SuSE is not a niche product for hackers and academics anymore. It's a major distro with enterprise and home desktop aspirations. Those users cannot be expected to have the same knowledge or posting skills as the traditional linux user and will simply say "screw it" and walk away. I don't think that benefits either them or us. Just my $.02.
If the list continues to move in the direction it's taken recently it will be the "hackers and academics" and the "traditional Linux user" (as you term us) who will walk- and then what will happen?
That would be disastrous as well, but i don't think that hostile and demeaning answers are the solution. Do you? That's my point here. You can, and should, educate and direct inexperienced posters to the resources they need, but do it with respect. Take a look at some of the recent posts by Carlos Robinson and Anders Johansson. These are very bright guys who answer lots of questions and are helpful without being harsh or rude. They are an example of what I see on other lists and what I try to emulate. Have a good one... Jeff