Ageism!? Supposing I take this response seriously, instead of rolling my eyes and thinking STFU (as I am wont to receive such inanity) -- Asking if this is a s

Ageism!? Supposing I take this response seriously, instead of rolling my eyes and thinking STFU (as I am wont to receive such inanity) -- Asking if this is a serious submission, calling a beginner's effort "crummy" and declaring the whole thing nearly unforgivable is not constructive criticism. The one opportunity the OP had to be constructive, he blew: he could have written an improved code sample so that cwoebker could learn something directly. You can talk to children and beginners however you want. My experience has shown me that encouraging such people by gently correcting mistakes and offering feedback along with praise, is a very likely to encourage people to keep trying. Especially when nothing important is at stake.