I see not big link between plagiarism and our recurring newbies.

First, at school everybody can cheat if they have a smartphone and can use it freely during assignemnts. We had cheat without phones, you can imagine.. But in this I see a problem, a defiency of the school institution: what!? programming professor, you dont know there is a site where you can ask the most disparate things (apropos: the author confused snackoverflow and github)?

Second, about the morality related to cheat or not: the same article says they are in these courses as a flood hoping in an easy money or a better: if such is the big purpose pushing them, why you are suprised by the fact that many cheat? It's not what they see all around?

Third, again the school: the teacher must be able to judge the preparation of the pupil with adequates methods and tools. Adequate for the matter and for pupils. If the student can have his phones on, is inadequate giving a form to fill for problem of easy solvability, not just programming, but latin, chemistry or math.

Now we arrive to our recurring newbies: here everyone can ask and if I have an answer I'm free to answer: class assignment or not the newcomers can learn, if they want or they can cheat: it is not my dilemma. Consider also that here the response time is not everyday so fast and if I give the answer for weekend assignment, again is the professor who must tell. The newcomer can anyway see many way to do it, and this is an enrichment.

Knoweledge is always worth to share. In our programming world even more. Certenly we are, here at PM, also free of being irritated by question asked in a superficial and lazy way. A recent similar discussion was about micro-job here around and the ansewers to such questions or alike. You can answer or not. But to share and to provoke the other's curiosity is always a plus. Perl pearls to pigs? maybe the next reader is a gentle seeker.

L*