Eh, MrCoffee, it's not the poster/thread starter that matters but the topic, the substance of the topic and the reactions we all read.

Like gadz, I noticed that some couldn't just help it but shoot the messenger. Why couldn't a forum be instructive and at the same time be constructive?

Issues are really worth bringing up and worth discussing. Some are not as they are already overtaken by events. [Now I'm digressing and getting off-topic and if I remember right, someone senior in AO started the ramblings on this subject--that discussions turn sour at the end.]

In the very short time I joined AO (after finding it linked while looking through the Canadian Security website), I've learned a lot (and I feel "archaic" needing to catch up with the present trends in ICT).

It is from AO that I learned that DAP is malware... that AdAware and Spybot are really usable, and what sites can be considered credible... and so many other things. But where the people giving the assistance get sassed just because the of the advisor (person) and not the message itself, then I go full neg (hence my tendency to assign negs).

Also, it tends to discourage newbies like me to start a thread if, eventually, argumentum ad hominem posts starts flying. In fact, I often resort to sending emails or PMs because I'm not sure if my queries are valid or not for the whole AO community's consideration.

Just for so many things... if we can't do better, my idea is better stay cool and quiet. Right?