Cleanup this article from most (but not all) igor warnings:
- wrap long lines - use tabs instead of spaces - space after content (inserting a ) - capitalization - use two spaces at sentence start Event: vBSDcon 2019
This commit is contained in:
Benedict Reuschling
parent
7b115da262
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07c5e559ce
Notes:
svn2git
2020-12-08 03:00:23 +00:00
svn path=/head/; revision=53380
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@ -1,14 +1,24 @@
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
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<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//FreeBSD//DTD DocBook XML V5.0-Based Extension//EN"
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/XML/share/xml/freebsd50.dtd">
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<article xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" version="5.0" xml:lang="en">
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<info><title>How to get best results from the FreeBSD-questions mailing
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||||
list</title>
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<article xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"
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xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" version="5.0"
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xml:lang="en">
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<info>
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<title>How to get Best Results from the FreeBSD-questions Mailing
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||||
List</title>
|
||||
|
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<author><personname><firstname>Greg</firstname><surname>Lehey</surname></personname><affiliation>
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<address><email>grog@FreeBSD.org</email></address>
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</affiliation></author>
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<author>
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<personname>
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<firstname>Greg</firstname>
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<surname>Lehey</surname>
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</personname>
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<affiliation>
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<address>
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<email>grog@FreeBSD.org</email>
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</address>
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</affiliation>
|
||||
</author>
|
||||
|
||||
<legalnotice xml:id="trademarks" role="trademarks">
|
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&tm-attrib.freebsd;
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@ -23,89 +33,100 @@
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<releaseinfo>$FreeBSD$</releaseinfo>
|
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|
||||
<abstract>
|
||||
<para>This document provides useful information for people looking to
|
||||
prepare an e-mail to the FreeBSD-questions mailing list. Advice and
|
||||
hints are given that will maximize the chance that the reader will
|
||||
receive useful replies.</para>
|
||||
<para>This document provides useful information for people
|
||||
looking to prepare an e-mail to the FreeBSD-questions mailing
|
||||
list. Advice and hints are given that will maximize the
|
||||
chance that the reader will receive useful replies.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>This document is regularly posted to the FreeBSD-questions mailing
|
||||
list.</para>
|
||||
<para>This document is regularly posted to the FreeBSD-questions
|
||||
mailing list.</para>
|
||||
</abstract>
|
||||
</info>
|
||||
|
||||
<sect1>
|
||||
<title xml:id="Introduction">Introduction</title>
|
||||
|
||||
<para><literal>FreeBSD-questions</literal> is a mailing list maintained by
|
||||
the FreeBSD project to help people who have questions about the normal
|
||||
use of FreeBSD. Another group, <literal>FreeBSD-hackers</literal>,
|
||||
discusses more advanced questions such as future development
|
||||
work.</para>
|
||||
<para><literal>FreeBSD-questions</literal> is a mailing list
|
||||
maintained by the FreeBSD project to help people who have
|
||||
questions about the normal use of FreeBSD. Another group,
|
||||
<literal>FreeBSD-hackers</literal>, discusses more advanced
|
||||
questions such as future development work.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<note>
|
||||
<para>The term <quote>hacker</quote> has nothing to do with breaking
|
||||
into other people's computers. The correct term for the latter
|
||||
activity is <quote>cracker</quote>, but the popular press has not found
|
||||
out yet. The FreeBSD hackers disapprove strongly of cracking
|
||||
security, and have nothing to do with it. For a longer description of
|
||||
hackers, see Eric Raymond's <link xlink:href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html">How To Become
|
||||
A Hacker</link></para>
|
||||
<para>The term <quote>hacker</quote> has nothing to do with
|
||||
breaking into other people's computers. The correct term for
|
||||
the latter activity is <quote>cracker</quote>, but the popular
|
||||
press has not found out yet. The FreeBSD hackers disapprove
|
||||
strongly of cracking security, and have nothing to do with it.
