This is a known problem. It even occurs on PerlMonks sometimes, although a lot of "these" feel that they won't be successfull with homework on this site and don't post such "questions". It is already different on the Usenet, sometimes i am able to read everything on c.l.p.misc for a week, but usually a great amount of the threads are just to be skipped and you don't see too much "interesting" discussion within 150 new messages a day, where 75 are dealing with homework and 30 dealing with "Purl Gurl" :)

But worst it is on the web, because you have all these AOL-quys in it. Usenet at least is not that popular (it's not mentioned in "TOMORROW", so "these" don't know it, that's the sad reason), but the Web is. In a public forum, nearly every second question is "How can i do X? Please give me explicit syntax".

My reaction to this: "Read `perldoc XXX`" with no further explanation. I've translated Eric Raymond's Standard Document to put it in my signature, because i have hope to convince at least 1% of "these" people that they really can do it differently.

My recommendation for those, who are willing to work and think in order to learn is primarily to join PerlMonks. Considering the usenet-problems and the too-public-web-forums it is an important ressource to my eyes.

Im sure, the problem about this homework-thing will nearly disappear in the future, when 15-year old students are told that it is as hard to find a job in IT as in any other area, which is starting to become truth.