Bonjour Monkies ;-)

tonight, while poppin' about the net lookin' for answers to my Q's, i ended up here once again - and this time, happening across these postings. I've been comin' here stealing your knowledge for quite awhile, but never bothered to join ('til now).

i cannot say, i'm an expert at perl - but i've had quite some dealings w/computers for many yrs and often found myself, as that person, who your friends go to for techie solutions.

i can sympathize w/everything everyone has been saying here. Computers is a really large subject and to outsiders (and even some of us insiders) can seem overwhelming. Most people do not have a clue, where even to go - let alone ~how~ to ask a question and it can be quite frustrating for both them (the wounded) and you (the doctor) to fix.

that being said........ :-P
uhm...

there are a lot of people out there, who seem to believe, that they are entitled to help - "just 'cuz". They'd prefer you did the work for them and sometimes, won't even thank you for the minutes or hours or more, which you've spent trying to define and solve their problem.

i've noticed in myself and my relationships w/people in these circumstances, that often this not only breeds a dependency (rather than them trying to learn - they just ask you), but it often denegrates into them expecting you to help... One can come to feel like their being used...

well, you all here have helped more individuals than you know. PerlMonks has been written up in most of the perl-books i have and often cited at many other websites. There are many lurkers popping in and out (like me), who have found your discussions helpful and insightful through our own learning of language -

so on behalf of all those anonymous monks out there - and for myself, as well, i'm just here to say ~

thank you :-)

tc, wolfi