There are some people that post here that obviously have simply not tried hard enough. or at All!!
But I don't find any problem whatsoever in posting 'homework' help type questions.
This is a community of developers. We are all here to give and receive help.
I am being paid by my company in real money for the work I do, and I don't see any problems with asking the Forum for an ocassional helping hand. If someone is willing to spend some time helping me with my job function, then I in return, will come here in my spare time and help others.
Someone else might be 'only' a student, and instead of $$ they are being paid in a grade or GPA, but there is really no difference.
If I need the Ranch as a crutch for my job, I will eventually be fired, or not get lots of $$ or raises, or whatever.
If a student uses the Ranch as a crutch, it will all come out in the end as a poor final exam. And even passing that, they will not be gainfully employed very long until their employer finds out their true level of ability.
To address what CJ said:
when it comes down to it, if you are having problems with something like this on homework, odds are good you don't fully understand it. Well yes. That's why people ask for help.
that is you probably need more help with it than a couple of joes at the saloon can offer. I totally disagree. Sometimes the answer is so obvious because ranchers have been doing this for years, and all someone needs is a little nudge in the right direction. This stuff is so easy for many of the ranch hands and bar tenders, only because we forget what it was like being frustrated beyond measure by a stupid little ; at the end of a for loop.
perhaps the best idea would be to talk to a professor or someone else who can help with more with the big picture. I don't know about your college/university, but talking with my profs only resulted in more headaches. Sometimes they or the books they select are the problem!
Ok, back to my real job now.