That how I bought my truck.

Salesman asked what kind of truck? I told him a white one.


AND:


I have a nice white truck. Go figure..

Tom: JK. It's nice that nobody blew up over it.
TSS: Funny.
Everyone else: I'll try to be nicer.

agree the OP Ermie posted had way more than enough info to be answered and the reply part had absolutely nothing to do with the question part (maybe there was more to the OP Ernie quoted?"
¸
If it was just "How do I block my son's phone from using my home WiFi network? " then there might not be enough info in the post and if it was "How do I block my son's phone from using my home WiFi network to go to XYZ.com" then it becomes a more complicated situation. But by the OP adding "Can it be done by blocking the MAC address of my son's phone? " that question can be answered with a simple YES and because it followed the first question and gives a solution it also answers the first part (and if the OP does not know how to do the MAC filtering he can always ask a follow up question)

Ernie. When it comes to knowing the correct info, you rant.
Who gets irritated by your rants? everybody.

As it was already stated: simply ask for more info.
Leave your O.C.D. offline.

Totally correct, but you miss the fact that someone asking this exact question might be taking a stab in the dark using terms he doesn't understand, actually hoping someone will tell him the best way to do it. If you understand enough to ask about the MAC address, you probably know enough to try it. To put it another way, that's a picky, pointed question like I would ask, but the guy probably doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm no network whiz but it seemed possible to me based on the little wifi setup I've done.

Very often people ask us how to implement bad solutions, maybe like "how can I install and control three actuators to the perimeter of a satellite dish to enable me to aim it?"

I've never seen that question, but here's the thing: someone totally ignorant of the best way to aim a dish might get just enough information to think that three actuators on the perimeter can do what he wants. As a matter of fact, it might even be possible. But that question itself takes the proper solution off the table: tie down two points such that a third point, a single actuator, makes the dish rotate about a fixed line pointing at Polaris.

Maybe there's a better way to keep the kid from using the phone than using the MAC address. Asking if it can be done using the MAC address is not as good a question in the general case as how can it be done, what are different ways, or what is the best way.

Wouldn't it be frustrating to tell him "yes" to the MAC address question, then come back and find he doesn't know how to do it? Especially if you already know a better way?

[quote]
Totally correct, but you miss the fact that someone asking this exact question might be taking a stab in the dark using terms he doesn't understand, actually hoping someone will tell him the best way to do it. If you understand enough to ask about the MAC address, you probably know enough to try it. To put it another way, that's a picky, pointed question like I would ask, but the guy probably doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm no network whiz but it seemed possible to me based on the little wifi setup I've done.

Very often people ask us how to implement bad solutions, maybe like "how can I install and control three actuators to the perimeter of a satellite dish to enable me to aim it?"

I've never seen that question, but here's the thing: someone totally ignorant of the best way to aim a dish might get just enough information to think that three actuators on the perimeter can do what he wants. As a matter of fact, it might even be possible. But that question itself takes the proper solution off the table: tie down two points such that a third point, a single actuator, makes the dish rotate about a fixed line pointing at Polaris.

Maybe there's a better way to keep the kid from using the phone than using the MAC address. Asking if it can be done using the MAC address is not as good a question in the general case as how can it be done, what are different ways, or what is the best way.
[/quote]


you are missing the forest for the trees, in your example the first question was

"How do I block my son's phone from using my home WiFi network?"

He did ask a general question and if someone thought there was a "better" way someone could have used the first question to recommend that better way. Even if he did not ask that first question and he had asked something like "I want to block my son's phone from using my home WiFi network, is that what blocking a Mac address is for?" there would have been enough info to throw in an alternative if someone wanted to even if the guy did not exactly ask for alternatives.


[quote]Wouldn't it be frustrating to tell him "yes" to the MAC address question, then come back and find he doesn't know how to do it? Especially if you already know a better way? [/quote]


No, If I knew a better way I would give it from the get go, why would the original question prevent me from doing so even if someone did not ask for it directly? And if the guy does not know how to do it and needs more help, he can ask a follow up question, why would anyone be frustrated because someone needed a bit more help implementing the solution (unless the guy was rude about it)? You can never know how advanced the person is on the other end of a question on the internet.