Subject: Pascal homework on the net

23. *****
 Q: What is all this talk about "Pascal homework on the net"?

 A: This is one of the subjects that seems to pop up at regular
intervals, cause some heated exchange for awhile, and then die down
again leaving some users harboring warranted or unwarranted grudges.
   Some posters to comp.lang.pascal (later comp.lang.pascal.borland)
have been very concerned of the possibility that the questions posed
on the net are related to students' homework assignments. I don't
have any unequivocal answers or a clear-cut stand on this question,
just some comments.
   The most important task of a newsgroup like comp.lang.pascal.borland
is the exchange of information between the users. If you think that
what you are going to post is interesting and useful to the group,
that should be your topmost criterion.
   If it is really a student that wants his/her work done on the net
(how do we know anyway?) also consider the following fact. Being
able to use a newsgroup amounts to having learned at least something
about using computers, and that is something per se.
   Even if the student may short-sightedly not realize it, providing
ALL the code for a student's homework is detrimental to the student,
since it is she/he that foregoes understanding what he/she is doing.
The group should not condone outright cheating. Being (partly) a
teacher myself, I understand also this view.
   If a student is stuck with a problem in his/her code, I don't see
any real harm in helping out, especially if the problem has general
interest. Instructing is what teaching is about, anyway, isn't it?
   But, on the other hand, I must admit that I find a it rather
flagrant if a posting asks for something of the kind "I have to
complete my term assignment to write a function plotter by the end
of this month. Send me the code, since I'm too busy with my other
exams to write it myself" (a true quote).
   Finally, let's not jump to premature conclusions about anyone's
questions.  That's what most often triggers off a vicious circle of
flaming.
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