Yeah, I don't know if 'they get pretty angry if it is something you could have found through a search or by "learning by doing"' was ever true, but it certainly isn't nowadays.

Way back in the day, the chatterbox was usually very active (and more difficult to keep up with using the 'default' client), on occasion someone asking a question would have been pointed to Super Search or SoPW, in much the same way as they are now but I guess it could seem dismissive to some given the fluidity of the various conversations. On other occasions people would react badly to being asked 'What have you tried and how did it fail?'. The same is true today, perception differs. The CB is far less active now, and for those who aren't used to it conversations are easier to follow. Also What Made the Perl Community Mean Spirited?.