|
||||
For a longer description of hackers, see Eric Raymond's <link
|
||||
xlink:href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html">How
|
||||
To Become A Hacker</link></para>
|
||||
</note>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>This is a regular posting aimed to help both those seeking advice
|
||||
from FreeBSD-questions (the <quote>newcomers</quote>), and also those
|
||||
who answer the questions (the <quote>hackers</quote>).</para>
|
||||
<para>This is a regular posting aimed to help both those seeking
|
||||
advice from FreeBSD-questions (the <quote>newcomers</quote>),
|
||||
and also those who answer the questions (the
|
||||
<quote>hackers</quote>).</para>
|
||||
|
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<para>Inevitably there is some friction, which stems from the different
|
||||
viewpoints of the two groups. The newcomers accuse the hackers of being
|
||||
arrogant, stuck-up, and unhelpful, while the hackers accuse the
|
||||
newcomers of being stupid, unable to read plain English, and expecting
|
||||
everything to be handed to them on a silver platter. Of course, there is
|
||||
an element of truth in both these claims, but for the most part these
|
||||
viewpoints come from a sense of frustration.</para>
|
||||
<para>Inevitably there is some friction, which stems from the
|
||||
different viewpoints of the two groups. The newcomers accuse
|
||||
the hackers of being arrogant, stuck-up, and unhelpful, while
|
||||
the hackers accuse the newcomers of being stupid, unable to read
|
||||
plain English, and expecting everything to be handed to them on
|
||||
a silver platter. Of course, there is an element of truth in
|
||||
both these claims, but for the most part these viewpoints come
|
||||
from a sense of frustration.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>In this document, I would like to do something to relieve this
|
||||
frustration and help everybody get better results from
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions. In the following section, I recommend how to submit
|
||||
a question; after that, we will look at how to answer one.</para>
|
||||
<para>In this document, I would like to do something to relieve
|
||||
this frustration and help everybody get better results from
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions. In the following section, I recommend how to
|
||||
submit a question; after that, we will look at how to answer
|
||||
one.</para>
|
||||
</sect1>
|
||||
|
||||
<sect1>
|
||||
<title xml:id="subscribe">How to subscribe to FreeBSD-questions</title>
|
||||
<title xml:id="subscribe">How to Subscribe to
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions</title>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>FreeBSD-questions is a mailing list, so you need mail access. Point
|
||||
your WWW browser to the <link xlink:href="&a.questions.url;">information page of the FreeBSD-questions mailing list</link>.
|
||||
In the section titled <quote>Subscribing to freebsd-questions</quote> fill
|
||||
in the <quote>Your email address</quote> field; the other fields are optional.
|
||||
</para>
|
||||
<para>FreeBSD-questions is a mailing list, so you need mail
|
||||
access. Point your WWW browser to the <link
|
||||
xlink:href="&a.questions.url;">information page of the
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions mailing list</link>. In the section titled
|
||||
<quote>Subscribing to freebsd-questions</quote> fill
|
||||
in the <quote>Your email address</quote> field; the other fields
|
||||
are optional.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<note>
|
||||
<para>The password fields in the subscription form provide only mild
|
||||
security, but should prevent others from messing with your
|
||||
subscription. <emphasis>Do not use a valuable password</emphasis> as
|
||||
it will occasionally be emailed back to you in cleartext.</para>
|
||||
<para>The password fields in the subscription form provide only
|
||||
mild security, but should prevent others from messing with
|
||||
your subscription. <emphasis>Do not use a valuable
|
||||
password</emphasis> as it will occasionally be emailed back
|
||||
to you in cleartext.</para>
|
||||
</note>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>You will receive a confirmation message from
|
||||
<application>mailman</application>; follow the included instructions
|
||||
to complete your subscription.</para>
|
||||
<application>mailman</application>; follow the included
|
||||
instructions to complete your subscription.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>Finally, when you get the <quote>Welcome</quote> message from
|
||||
<application>mailman</application> telling you the details of the list
|
||||
and subscription area password, <emphasis>please save it</emphasis>.
