Introduction to Perl for non-programming Mac folk

[Paul Makepeace]

On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 12:16 PM, Peter Corlett <abuse at cabal.org.uk> wrote:

> On Mon, Dec 22, 2008 at 01:32:20PM +0000, Andy Wardley wrote:
> [...]
> >   * Knowing where to look for documentation and how to read it.
> > Anything I've missed?
>
> A big lump of clue-by-four to reiterate that last point, applied repeatedly
> until it registers, or until they stop pestering you to give the answers on
> a plate.


"Spoonfeeding" people at the beginning is a very powerful teaching
technique, primarily as it builds confidence and familiarity. The volume of
information required at the beginning of learning a subject can be totally
overwhelming, and oral transmission of that knowledge is for many people
orders of magnitude more effective than reading docs.

Besides, getting the response "RTFM!" is a total turn-off, even for a
seasoned pro.

P