Actually, more often that not, it seems like the newbies questions are answered rather than fobbed of with the "use the search function" reply. Sometimes, however, referring the newbie to the search function is really the best answer-- he can pull up a lot of info, read the posts, and probably find the answer to his question. If he wants to know more, then he can start a new thread or resurrect the old one.

Realistically, I'd have to say that many newbie questions are repetitious-- perhaps we should consider adding a FAQ thread to assist new members in smoothly joining in the discussions with the "old timers".