I'm going to gingerly step in here at this point, just to illustrate that one does not have to participate in a thread to appreciate it and learn from it.
AC's questions have really been a series of them -- and I can well imagine that until Thor suggested that he Google at least some of them, there was every likelihood that the series of questions would continue. On and on.
Thor has made some very pointed suggestions for AC to THINK about his question before he asks it, and to provide all the pertinent information relating to the question so that the respondent -- Thor being perhaps one of just a couple -- can answer the question without having to dig for information in response. Thor illustrated a bit of frustration in having to do that, seems to me.
Gradually, it became clear that it was less important to answer the question and more important to get AC to THINK.
I'm not saying that AC doesn't think. But I have seen plenty of evidence that he'll use the forum as his personal treasure trove of information relating to computers. Is that wrong? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm just an observer here and am not being judgmental.
Thor knows a helluva lot about computers. He built my wife's machine and I've called him on the telephone many, many times to help me through a problem. He is patient and willing to help, but I think it's fair to say that he's willing to help those who help themselves first.
That said, maybe Thor could acknowledge PG's apparent knowledge in this area and simply exit the thread.
AC could perhaps appreciate Thor's point -- to spend some time and develop a question after a fair amount of research is done. AC's claim that he did some research about RAID doesn't seem quite on target, since the information he's asking is pretty well out there. Furthermore, AC didn't ask about a particular element of RAID, his question was simply, "What's this RAID thing all about?" That tells me that little to no effort was expended, and I dare say that that was obvious to Thor as well.
The old adage "The only dumb question is the one that isn't asked" is old, outdated, and no longer applies. There are so many avenues of knowledge available to use with just a couple of mouse clicks away that there is no excuse not to spend at least a few minutes to answer your own question.
There is no harm in doing research and the odd thing is, that information generally stays with you (generic 'you' here) because YOU MADE AN EFFORT TO GET IT.
That's my two zlotys.
And thanks for all of these threads. I learn something even though I'm not an active participant -- uh, that is, until now.
