i have yet to see a forum post asking how to change settings on his camera, but i've seen those asking about Custom Functions (they can be complex when the manual doesnt elaborate further). think about it, some newbies may be students or just started work or have limited funds. photography books are not cheap, so if someone asks about aperture/shutter speed principles, does it hurt to explain rather than telling him "go buy Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure". yes the internet may provide the answers but if you put yourself in a newbie's shoes, you'll realised that he/she may not know how to use the search engine. the more experienced photographers will know how to search, for eg, "DOF Master" or "Strobist" or more specific terms like "hyperfocal distance" and "crop factor", but think about it, how would someone jumping into photography for the first time know how to phrase his search correctly? you're lurking in the forums to interact isn't it? does it defeat your purpose to answer noob questions? or do we want to spend all our time here just talking about which L lens to get and whether the 5D II is coming? nothing wrong with that of course, but if we can be preoccupied with such things, what harm is there to guide the newbies at the same time?