|
||||
If you ever should want to leave the list, you will need the information
|
||||
there. See the next section for more details.</para>
|
||||
<para>Finally, when you get the <quote>Welcome</quote> message
|
||||
from <application>mailman</application> telling you the details
|
||||
of the list and subscription area password, <emphasis>please
|
||||
save it</emphasis>. If you ever should want to leave the
|
||||
list, you will need the information there. See the next section
|
||||
for more details.</para>
|
||||
</sect1>
|
||||
|
||||
<sect1>
|
||||
<title xml:id="unsubscribe">How to unsubscribe from FreeBSD-questions</title>
|
||||
<title xml:id="unsubscribe">How to Unsubscribe from
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions</title>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>When you subscribed to FreeBSD-questions, you got a welcome message
|
||||
from <application>mailman</application>. In this message, amongst
|
||||
other things, it told you how to unsubscribe. Here is a typical
|
||||
message:</para>
|
||||
<para>When you subscribed to FreeBSD-questions, you got a welcome
|
||||
message from <application>mailman</application>. In this
|
||||
message, amongst other things, it told you how to unsubscribe.
|
||||
Here is a typical message:</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<literallayout class="monospaced">Welcome to the freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list!
|
||||
<literallayout class="monospaced">Welcome to the
|
||||
freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list!
|
||||
|
||||
To post to this list, send your email to:
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -139,162 +160,175 @@ prefer. This reminder will also include instructions on how to
|
|||
unsubscribe or change your account options. There is also a button on
|
||||
your options page that will email your current password to you.</literallayout>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>From the URL specified in your <quote>Welcome</quote> message you
|
||||
may visit the <quote>Account management page</quote> and enter a request
|
||||
to <quote>Unsubscribe</quote> you from FreeBSD-questions mailing
|
||||
list.</para>
|
||||
<para>From the URL specified in your <quote>Welcome</quote>
|
||||
message you may visit the <quote>Account management page</quote>
|
||||
and enter a request to <quote>Unsubscribe</quote> you from
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions mailing list.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>A confirmation message will be sent to you from
|
||||
<application>mailman</application>; follow the included instructions
|
||||
to finish unsubscribing.</para>
|
||||
<application>mailman</application>; follow the included
|
||||
instructions to finish unsubscribing.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>If you have done this, and you still can not figure out what
|
||||
<para>If you have done this, and you still cannot figure out what
|
||||
is going on, send a message to
|
||||
<email>freebsd-questions-request@FreeBSD.org</email>, and they will
|
||||
sort things out for you. <emphasis>Do not</emphasis> send a message to
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions: they can not help you.</para>
|
||||
<email>freebsd-questions-request@FreeBSD.org</email>, and they
|
||||
will sort things out for you. <emphasis>Do not</emphasis> send
|
||||
a message to FreeBSD-questions: they cannot help you.</para>
|
||||
</sect1>
|
||||
|
||||
<sect1>
|
||||
<title xml:id="askwho">Should I ask <literal>-questions</literal> or
|
||||
<literal>-hackers</literal>?</title>
|
||||
<title xml:id="askwho">Should I ask <literal>-questions</literal>
|
||||
or <literal>-hackers</literal>?</title>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>Two mailing lists handle general questions about FreeBSD,
|
||||
<literal>FreeBSD-questions</literal> and
|
||||
<literal>FreeBSD-hackers</literal>. In some cases, it is not really
|
||||
clear which group you should ask. The following criteria should help
|
||||
for 99% of all questions, however:</para>
|
||||
<literal>FreeBSD-hackers</literal>. In some cases, it is not
|
||||
really clear which group you should ask. The following criteria
|
||||
should help for 99% of all questions, however:</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<orderedlist>
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If the question is of a general nature, ask
