I know that some people see it that way. I too have been following several forums for many years and what I've noticed in all those years is that when someone drags up an old thread or starts anew thread on a topic that has been covered many times in the past is that something new invariably comes up on the topic if it gets any traction at all. There are more that one way to skin any cat, as it were, and while the senior members may have hashed out a topic at length in the past, a newer member may have new insight on that topic that will never have the opportunity to share it if everyone wanting to know just did a search for an answer (notice I didn't say THE answer because there vis usually more than 1 RIGHT answer). I've been new to forums where someone bringing up an old topic gets chastised by the senior members and the thread effectively gets shut down and I'm left thinking, "damn, I wanted hear about that". To each his own but I see forums as a place to exchange dialogue, not just an archive. I'm sure that a google search would yield the answer to ANY question that could possibly be answered on a forum so, in that respect, forums are redundant and serve no practical purpose is there only function is to provide a source to look up information. What I don't get is why people get their panties in a bunch if someone asks a question that has been covered in depth in the past. Just don't read/respond to it if you don't like it. That's better than voicing an objection that might discourage others from participating. That's how i see it any how. Like I said, to each his own.
That has been my experience as well. I have better luck finding relevant threads on this forum through a google search that I do through a forum search.
