Hi "Some Guy"

A great episode, raising excellent points, but I feel the crux of the issues you raise is courtesy and dignity rather than free speech per se.

Free speech generally refers to the ideas you are expressing. How you express them is where courtesy comes in. There is a world of difference  between "If you look at the online manuals you should find the information that will solve your problem" and "RTFM!"

You'll probably be aware of the controversy about Richard Stallman's ejection from the FSF and subsequent readmission. This was a result of his expressing what most people felt were distasteful ideas. Very little of what followed was criticism of RMS' views based on rational, level-headed argument. It was all about personal insult and trying to shut RMS down, saying he shouldn't have expressed his views. There was no respect of his right of free speech. Much as I similarly rejected most of what RMS had said, the episode demonstrated to me that even in the world of "free culture" that we claim to support the adherence to the right of true free speech is as tenuous and conditional as it is in wider society.

I have asked many questions on free software forums over the years and generally found nothing but help and courtesy. However, every now and then I've come across respondents whose primary aim is to show how clever they are and to belittle my relative lack of knowledge. They are the people who give FLOSS a bad image. On the plus side, though, in the same way as you, me and everyone else come to realise that these jerks don't represent the majority I think most newbies will as well, provided they don't encounter one on their first ever request for help.