A common problem found on online forums pertaining to computer science, or really any subject, is that they are filled with throw-away, lazy questions. More often than not when researching a problem the results are people just asking for the answers insead of asking for help with the problem. The essay How To Ask Questions The Smart Way by Eric Steven Raymond, touches on this issue in the computer science industry. Raymond also provides a guide on how to ask smart productive questions that will result in actual helpful answers, instead of criticism.
The biggest problem that leads to bad questions and bad answers is lazy research. Raymond states this throughout the essay. Before asking anything, you should research a solution to your problem as much as you possibly can. More likely than not, there is a solution already out there and no one wants to answer the same question over and over again. Also just asking without trying to understand the problem or trying different solutions on your own doesn’t help you become a better software engineer. The biggest benefit to following Raymond’s steps for asking a great question is you actually learn and retain the content. Just asking for the answer before even understanding the problem won’t help you. It is also very obvious when someone is just asking for the answer. They provide little information about the problem and also don’t talk about any methods they have already tried. This rarely leads to helpfu answers
First, an example of a good question can be found here: Python Question The header of the forum post is informative and lets the reader know the language, the problem, and the error. They show the code they are struggling with as well as the error and what they are trying to accomplish. The user also informs the reader about different attempts they have made to fix the problem in order to give the reader as much inofrmation as possible. This question is a great example of how thorough information and research can lead to helpful responses. The first response explains exaclty what the user needs as well as the answer itself. This method of asking questions allows the person struggling to actually learn the content instead of just regurgitating answers.
Second, an exmple of a bad question can be found here: Rounding Numbers While this question had responses, according to Raymond’s guidlines, it is a lazy question. The question simply asks for the answer. The only information given is the homework assignment and that two functions the user tried didn’t work. There is no explanation of errors’ or how they attempted to fix it. Normally these questions attract a response of “I won’t do your homework for you”. The problem with asking lazy questions like this, especially if they recieve a response with the answer, is that you won’t learn anything. It makes the assignment easy but when it comes to learning the content, it goes in one ear and out the other.
I can’t say that I haven’t been guilty of using others’ lazy questions to help with homework. There will always be that difficult assigment that I can’t figure out without a little help. After taking multiple ICS courses and reading thorough Raymond’s essay my mind has shifted. Sometimes you need the quick answer just to get through the day, week, or semester. However to have a successful career in anything you have to apply yourself and not rely completely on others work. The only way to get better at something is to practice and learn from your own challenges. This essay exercise has helped me rethink the process of asking for help. You should always ask for help when needed, however ask in a smart way.