In response to the first post, I tried to offer guidance to an unknown
source about a breach of netiquette. That seemed to me a helpful thing
to do, with no assumptions about the poster. After a repeat of the
first post with further details, but none relating it to graphics,
Kinch posted a terse rebuff that seemed to assume this was a homework
question. I decided it would be better simply to remain silent. But
when Hoffmann said "Students asking about their homework are welcome,
IMO", I felt strongly that I should make clear my own position on
*that* topic. I'm uncomfortable claiming OP is asking us to help with
a homework question, and GH is welcome to speak for himself about his
personal attitude about offering such help. But, especially in light
of Kinch's take on the posts, I believe it may help OP to read, say,
<http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>
Responding in more detail, just to make sure the dead horse is flogged
enough:
On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 00:38:04 GMT, "Dave Eberly"
Post by Dave EberlyPost by Just d' FAQsPerhaps you did not notice that the post was a second offense. It was
cross-posted to four other groups, and about graph algorithms, not
graphics algorithms (with no attempt to tie it to graphics). And last
time it happened the poster was advised not to do so. As for asking
about homework, I reserve the right to be extremely harsh when asked
to do someone's homework for them.
1. Stating this is a homework question is speculation. You do not
know for certain.
Agreed. And in my direct response to OP earlier in this thread I made
no such assumption. Which does not change my distaste for laziness and
cheating when it occurs. Always a judgement call here, and a perilous
one at that.
Post by Dave Eberly2. Stating this has no connection to graphics is speculation. You do not
know for certain. Maybe it does. For example, the document at my
web site indicates that Boolean operations on polysolids has ties to
graph coloring.
Indeed, maybe it does; but as I said in parentheses, there was no
attempt to tie it to graphics, and the message was cross-posted to
comp.ai, comp.theory, sci.math, and sci.op-research as well. Bad idea.
Post by Dave Eberly3. I will venture to say that some of us who frequent this newsgroup
do not feel obligated to follow The Rules of Academia. Those
Rules are generally artificial and not how industry works.
My concern was not "The Rules of Academia" but rather the realities of
learning and working with others in the real world. It may be true
that ethics and industry are strange bedfellows, but I see no reason
to encourage poor behavior.
Post by Dave EberlyPost by Just d' FAQsKinch's post is direct, correct, on target, and not terribly harsh.
"correct"? More speculation.
In my experience students *are* "supposed to do homework assignments
themselves", unless explicitly told otherwise; and even then they must
not pass others' work off as their own. In the real world that can get
someone fired.
Post by Dave EberlyPost by Just d' FAQsWere this one of my students I would hope they would be given gentle
but appropriate guidance to help them learn. Say, talk to your fellow
students, to your teaching assistants, to your professor. Read this
book, these papers, or those web sites. But certainly do not ask for
inappropriate help in an off-topic newsgroup, nor in FIVE groups at
once, and especially not repeatedly. IMHO
"inappropriate help" is your judgment that is not universal. IMHO
We have yet to see any effort by OP to show it is appropriate. Perhaps
a challenging computer graphics problem in the real world produced the
question. If so, it would help (in multiple ways) to hear about it.