|
||||
<literal>FreeBSD-questions</literal>. Examples might be questions
|
||||
about installing FreeBSD or the use of a particular &unix;
|
||||
utility.</para>
|
||||
<literal>FreeBSD-questions</literal>. Examples might be
|
||||
questions about installing FreeBSD or the use of a
|
||||
particular &unix; utility.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If you think the question relates to a bug, but you are not sure,
|
||||
or you do not know how to look for it, send the message to
|
||||
<literal>FreeBSD-questions</literal>.</para>
|
||||
<para>If you think the question relates to a bug, but you are
|
||||
not sure, or you do not know how to look for it, send the
|
||||
message to <literal>FreeBSD-questions</literal>.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If the question relates to a bug, and you are
|
||||
<emphasis>sure</emphasis> that it is a bug (for example, you can
|
||||
pinpoint the place in the code where it happens, and you maybe have
|
||||
a fix), then send the message to
|
||||
<emphasis>sure</emphasis> that it is a bug (for example, you
|
||||
can pinpoint the place in the code where it happens, and you
|
||||
maybe have a fix), then send the message to
|
||||
<literal>FreeBSD-hackers</literal>.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If the question relates to enhancements to FreeBSD, and you
|
||||
can make suggestions about how to implement them, then send the
|
||||
message to <literal>FreeBSD-hackers</literal>.</para>
|
||||
<para>If the question relates to enhancements to FreeBSD, and
|
||||
you can make suggestions about how to implement them, then
|
||||
send the message to
|
||||
<literal>FreeBSD-hackers</literal>.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
</orderedlist>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>There are also a number of other
|
||||
<link xlink:href="&url.books.handbook;/eresources-mail.html">specialized mailing lists</link>,
|
||||
which caters to more specific interests.
|
||||
The criteria above still apply, and
|
||||
it is in your interest to stick to them, since you are more likely to get
|
||||
good results that way.</para>
|
||||
<para>There are also a number of other <link
|
||||
xlink:href="&url.books.handbook;/eresources-mail.html">specialized
|
||||
mailing lists</link>, which caters to more specific interests.
|
||||
The criteria above still apply, and it is in your interest to
|
||||
stick to them, since you are more likely to get good results
|
||||
that way.</para>
|
||||
</sect1>
|
||||
|
||||
<sect1>
|
||||
<title xml:id="before">Before submitting a question</title>
|
||||
<title xml:id="before">Before Submitting a Question</title>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>You can (and should) do some things yourself before asking a question
|
||||
on one of the mailing lists:</para>
|
||||
<para>You can (and should) do some things yourself before asking a
|
||||
question on one of the mailing lists:</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<itemizedlist>
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Try solving the problem on your own. If you post a question which
|
||||
shows that you have tried to solve the problem, your question will
|
||||
generally attract more positive attention from people reading it.
|
||||
Trying to solve the problem yourself will also enhance your understanding
|
||||
of FreeBSD, and will eventually let you use your knowledge to help others
|
||||
by answering questions posted to the mailing lists.
|
||||
</para>
|
||||
<para>Try solving the problem on your own. If you post a
|
||||
question which shows that you have tried to solve the
|
||||
problem, your question will generally attract more positive
|
||||
attention from people reading it. Trying to solve the
|
||||
problem yourself will also enhance your understanding of
|
||||
FreeBSD, and will eventually let you use your knowledge to
|
||||
help others by answering questions posted to the mailing
|
||||
lists.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Read the manual pages, and the FreeBSD documentation (either
|
||||
installed in <filename>/usr/doc</filename> or accessible via WWW at
|
||||
<uri xlink:href="http://www.FreeBSD.org">http://www.FreeBSD.org</uri>), especially the
|
||||
<link xlink:href="&url.books.handbook;/index.html">handbook</link>
|
||||
and the <link xlink:href="&url.books.faq;/index.html">FAQ</link>.
