No RTFM?
previous suggestion by a regular contributor. ?I still think a better response is not to escalate: ?Either ignore the post or say something like, "I don't understand your question. ?Please provide a self-contained minimal example as suggested in the Posting Guide ... ."
I agree wholeheartedly. I have tried to do this with the ggplot2 mailing list, and I think it has been extremely successful in fostering a community that is friendly and polite, yet still provides excellent technical support (and these days, most of it doesn't come from me!). I know it's frustrating when you see the same "stupid" question asked over and over and over again, and it's so tempting to reply harshly, but I think you're far better off just letting it go, and doing something fun instead. Hadley
Assistant Professor / Dobelman Family Junior Chair Department of Statistics / Rice University http://had.co.nz/