I think that it's important to point people in the right direction, but in a friendly and helpful way. We also need to remember that newbies may not be familiar with bulletin boards or BB etiquette. They may not have the online experience to do an effective search or know what a sticky is for.

For the people who don't have patience for newbies (and I understand that is the reality too), I just wish they would refrain from responding at all, and allow members who can gently help and explain where they can learn how to navigate FT. It's like mom said, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". And since we're disussing quotations, I thought it was, "Teach a man to fish, and he'll sit in a boat and drink beer all day".