Because he's not going to learn like that? He's not a 5 year old child, none of us are and no one has the right to treat us like such! There would be no problem in giving the OP the answer and then kindly reminding them to try the search function if they hadn't already.
This is the best case scenario. However, over time, even the most helpful people on these forums arrive at a moment where they just can't be bothered to find an information on the forums which can be found through a search. If I can help, I usually link the answer as well as ask kindly for searching next time. I have come across a range of people however who refuse to use the search, because they always get their answers when they open threads.
If the search is only as good as the person using it (which I also disagree) then someone who isn't as apt at using it won't be able to get the answer they are looking for, therefore leaving them with the option of creating a thread.
People need to start learning to use the search at some point. On another vBulletin forum, I did a little walkthrough with exemplary searches to teach and explain how to find which kind of information. Nonetheless, people won't learn if they don't try. I understand that when I want an answer I want it
now, and it's easier to open a thread than to search for it. That however doesn't make it the better option.
A "good" searching system would tell you where the search result is from, rather than this one just telling you it's in the forum. It should tell you where, like is does in the forum for example - All Forums > GT Series > Gran Turismo 5 etc etc... Also a good system would also tell you when the last post was made so you don't waste your time reading a 6 month old thread that can't have any info that you are looking for since GT5 wasn't out yet.
There's one problem that will always persist: GTPlanet is a forum, not a database. All the information is in here, but it is hidden in discussions and long threads, not sorted and cataloged like in a Wiki. This makes finding information harder, but that's the way it is. On top of that, the search function does have its limits, I don't deny that. And still, if you use it right, it will find almost everything for you, often within a minute or less time.
Anyway, I just feel people need to calm down a bit on these threads, I see way to much over-reacting! Forums are supposed to be a friendly helpful place, not a place to get belittled and made a fool of.
I agree, there is quite a lot of agression out there. People often feel attacked for no reason and start to fight back in a war which was never started. Times are rough when a GT is released. It has always been like that, and it will always be like that.