The fact that Person A didn't know that he could use PXE to solve his problem ILLUSTRATES that he doesn't know what PXE is. He shouldn't need to take step 2 and ask "What's PXE?" because it's OBVIOUS. You don't need to be a mindreader.

If you're going to expect the person with the answers to take the mental effort to figure out what the questioner does and does not understand, then I think it's also reasonable to expect the questioner to be honest and say "I don't understand what you just said" when it's true.

You claim it's obvious what the questioner does not know. I claim it's not. This is why teaching is hard. Having the answers is not enough. The hard part is sussing out what the student's incomplete or incorrect understanding is, then guiding them to something more complete and correct. This takes time, patience, and a surprising amount of effort on the part of the teacher. If you don't believe me, then try teaching people with zero programming experience how to program.

When it's someone's job to do that, well, that's their job. Students are often reluctant to say "I don't know what you just said." I had to read their faces to gauge understanding, or I'd have to ask them to repeat back to me, in their own words, what I just explained.

But we're talking about peers. And if peers are going to learn from each other, then there should be an understanding that teaching is hard, and that the person asking the questions has just as much (if not more) of a duty to be honest.

I will definitely concede your point. Teaching is not easy.

But I do have to say that in this PARTICULAR example, not knowing that PXE is the solution is a very clear, very easy to grasp next step to not knowing what PXE is.

But you're right in general.

I think how easy it would be to follow up with "what's PXE?" would be completely dependent on Person A's perception of Person B's attitude. If Person B seemed like a jerk, they'd be a lot less likely to ask.

Does anyone else find it somewhat funny that the presently highest post on this topic called the article's example bs, and then we've been discussing that very topic ever sense then?

Is it just me, or are we ourselves a case-study of exactly what she was making a point about in her article?

Just an observation.

We're not really a case study of that situation. There isn't one person who's clueless asking another person who's very knowledgeable.

We're all knowledgeable, trying to clarify our experiences and make them fit with what other people have experienced.