I am surprised that no one linked the What Have You Tried article by Matt Gemmell.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;mattgemmell.com&#x2F;what-have-you-tried&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;mattgemmell.com&#x2F;what-have-you-tried&#x2F;</a><p>This is how I almost never got my SO topics closed. I state beforehand what I have tried, how certain SO questions may look related but are still not giving me enough knowledge to solve my problem. I do my best to make a convincing argument that I need help and can&#x27;t make it on my own. A few days later and I get my answer :) (and sometimes I figure it out myself which takes a while)<p>I agree with the HNers that say that someone needs to struggle a bit first. It&#x27;s necessary to develop the emotional coping skills, because programming can have very frustrating moments. And they can answer &quot;what have you tried?&quot;<p>Beginners need to understand: why would I put more time into solving someone else&#x27;s problems than the person asking me the question? I notice that a lot of friction comes from that place. Sometimes beginners don&#x27;t realize it, but I&#x27;ve seen some lazy people as well. When I am on the beginning side I really try to take this into account and value the time of the expert.