I was searching the archives and came across this old thread:

http://www.woodmann.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5377&highlight=denial

I know Doug is a good guy and an advanced reverser. He has helped me out before and I know he has nothing against helping people new to the scene or who don't have a lot of experience. So, I don't think he was in any way aiming the post at people lacking in experience. He was just tired of having the same old, unresearched questions posed.

I tend to post in the newbie section because in many ways I am still a newbie. I do it out of respect for more advanced reversers who might not want people asking dumb questions. However, there really isn't another section for questions that are not so advanced. but which aren't really 'new' newbie.

If the thread above has any relevance, then a newbie is someone strictly new to this board, who hasn't read the FAQ, and who just rushes out a question without thinking. I've been around on and off for a couple of years, so I'm not exactly a newbie in that sense. Maybe someone could advise me on where to post if I have a question that is not related to Tools of Our Trade, or is considered an advanced topic, about packing/unpacking, cryptography, Olly, mini projects, Linux, or Off Topic.

There is no general discussion area for us new to intermediate types, and maybe that's why people like myself tend to accumulate in the Newbie forum.

Just a thought. :-)

Howdy,

Good question. I think I can offer a somewhat vague answer

IMHO, a newbie is a person who is asking a question about something he has little or no knowledge of.

An example of a newbie post:http://www.woodmann.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9222

Intermediate would be someone who has a more than basic understanding of his topic but requires futher explanation.

An example :http://www.woodmann.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7896

Woodmann

My first example may not be the best.

I would agree with Woody's statement, that we ALL are "newbies" with ragards to some, or even many aspects of the broad field of Reverse Engineering. We may be more proficient in some areas and less proficient in others, but I assume we ALL still have a great deal more we could learn and, just when we begin to suspect we know alot about something, they just go and change it all around.

It seem to me that the "Newbie Forum" is a good place to post questions about which the poster has somewhat limited knowledge and is seeking guidance after attempting to solve one's own problem. The general idea of the "other" forums is merely an effort to keep some of the discussion more focused for those whose interests may also be somewhat focused on those same issues. And when the occasion arises that one can't decide where to put something, there is always the "Off Topic" section, which simply covers a wide range of topics which do not neatly fit into one of the other categories.

Regards,

thanks for the clarification JMI. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't ticking anyone off by posting in the Newbie section. I have both posted and replied to posts in the Off Topic area, and it's a good idea.

You are right about us all being Newbies in one sense or another. I started into electronics decades ago and I don't even feel like I've scratched the surface of what is available to learn. One thing I try to keep in mind is that it's all theory, and no one has seen an electron as yet. That doesn't stop some scientists from talking about the Bing Bang as if it was fact, based on scant measurements in the current Universe, when they can't even tell you what's happening on Mars. We all need to keep a perspective, and keep our egos in check.

thanks for reply Woody. I must have been half asleep, I only saw JMI's reply at first but he refered to you in the reply and I didn't notice your reply sitting right above his. Old age setting in???


Yeah...OK...I get the distinction. Like I said, I wanted to be sure I wasn't stepping on toes. Thanks again.