Originally posted by John E
Hi Andy - you're spot on in saying that CodeGuru doesn't distinguish people on the basis of their programming knowledge. I'm just asking the question "is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Should there be a minimum level of skill required in order to post freely? People without that level of skill could still post in their own special forum - where they could still obtain help from any CodeGuru member. That forum could also be used for quarantining people who violate the rules. Maybe they could be sent there for a while instead of being banned.
People get banned mostly because they (repeatedly) post noise in the tech forums and/or massively cross the line in the Chit/Chat Forum. I am pozitively sure that no one ever got banned for asking dumb questions. Not to speak of the fact that monitoring each new user and deciding whether he/she is fit enough for the forums is hard work and also unpleasant for the new users. So, in my oppinion, a "Beginners" forum doesn't make much sense. I'd rather seek for a way to have beginners read the FAQ and search the forums before they ask questions.