I agree with your last paragraph but "noob" is offensive? That's just silly... it's like you said, we've all been there once and it's a useful term for quickly

I agree with your last paragraph but "noob" is offensive? That's just silly... it's like you said, we've all been there once and it's a useful term for quickly describing where one's at. There's no inherent malice unless intentionally added by the speaker/poster.