[QUOTE=henryzz;141571]i am beginning to think that we should just ignore anything he posts like that and just continue what we were discussing
the number of discussions he has interupted and stopped lately is quite large[/QUOTE]

I may not agree with some of his answers, but find his math related posts a continue source of ideas to study.

Luigi

i am not saying ignore helpful posts but he has posted several time lately that just start an argument that distracts from the original conversation without actually helping anyone

[QUOTE=henryzz;141575]i am not saying ignore helpful posts but he has posted several time lately that just start an argument that distracts from the original conversation without actually helping anyone[/QUOTE]

Well, he actually helped me: now I am extremely careful when ask math-realted questions, and never before studying the subject :smile:

Luigi

[url]http://www.mersenneforum.org/profile.php?do=addlist&userlist=ignore&u=1442[/url]
Use that link and click Save List to ignore all R.D. Silverman posts. :smile:

yes but he should just ignore people(like the rest of us) when they post something not quite mathmatically correct

[url]http://forumspile.com/Thread-I_like_where_this_thread_is_going.jpg[/url]

[QUOTE=Jwb52z;141568]Guys, please stop trying to reason with Dr. Silverman. He can't, or won't, understand that people deserve anything unless they "reinvent the wheel" and do things from scratch.[/QUOTE]That is not fair.

Bob has many times helped complete newbies with very elementary mathematical questions. He has, of course, helped many others at higher, some times much higher, levels of accomplishment.

What he asks is that questioners don't try to bite off more than they can chew --- that is, they should have a reasonable estimate of their own level of ability and convey that estimate in the questions they ask and their expectations of what they will be able to achieve in their subject of interest.

Further, he asks that they make an honest attempt to work out what they are asking for and to phrase it in meaningful and reasonably precise language.

Finally, and quite rightly in my view, he expects his answers to be read and either understood or sensible requests for clarification to be made. It's infuriating, IMO, to spend time constructing an answer only for the questioner to ignore it completely and prove that it has been ignored by the nature of the follow up.

Paul

[QUOTE=henryzz;141580]yes but he should just ignore people(like the rest of us) when they post something not quite mathmatically correct[/QUOTE]

I do not agree with you either :smile::smile::smile:

I like being corrected if I'm mistaken or definitely wrong, because it enlarges my horizon of knowledge, and let me know something new or empower what I already know. The secret is not taking it personally.

As I said in another thread, I am free to take the wrong steps, he is free to point my wrong action in the mood he likes, and I'm free to like or dislike the way he expresses himself. If I like it I will learn something more, while if I don't I just ignore him: my life won't change its pace.

I accept harsh answers from someone who has far more knowledge than I will have in my life about math.

It's all about freedom: if you want the freedom to ask, let others the freedom to answer your question as they like. Then if you know about the subject you were asking you'll be prepared to contrast any answer, if not you'll have something new to learn.

I've had my share of shame asking a question that introduced a "go study the subject!" answer, but I took the time and the courage to ask again for some links to get information, and he gave me those links soon after his previous answer.

Maybe the worst question is the one you don't ask. :smile:

Luigi

ET_ has a point.

I can say that my parents pretty much think the same way. When I ask my father for help on my math homework, he sometimes gets upset at me for not knowing what I should know. However, my mother always says that it's better to get yelled at than to get a bad grade! :smile:

[quote=R.D. Silverman;141555]And I think that giving someone $50K merely for blindly running someone else's code is ridiculous. The money should go to George for his (terrific!) intellectual achievement in developing and providing the code.[/quote]
What would George's code have achieved if people didn't run it, blindly or not? What would searching for Mersenne primes using any software be like without GIMPS? I think GIMPS is the by far George's greatest achievement. Other people have written good software and searched for Mersenne primes as well, and GIMPS have coordinated them all.

[QUOTE=S00113;141586]What would George's code have achieved if people didn't run it, blindly or not? What would searching for Mersenne primes using any software be like without GIMPS? I think GIMPS is the by far George's greatest achievement. Other people have written good software and searched for Mersenne primes as well, and GIMPS have coordinated them all.[/QUOTE]

Do you refer to Amdahl4 group, Brian Beesley or Richard Crandall? :smile::smile::smile:

Luigi