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All, I used to hang out at Javaranch a few years back and am back to this forum. In this hiatus, I got used to Usenet and what I see here is a little disappointing.
A lot of the posts are plain simple and straightforward and don't really need to be posted at all. The questions and the tone of the questions seems to say "I'm too lazy to look up the answer so I'll be a sponge and see what the others say".
Before you post, PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK (RTFM in Usenet-speak). If you find a question confusing on a mock exam or your exam guide, go back to your text book, reference or exam guide that you're using and figure out the answer. Spend about 10 min, read up, write a snippet of a few lines and try to figure out what the question is about.
Each question is designed to test a principle. If you are not sure about the underlying principle on which a question is based, just knowing the answer to a particular question won't be good enough. A variation of the question WILL throw you off.
In fact, if you're not sure about the principles, you are making a grave mistake by taking a mock test to begin with.
Anytime you solve a problem, there is an idea underlying the problem. If you don't get that idea, you might as well not solve the problem.
And that's how you will REALLY LEARN and REMEMBER! If you read an answer someone gave you, chances are you'll forget it in a week or two.
If you still are confused or have an interesting observation to make, please post and share it with others.
Many a time I see that the posters are too shy or lazy to use the compiler.
Please respect others' time and energy. They're not here to help you with things you can and should do for yourself. Rather, they're here because they like what they do and are looking for new challenges. And, yes, they are here to help you and will be happy to do so.
Let's make this forum a little more professional and do a good job of it!
Of course, a disclaimer is in order for such an impassioned plea so here goes: this post is not intended as a finger pointing exercise towards anyone. Rather, it's a (naive?) attempt to try to make everyone a little more responsible in how they post and use this forum.
Bartenders, any time we sign up a new ranch hand, can we make it friendlier by sending them a URL to their registered email address with the JavaRanch FAQ? I see the standard questions "How do I prepare...", "Which book is good..", "Where can I find some mock exams...", "Differences between 1.4 and 1.5..." etc.
Also including the links in Barry's signature? Ask a Meaningful Question and HowToAskQuestionsOnJavaRanch
No offence intended to anyone,
Sashi

[ December 14, 2005: Message edited by: Michael Ernest ]

[ December 14, 2005: Message edited by: Sasikanth Malladi ]
[ December 14, 2005: Message edited by: Sasikanth Malladi ]
 
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I'd like to add my two cents here.

I think that Sasikanth makes some really good points, but I'd refine his ideas a little bit:

I totally agree that when you post a question and you haven't done your homework, any answer you get will probably have little long term value. I totally agree that the best way to study is to crank up your compiler (it's free BTW ). I totally agree that good mock questions are designed to test principles, and even if you can remember the answer to a given mock question, the variations will stump you if you don't understand the principle.

That said, I'd like people to feel really comfortable that they can ask (more or less) any question. In other words "there are no dumb questions". I'd like to see more situations in which a question is asked in order to spark a dialog. So the idea isn't that questions aren't asked in the hopes of a specific answer, they asked in hopes of learning how to think about such questions. So a silly example might be:

Q: Here's some code, at line 11 how many objects are eligible for GC?

A: Well, where are you confused? What's your current answer and explanation?

Q: I think that on line 2... blah, blah

A: Right, except you should look at line 7 again... what's really going on there?

Q: Oh - maybe this instead?

A: right

IMHO exchanges like this are great for everyone! The questioner gets to actually learn something, and the answerer usually will refine his/her knowledge in the act of helping with the dialog. We've said for years that one of the best ways to learn a topic is to try to teach it, and in these forums there are zillions of "teaching opportunities"

So, I guess I'd say that there are fewer dumb questions and more dumb answers! Even if an answer is correct, it might not be that helpful to just give it away "for free"

Another way to look at this is, when you ask a question you should feel like even if it's easy, you won't get dissed, but you are signing up to engage in a dialog, not just get an answer!

hth,

Bert
[ December 14, 2005: Message edited by: Bert Bates ]
 
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I have changed the title from all uppercase characters to something softer.

There is some discussion in the moderator's forum on the appropriateness of this post to the forum. I for one think such posts are out of place, but unless a moderator of this forum wants it moved, I'll leave it where it is.
 
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I agree before asking questions which we see in mock exams and cant figure out the answer, we should just try it out first. See what happens.
If you know the answer by running the program and cant really explain why the java is behaving that way, its good to ask such questions.
Also its better to provide your logic.
 
Don't get me started about those stupid light bulbs.
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