|
||||
</para>
|
||||
<para>Read the manual pages, and the FreeBSD documentation
|
||||
(either installed in <filename>/usr/doc</filename> or
|
||||
accessible via WWW at <uri
|
||||
xlink:href="http://www.FreeBSD.org">http://www.FreeBSD.org</uri>),
|
||||
especially the <link
|
||||
xlink:href="&url.books.handbook;/index.html">handbook</link>
|
||||
and the <link
|
||||
xlink:href="&url.books.faq;/index.html">FAQ</link>.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Browse and/or search the archives for the mailing list, to see if your
|
||||
question or a similar one has been asked (and possibly answered) on the
|
||||
list. You can browse and/or search the mailing list archives
|
||||
at <uri xlink:href="https://www.FreeBSD.org/mail">https://www.FreeBSD.org/mail</uri>
|
||||
and <uri xlink:href="https://www.FreeBSD.org/search/search.html#mailinglists">https://www.FreeBSD.org/search/search.html#mailinglists</uri>
|
||||
respectively. This can be done at other WWW sites as well, for example
|
||||
at <uri xlink:href="http://marc.theaimsgroup.com">http://marc.theaimsgroup.com</uri>.
|
||||
</para>
|
||||
<para>Browse and/or search the archives for the mailing list,
|
||||
to see if your question or a similar one has been asked (and
|
||||
possibly answered) on the list. You can browse and/or
|
||||
search the mailing list archives at <uri
|
||||
xlink:href="https://www.FreeBSD.org/mail">https://www.FreeBSD.org/mail</uri>
|
||||
and <uri
|
||||
xlink:href="https://www.FreeBSD.org/search/search.html#mailinglists">https://www.FreeBSD.org/search/search.html#mailinglists</uri>
|
||||
respectively. This can be done at other WWW sites as well,
|
||||
for example at <uri
|
||||
xlink:href="http://marc.theaimsgroup.com">http://marc.theaimsgroup.com</uri>.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Use a search engine such as <link xlink:href="http://www.google.com">Google</link>
|
||||
or <link xlink:href="http://www.yahoo.com">Yahoo</link> to find answers to your question.
|
||||
</para>
|
||||
<para>Use a search engine such as <link
|
||||
xlink:href="http://www.google.com">Google</link>
|
||||
or <link
|
||||
xlink:href="http://www.yahoo.com">Yahoo</link> to find
|
||||
answers to your question.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
</itemizedlist>
|
||||
</sect1>
|
||||
|
||||
<sect1>
|
||||
<title xml:id="submit">How to submit a question</title>
|
||||
<title xml:id="submit">How to Submit a Question</title>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>When submitting a question to FreeBSD-questions, consider the
|
||||
following points:</para>
|
||||
<para>When submitting a question to FreeBSD-questions, consider
|
||||
the following points:</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<itemizedlist>
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Remember that nobody gets paid for answering a FreeBSD
|
||||
question. They do it of their own free will. You can influence this
|
||||
free will positively by submitting a well-formulated question
|
||||
supplying as much relevant information as possible. You can
|
||||
influence this free will negatively by submitting an incomplete,
|
||||
illegible, or rude question. It is perfectly possible to send a
|
||||
message to FreeBSD-questions and not get an answer even if you
|
||||
follow these rules. It is much more possible to not get an answer if
|
||||
you do not. In the rest of this document, we will look at how to get
|
||||
the most out of your question to FreeBSD-questions.</para>
|
||||
question. They do it of their own free will. You can
|
||||
influence this free will positively by submitting a
|
||||
well-formulated question supplying as much relevant
|
||||
information as possible. You can influence this free will
|
||||
negatively by submitting an incomplete, illegible, or rude
|
||||
question. It is perfectly possible to send a message to
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions and not get an answer even if you follow
|
||||
these rules. It is much more possible to not get an answer
|
||||
if you do not. In the rest of this document, we will look
|
||||
at how to get the most out of your question to
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Not everybody who answers FreeBSD questions reads every message:
|
||||
they look at the subject line and decide whether it interests them.
