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Several years ago - I forget how many, but earliest file dates are 2011 - I wrote a quick and dirty DB app to store "common replies" to QA questions - some are comments, some are "what I changed", some are replies.
And today, I just noticed the DB and had a quick look. You see, in order to make it more useful, I increment a counter each time I use a reply, so the "popular ones" float to the top. Each one has an ID, a one line description, and a uses counter, as well as teh full text.
And at number one - predictably enough: "We can't read your mind" (1730)
Number two: "We don't do your homework" (1585)
Then we're down to 3 digits immediately:
"Use the "Improve question" widget" (811)
"Code block added" (777)
"Don't Shout" (686)
"Use parametrized queries"(590)
Surprisingly, "Google is your friend" only reached number 9, and "Null reference exception" didn't get a look in until number 16.
So actual answers to questions didn't get up into the top fifteen! 
I think that says a lot about the quality of of question setters, I'm afraid ...
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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OriginalGriff wrote: I think that says a lot about the quality of of question setters, I'm afraid ...
The saying "there are no stupid questions" is clearly, um, stupid. 
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OriginalGriff wrote: I think that says a lot about the quality of of question Setters[^]
FTFY
GCS d-- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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The results are pretty clear if you ask me?
It's time for you to learn Telepathy[^] 
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Lovely, just lovely 
Rules for the FOSW ![ ^]
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And the response is different in the lounge how?
Someone asked for help in what to read for programming related material; most of the replies were snarky at best and utterly useless.
If you want to improve the community, start by providing appropriate answers.
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Indeed. 
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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Having just read the thread that I'm assuming you're referring to (the one from this morning), I'm not sure that I agree with you.
Yes, there are a few humourous answers on there, one or two which maybe do edge a little towards snarkiness but there doesn't seem to be anything terribly inappropriate to The Lounge in there. There are also a fair few answers that are clearly intended to be helpful to the OP (including the one from Griff, it might be noted).
The fact of the matter is, a great many of the questions on the site simply can't be answered in a directly helpful way because people simply fail to actually provide a meaningful question. So yes, we do see an awful lot of replies along the lines of "would you care to tell us what the actual issue is?" There's nothing wrong in that - there's no other way of answering them.
What I would hate to see on CP - and I do see a lot elsewhere - is those "OMG! Fancy not knowing that!" answers which really do deter newbies by making them feel stupid.
I'm not saying that a trawl trough QA wouldn't turn up the occasional impatient or condescending answer but in no way is that sort of thing endemic on CP.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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Not all answers to all answers are snarky, and some people do try to help.
If the disrespectful attitude isn't called out, the attitude will never change.
My hope is that people, myself included, will think twice before replying in a manner that is less than helpful.
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PeejayAdams wrote: What I would hate to see on CP - and I do see a lot elsewhere - is those "OMG! Fancy not knowing that!" answers which really do deter newbies by making them feel stupid.
Spot on!
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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6 and 9 are planning something.
0110 1001
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They even made a movie about 9's plan.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
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Was it set in outer space?
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It even had a chiropractor in the leading role! Well, some of the leading role.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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If this were StackOverflow, the number one answer would be: Your question is off-topic.
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Too true. So many times, google lands me on Stack Overflow, it's marked off topic, and the first answer in the comments perfectly answers the question.
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Next step: Set up an AI to answer the 99% routine questions in your name and bring the other 1% to your attention.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
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Great! Do you think my Orcs stand a chance? The algorithm is laughable, but in just 10000 generations they get really good at fighting and know when they are at a disadvantage and when to run. Change the rules and they adapt. The players figure out how to beat them? They adapt.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
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Orc that lasted 10,000 generations? That's pretty remarkable all on it's own! 
Did you ever read Orcs: First Blood[^] ? It's the usual Humans-vs-Orcs, but seen from the Orc side. Not a bad read IIRC.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: Orc that lasted 10,000 generations? That's pretty remarkable all on it's own!
Nah. The losses after each tournament were filled up, selecting only the best to be the fathers of the next generation.  An evolutionary algorithm. Let the blind watchmaker figure it all out. Darwinistic Orcs, which promptly got the religious types on my track. They told me that evolution does not exist and that I'm going to burn in hell for playing god.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
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I take it these are placeholders, and not actual responses...?
[Edit]
Oh, wait...QA questions. I thought at first they were customer questions.
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As a developer I'm not in the default user group at my current company.
As such I was able to install Chrome, sign in, and sync bookmarks etc.
Until today.
Regular users now got Chrome from the sysadmins and the "disable sign-in to Chrome" group policy was also pushed to me...
I can't even access my web mail, VSTS environment, and other company stuff because I don't know the URL's, usernames and password, I have to ask people 
Guess I'll have to export my bookmarks at home and import them here.
No idea why they would disable that policy in the first place, something with not wanting passwords stored at Google (they're already stored on post-its because we have to change them every month )
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Sander Rossel wrote: I can't even access my web mail, VSTS environment, and other company stuff because I don't know the URL's, usernames and password, I have to ask people
Shame on you and you alone!
GCS d-- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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