Why do some people feel the need to leave messages on a message board like this that essentially ask for their entire project to be done for them. Without even a shread of information, or even an indication that any research had been done on it.

Because we all are little, unwise and unexperienced, full of fear and need to be loved and respected by our friends all the time...

Heaven, Lenny, because we are human beings and not machines!

When I make my little contributions here I feel doing the same like an ambulance, when they help wounded people. I just give help, don't ask why. I don't refuse to help, only because someone has not followed the étiquette...

I think the 'ambulance' is a good metapher to this forum: An ambulance is totally useless, from a very cynical point of view. Why giving a person medical help, if the person did not take care enough? Nobody forced him to traverse the street, with these many cars... So, he shall look for himself to get better.
The same with this forum: There's absolutely no question ever posted here that could not have been solved by looking into a good book or by intensively googling. So, from a very cynical point of view, there's absolutely no use for such a forum.

So, how to decide, what a relevant post is and what not? How to decide, what a relevant wounding is and what not? A broken leg is relevant, but a broken arm is not??
How are you able to see, that there is 'a total lack of commitment on their part', as you wrote? Only because he does not follow the étiquette, because he didn't wrote, that 'he has searched two days in the web, but could not get relevant information', because he didn't wrote, 'what datasheets he read over and over, but could'nt find the answer', or because he made the mistake to write 'u' instead of 'you'?
Heaven, Lenny, how do you see that there's ACTUALLY a total lack of commitment on their part?? I can't see it, not at all! The only I can see is that there is a desperate person, not having any glue how to proceed, having a weak minute, needing the support and help of friends. Needing someone who tells him 'Hey, don't worry my friend, I had the same problem and I was helped by the following...'. THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF SUCH A FORUM: Positively motivated members, who just reach the hand to a drowning person.

Of course, it's much more helpful if a post is formulated accurately in best Oxford english, with lots of information about what he tried, etc. But if you are really positively thinking then this is not needed, in a sense, that you refuse to help if étiquette isn't followed 100%. Like the man from the ambulance, who is not asking himself, whether a certain wounding is relevant or not, and who is not refusing to help, only because the wounded person couldn't find the right words or moanded too loud...

This forum creates a strong community, where we communicate with each other, where we talk about 89C51 related problems, where we respect each other, where we support each other, where we all the time discuss over and over about the same simple problems. Not only because of finding a certain solution to a certain problem, but to do, what human beings use to do: Feel well in a group of friends...

And I become really tiered from discussing over and over and over again, what an allowed post is and what not. In the presence of God and this overwhelming universe we all, even the most experienced expert, are little, and we should not be so arrogant to label people to be even more little, than we are ourselves...
No one is forcing you to give help here. But if you do it, from the deep of your heart, then it will keep on the spirit of this forum, creating a community of people being interested in the same issue, equally of what nation, equally of what colour, equally of what language, equally of what religion, equally of what tradition, giving the hope to all of us, that we can live together in peace and harmony...

Kai