The old Perl usenet newsgroup at comp.lang.perl.misc was partially for discussion, but was also for answers, and it was extremely hostile to beginners. It had a large FAQ, and the regulars regularly yelled at anyone who asked a question that was already answered. Understandable, because no one likes repeating themselves. But beginners are the ones least able to grok that whole thing, and beginners are the most likely to need help. The newsgroup set themselves up to be not helpful to the people ...