventures with C" thread, and just update it as new questions make their appearance?

    I don't know if there's some unspoken rule of forum etiquette I might breach by doing this, nor whether it'd be effective for what I need, since I have no idea if people would soon get tired of answering nattering questions all the time and just ignore me.

    So, would this be a good idea? If so, should I make a new post each day with the outstanding questions listed, just continually edit the original post, or something else entirely?

    Does anyone have a better idea?

    Any/all constructive input is welcome.
    I live in a giant bucket.

  2. #2
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    When you have a problem/question or a general group of them, then create a new thread. That is what the board is for. It's best not to reuse the same thread over and over because it gets too hard to read when the thread gets to long, plus it is kinda pointless.

  3. #3
    Mayor of Awesometown Govtcheez's Avatar
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    I'd prefer the "Adventures in C" thread to having 20 threads a day. You could just post new questions in that thread. You may want to break bigger questions off into their own threads, though.

    And no, you're not breaking any rules I'm aware of, but I'm glad you asked

  4. #4
    and the hat of int overfl Salem's Avatar
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  5. #5
    Widdle Coding Peon Aerie's Avatar
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    Thanks for the link, Salem, but the questions I have are more often than not questions which are not touched on by the exercises(at least, the ones I've gotten to) in K&R...

    I'll keep that link in mind, though.
    I live in a giant bucket.

  6. #6
    Widdle Coding Peon Aerie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sand_man
    When you have a problem/question or a general group of them, then create a new thread. That is what the board is for. It's best not to reuse the same thread over and over because it gets too hard to read when the thread gets to long, plus it is kinda pointless.
    I was thinking of retaining the old questions after they're answered, with the answers quoted - it would make a handy reference for 'trivial, stupid questions' that I could consult later, since my memory invariably fails me eventually.
    I live in a giant bucket.

  7. #7
    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    > often have strange, trivial, or very abstract questions that are sometimes difficult to find answers to
    Strange or abstract questions tend to be fun for us here. Trivial questions are never trivial to the asker, and most of us recognize that.

    My recommendation is to do research first, then if you don't find anything, ask your question. If you think it's too trivial or that the frequency of new threads is too high, one of the senior members would be happy to advise you on where to go next through PM. Most of the time, you'll be asked to post a new thread so that others can learn from the question, but it may be that the question can be answered quickly through PM or by redirecting you somewhere that the answer can be found.

    There's no rule against starting a lot of threads, but if you catch C+++C_foreveritis then people might be a bit annoyed with you.
    My best code is written with the delete key.

  8. #8
    Widdle Coding Peon Aerie's Avatar
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    That sounds like a dreadful disease.

    I actually am not much of a thread starter, unless I think the questions or comments therein are of genuine use.
    I live in a giant bucket.

  9. #9
    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    >unless I think the questions or comments therein are of genuine use.
    That's a dangerous attitude. Well, not really dangerous, but not very helpful. The only ones who can judge how useful questions and comments are, are the people who read them, not the people who write them. Take this common exchange for example:
    Quote Originally Posted by R. B. Noob
    How do I [something funky]? What I've been doing is [something really awful]. Here's my code:
    Code:
    [random includes]
    
    void main()
    {
      [ugly ass code]
    }
    Quote Originally Posted by Prethanquzlem
    >void main()
    This is wrong. [explanation why]
    Quote Originally Posted by Interested Lurker
    Whoa! I didn't know that, thanks a bunch [people who helped].
    Cut to a similar scene on another forum:
    Quote Originally Posted by n00bilicious
    y0 d00dz!!!!1 can u peepz he11p me w/ my [suspicious program, probably a lame hack that will never work]? i sw34r iz leegl, chek itz
    Code:
    [unnecessary includes]
    
    void main(){
      [god awful code]
    }
    thx in adv!!11

    ==<<!!--((d00dz0r |-|4><0R))--!!>>==
    Quote Originally Posted by Same Interested Lurker
    Hey man, void main is wrong, guy. [explanation why]
    The moral of the story is that even though Prethanquzlem thought nothing of the same boring "void main is wrong" answer for the Nth time, and R. B. Noob ignored the post because it didn't answer his question, Interested Lurker got something out of it and spread the love.
    My best code is written with the delete key.

  10. #10
    Widdle Coding Peon Aerie's Avatar
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    Good point.
    I live in a giant bucket.

  11. #11
    Toaster Zach L.'s Avatar
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    If you can logically group the questions, that'd be good, but you don't seem like the type who'll be randomly flooding the board with random nonsense or stuff trivially found on Google, etc, so when you have a question, feel free to ask.

    And of course, there is only one true reason why we avoid 'void main()': to escape the Salem Witch Trials.
    The word rap as it applies to music is the result of a peculiar phonological rule which has stripped the word of its initial voiceless velar stop.

  12. #12
    Widdle Coding Peon Aerie's Avatar
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    I'll try to avoid that, yes... lotta times, though, I'll find a trivially simple to find answer, and somehow obfusticate it in my head to the point where the resulting question takes hours just to interpret.
    I live in a giant bucket.

  13. #13
    Rad gcn_zelda's Avatar
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    >> Prethanquzlem

    Let me guess...

    Prelude, Thantos, Quzah, Salem?

  14. #14
    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    Any resemblance to real people, places, or events is purely coincidental...
    My best code is written with the delete key.

  15. #15
    The C-er
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    "Aerie's adventures with C" sounds like a good idea. Especially as you write so well.

    I have an idea that learners make better tutors than experts in many ways, especially when it comes to the trivial stuff that experts have long forgotten about.

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