>This is not the first time that I have berated Mohammed for not having a go himself.

Shame on you.

>Nor, for that matter am I the only one (even in this thread)

There is no one else in this thread who has "berated" him or acted as high and mighty as you.

>I feel I've earned the right to speak my mind.

You do that plenty.

>I can remember as a graduate software engineer

You mean a programmer? OK, well I think pompous just about sums you up.

>Always asking a principal engineer to help me with my problems, and he was always helpful, till the day he'd had enough and politely suggested I go RTFM. This I did, and it "growed me up", and taught me to be self-sufficient and autodidactic.

Yawn.

>No-one's going to better himself if he clammers for help at the first obstacle.

Does this apply to ladies too?