I do not see a problem with that. It's just a reference. ... Sure, but what's the alternative? Write even more documentation?

Neither remark is intended as a critique of, nor a call for changes to, the current documentation.

They are simply supporting argument to the premise that no documentation can be expected to be able to teach everything there is to know. That sometimes, even with due diligence, some of us need help interpreting the documentation. Whether because we don't work with POSIX platforms and docs and so need help in understanding how those APIs might have been emulated on our platform; or because the subtleties (and changing subtleties) of the way certain features (and the regex engine is a prime example) are just very complex and require the acquisition of a 'mental model' that fits our own way of thinking.

Sometimes we need an additional nudge for some parts of the docs to 'click'. But the crux is, each person will need that addition nudge for different parts. It would be nigh impossible and certainly counter productive to try and incorporate all those additional nudges, for all those different people, into the documentation. Especially as they are probably only required the first few times until the penny drops.

And that's what this site is (or should be) about.

A place where people of any level, can come and find others of a similar level of understanding, with whom they can discuss their particular blind spots and resolve them without incurring the wrath of those with more experience who have achieved greater levels of understanding.

And all that is needed to make that work is for those of us with more experience of Perl to recognise that when someone asks a question that we consider trivial or obvious, that they aren't asking that question specifically of us. We should not feel the need to be affronted by it. If you read an OP and feel the question is obvious, trivial and a waste of your time -- don't allow it to waste your time. Just move on. Certainly don't waste your own time and theirs by posting some "make the effort and look it up" flaming response.

There will be someone else along soon, for whom the answer is a recent addition to their knowledge, who is only too happy to give back and share that new found knowledge.

Physically, the simplest thing in the world to do is to 'click the back button'/'hit the back key'; but on the evidence of this place, psychologically, it seems to be a very difficult thing for many people to do. Kind of like the way sorry is the hardest word.