No, I never did.
I always think before I ask a question. Then draft it, then check that I've
done all the research I can, then finish it and send it.
Doesn't mean that there isn't a glaringly-obvious solution that I've missed.
But it does mean that I've asked the best-directed and best-explained
question I can.
Did you actually look at the message trail for this one? It has gone
through about three or four iterations, and the final question is absolutely
nothing like the original question. If the person had asked a question even
close to the actual need in the first go, it could have been answered
quickly and easily.
As it was, I was dragged into spending time on a question-and-answer session
that ended up being for something that was outside my area of knowledge
anyway (i.e. Indonesian-language code). If I'd known what the question was
actually about, I would have left it to someone with the appropriate local
knowledge.
You may claim not to mean disrespect, but I find it hard to accept that. I
enjoy helping people and think before each reply. In this case, it is not a
case of "lighten up" - frankly that was a fairly light reply - I could have
been seriously miffed. By implying that I did not take it seriously, you
are certainly not paying me respect.
And, yes. I always consider language differences as a mitigating factor
when reading an awkwardly-worded message. I know full well how rotten my
own foreign-language skills are.
BTW the reference I provided -
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html - should be required
reading for all new group members and is very interesting and instructive
reading for older hands. I commend it to everyone.