I'll just say: Don't get discouraged if you get downvotes for your questions, its okay to ask things.

Think of it as trading reputation points for knowledge :D

One of the funniest statements I have read on this forum.

It needs the address to figure out which instruction is next.

I thought that was the job of PC(Program Counter)

The program counter is the address of the instruction.

1) It needs the data to decode the instruction. It needs the address to figure out which instruction is next.2) A program is stored in RAM.3) I have no clue what you mean by a load consuming memory.

I mean the load operation the one that has 5 steps: fetch encode execute memory read. The load operation requires RAM in order to operate right?

Of course it does; it's job is to load data from memory.

Of course it does; it's job is to load data from memory.

Oh I get it now! Thanks for clearing up my doubt with all the questions. Everyone else did a great job too.

Its sad but true, I find Gamedev to be a rather hostile forum.

I don't think its overly hostile unless you ask overtly silly questions, or take a wrong-headed opinion and really stick to your guns. I do think people are unfairly down-voted on occasion, and when I see people in the negative for it I take a look through the thread, and at the post and if they don't seem to be in the wrong I'm happy to upvote even if they're incorrect about something.

People can make honest mistakes or be genuinely confused and shouldn't fear being punished for it. And there does seem to be a piling-on effect that's really not helpful or productive.

But I think the system mostly works -- Its pretty rare that I downvote anyone. When I do they're objectively wrong and unwilling to admit it, or rude. I also tend to follow an axiom that I don't downvote unless I or someone else has/can correct the information. It seems unfair to downvote without letting its target know why, or how they're wrong.

I wish that were true, my experience has been the complete opposite. For example I got down-voted on this post: http://www.gamedev.net/topic/653308-how-alive-is-oop/#entry5130883. I didn't insult or denigrate anyone. Every contentious statement I prepositioned with 'I feel' or 'I personally think'. No one in subsequent posts even addressed the issues I mentioned. But just stating the opinion that 'C++ isn't a true OOP language' is enough. In my university days these are the things I'd have long debates about with my colleagues. Is encapsulation sufficient for OOP or is inheritance a requirement? There are legitimate arguments on both sides, and it can be a very interesting discussion. But that back-n-forth can never happen on GameDev. Its why I like the TigSource.com forums. They're certainly less knowledgeable, but far more accommodating to differing opinions and ideas.

That's just a minor, albeit recent, example. There are many more egregious situations that have occurred in the past. TBH, I don't really care about the ranking. I've learned long ago to tread cautiously in GameDev, and to never express an opinion. Its just sad IMHO that that's the way it is.

I'll leave it at that, this has become quite tangential to the OP...