I think two separate issues have collided here.
 
One is the rightful annoyance of those I called (respectfully, I assure
you all) 'wizards', who volunteer their time and expertise willingly and
generously, only to be hassled by ingrates who -demand- things.
 
The other is the genuine frustration and search-for-help of those who
-thought- they knew what they were doing, but turned out to be woefully
mistaken.  Innocence, ignorance, and misinformation all contribute to this
state.
 
The knowledgable begin, in -their- frustration, to lump all help-seekers
with the lazy and ungrateful.
 
The ignorant begin, in -their- frustration, to lump all help-givers with
the purveyors of jargon and misinformation.
 
As someone clever once said, When your mouth is burning from too much
spicy food, even a glass of water will taste like hot-and-sour soup.
 
And when one feels put-upon,, a simple "please pass the salt" becomes an
imposition to be resented.
 
Neither Anthea nor I, I am sure, intended to stir up such a potful of hurt
feelings.  We have both posted our almost pathetic gratitude for help that
-works-.  We have both tried to 'do our homework,' but sometimes the item
we need is buried in a mass of confusing things, or we don't recognize
that -that's- what we need.  It may seem incredible to some of you that
even after reading the elm manual several times, one could still be
ignorant of certain commands: may I ask you how many of you have committed
entire elementary texts to memory?or always got '100' on exams?  I am not
trying to be snide or sarcastic, just to point out that even an
intelligent person can miss things on first, second, or third reading,
especially if it's not immediately useable or understandable.
 
As has just been pointed out, there is a vast spectrum between 'absolute
novice' and 'expert'.  I would like to right now thank all those who
through the years have helped me move a bit from the 'novice' end, and
those who will help me in future move a bit further along as well.
 
--bayla