Long before I started working for Macworld, I lost patience with those who comment before reading hints. It has nothing at all to do with free hints, columns, or anything involving making my living. It has everything to do with respect for the hint's author and any notes I might take the time to write: Before commenting, people should first insure that their comment isn't already covered in the hint itself. That just strikes me as common courtesy.

And I don't feel my answer was rude or snide. A bit pointed, perhaps, but quite civil. Then again, eight years of this have probably slanted my perceptions quite a bit, so if I offended, I apologize. That was not the intent; the intent was to let the commenter know we had covered that bit in the hint itself.

(As a quick aside on the monetary issue: yes, people submit hints for free, and those hints then show up in a few places, some of which aren't free. Keep in mind, however, that they can then *read* them for free, too -- all of them, not just their submissions. And unlike some other sites that rely on user-provided content, our entire database of hints from day one is completely open, completely free, and readily searchable. That strikes me as the only fair way to do it -- reader-provided content should always be free in its original form. As for the magazine and (ancient) books ... if someone chooses to purchase those, then that's their decision. Nobody is required to do so to read OS X Hints.)

-rob.

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