Everah wrote:Does anyone (that has been around here for a while) ever go back and read through some of your first posts that you made here? I just got done doing that and was freaking amazed at how new I was to PHP! Some of the things I asked then now seem so elementary (my dear Watson). So I was just wondering if anyone else ever goes back and looks at the questions they once asked when new to the boards?
DISCLAIMER: This question excludes Feyd, who by the very nature of him being the end-all, be-all source of intelligence and logic to code and programming as a whole, never asked a single question as a poster in need of help.

I did just that the other day...
Although I've been a member here for a while I only started posting a while back (no more than year I'm guessing) yet my thing says member since 2004...
I can't say I had much of a nostalgia feeling as most of my posts are within the last couple onths I would think...9 maybe 10 months...
I did reflect on my posts made at Code Project though as I've been a active member there for a much longer time...
In which case yes...it's weird to see old questions...
For me it was weird, cause I always ask strange questions...either because I don't ask properly or I have a odd interest at the time...
One in particular that stuck out was an argument I got into with another member in regards to assembly language and optimizing calendar functions...
The argument I made (at the time) seemed logical from what I understood of the subject...but I was later proven very wrong by an old time veteran...who thankfully just let it go...
That faithful day I learned a very important lesson...actually two...
1) Only argue if you unconditionally can prove your right otherwise post in question form, which is a smart way of posting as you can never be wrong...
2) Only argue about things that are:
- Concept, theory or asbtract so no one person is the clear winner
- So overly complicated no one even understands, except a limited few...so if you are wrong...at least you only get one or two people correcting you and NOT the entire community...
Anyways...yes...everyday I learn something new...not always technical in nature...sometimes physchological...
For instance...I believe it was Roja who convinced me of the importance of web accessability or why CSS was better for layout over TABLES...
It was on a local BBS many moons ago that someone convinced me of why I should extensively (or at all) comment my code...
Different kinds of learning I guess...I don't know your background...but if you were new to programming or PHP when you first came here...it's probably pretty natural to ask trivial basic questions like...
Why doesn't my script compile or whatever...some issue caused by a missing semi-colon, etc...
In which case, you would use a community slightly different than someone who had previous experience programming...at least until you caught up with the basics...
Even still...advanced developers can ask sometimes trivial questions...
For instance, I once asked (not here, but another forum) how you derive classes in PHP and received about 40 relies explaining the basics of OOP
I was really only looking for use "extends" keyword as I was already an accomplished OOP developer...but I guess thats my bad for being so lazy as to ask such a trivial question...
I personally try and further myself in one way or another every day, programming and beyond...I'm a learner...thats what I love to do...but that really affects my performance as a developer...especially freelancing when I don't have someone breatheing down my neck pushin deadlines, etc...
I'll spend a few hours programming then flip open Google to find a solution, which leads to another solution to another problem, which domino's into about 30 other articles...and completely takes me off track...and wastes 3-4 hours which could have spent making money...but instead...just made me smarter...
All the smarts in the world won't do you a damn bit of good if you can't pay your bills...
So...I guess I'm slowly learning to be a more efficient developer...disciplining myself to stay focused at the problem at hand...for longer periods of time...
I'm all for learning...as long as it's something I'm interested in
Cheers
