RE: DATAFILE?? now "RTFM"

I'm a very rare poster on the list, but I read it often. I agree with Mr. McDonald.
When an RTFM question is asked, the proper answers, in my view, are either:
a) a link to documentation
or
b) Nothing, if you think that the poster does not deserve an answer  

Answering by belittling the person, or by a long post why this kind of question is invalid, increases the noise to signal ratio that many people are complaining about.

De : oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org
[mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] De la part de Connor McDonald

I have no problem with pasting a link to the documentation as a response, but I disagree vehemently with "RTFM" as a response

"RTFM" has the subtext to the poster that they were either

1. too lazy to look up the manuals
2. too stupid to look up the manuals

independent of whether or not that was the intention of your "rtfm" response. Its become far too emotive a term - the moment you see "RTFM" in a thread, you rarely see any further sensible or technical discussion follow it.

Of course, maybe a poster IS a lazy sod, or has been swimming at the shallow end of the gene pool - that still does not make it a responders right to assert either. "RTFM" is a responders way of saying "I could answer your question but I choose not to make the effort".... which is far better handled by simply not replying at all.

I'd hate to see Oracle-L degenerate into the farcical slanging match that comp.databases.oracle.server has become..

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