I've really got to learn to stop posting anything to HackerNews that in any way can be construed as an admission of weakness or vulnerability. I sensed that was the case here when I was writing, but didn't think it was necessary to hide it. I will be more careful in future to not reveal more than is absolutely necessary, and so avoid this typical, casually condescending reply. It's annoying because it's the "mistake" that gets seized on, instead of what I'm saying... as if there's more interest in correction than communication.

Maybe I am alone here in disliking unsolicited advice, but ironically, when I ask a question here, I usually don't get any help...

...so perhaps the secret is not to ask, but state something that incidentally reveals the lack of knowledge, so the scent of inexcusable ignorance rouses the instinctive hacker display of superior knowledge. I will try this.

Or maybe, I am just not a hacker. Although I love coding (especially to help other people) and I'm not a corporate type, I am coming to think this more and more; because behaviour like giving unsolicited advice seems to be totally acceptable and approved of on sites like this, but by my values is a form of trolling, and has never sat well with me.

EDIT I just checked the site mqt lists in his profile (http://mark.nirv.net/), and judging by his May 26, 2007 entries, he does troll at times ("What a f______ p___"; "Use a spell checker next time, a______." - to me, that's really abusive). Trolls have sometimes gotten under my radar by combining genuine knowledge and apparent helpfulness with their trolling. Oh well, you live and you learn; without risking mistakes and uncongeniality, one cannot learn.