|
||||
Clearly, it is in your interest to specify a subject. <quote>FreeBSD
|
||||
problem</quote> or <quote>Help</quote> are not enough. If you provide no subject at
|
||||
all, many people will not bother reading it. If your subject is not
|
||||
specific enough, the people who can answer it may not read
|
||||
it.</para>
|
||||
<para>Not everybody who answers FreeBSD questions reads every
|
||||
message: they look at the subject line and decide whether it
|
||||
interests them. Clearly, it is in your interest to specify
|
||||
a subject. <quote>FreeBSD
|
||||
problem</quote> or <quote>Help</quote> are not enough. If
|
||||
you provide no subject at all, many people will not bother
|
||||
reading it. If your subject is not specific enough, the
|
||||
people who can answer it may not read it.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Format your message so that it is legible, and
|
||||
PLEASE DO NOT SHOUT!!!!!. We appreciate that a lot of people do not
|
||||
speak English as their first language, and we try to make
|
||||
allowances for that, but it is really painful to try to read a
|
||||
message written full of typos or without any line breaks.</para>
|
||||
<para>Format your message so that it is legible, and
|
||||
PLEASE DO NOT SHOUT!!!!!. We appreciate that a lot of
|
||||
people do not speak English as their first language, and we
|
||||
try to make allowances for that, but it is really painful to
|
||||
try to read a message written full of typos or without any
|
||||
line breaks.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>Do not underestimate the effect that a poorly formatted mail
|
||||
message has, not just on the FreeBSD-questions mailing list.
|
||||
Your mail message is all people see of you, and if it is poorly
|
||||
formatted, one line per paragraph, badly spelt, or full of
|
||||
errors, it will give people a poor impression of you.</para>
|
||||
<para>Do not underestimate the effect that a poorly formatted
|
||||
mail message has, not just on the FreeBSD-questions mailing
|
||||
list. Your mail message is all people see of you, and if it
|
||||
is poorly formatted, one line per paragraph, badly spelt, or
|
||||
full of errors, it will give people a poor impression of
|
||||
you.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>A lot of badly formatted messages come from
|
||||
<link xlink:href="http://www.lemis.com/email.html">bad mailers or badly
|
||||
configured mailers</link>. The following mailers are known to
|
||||
send out badly formatted messages without you finding out about
|
||||
them:</para>
|
||||
<para>A lot of badly formatted messages come from <link
|
||||
xlink:href="http://www.lemis.com/email.html">bad
|
||||
mailers or badly configured mailers</link>. The following
|
||||
mailers are known to send out badly formatted messages
|
||||
without you finding out about them:</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<itemizedlist>
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
|
|
@ -320,86 +354,92 @@ your options page that will email your current password to you.</literallayout>
|
|||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Make sure your time and time zone are set correctly. This may
|
||||
seem a little silly, since your message still gets there, but many
|
||||
of the people you are trying to reach get several hundred messages a
|
||||
day. They frequently sort the incoming messages by subject and by
|
||||
date, and if your message does not come before the first answer, they
|
||||
may assume they missed it and not bother to look.</para>
|
||||
<para>Make sure your time and time zone are set correctly.
|
||||
This may seem a little silly, since your message still gets
|
||||
there, but many of the people you are trying to reach get
|
||||
several hundred messages a day. They frequently sort the
|
||||
incoming messages by subject and by date, and if your
|
||||
message does not come before the first answer, they may
|
||||
assume they missed it and not bother to look.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Do not include unrelated questions in the same message. Firstly,
|
||||
a long message tends to scare people off, and secondly, it is more
|
||||
difficult to get all the people who can answer all the questions to
|
||||
read the message.</para>
|
||||
<para>Do not include unrelated questions in the same message.
|
||||
Firstly, a long message tends to scare people off, and
|
||||
secondly, it is more difficult to get all the people who can
|
||||
answer all the questions to read the message.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Specify as much information as possible. This is a difficult
|
||||
area, and we need to expand on what information you need to submit,
|
||||
but here is a start:</para>
|
||||
<para>Specify as much information as possible. This is a
|
||||
difficult area, and we need to expand on what information
|
||||
you need to submit, but here is a start:</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<itemizedlist>
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>In nearly every case, it is important to know the version of
|
||||
FreeBSD you are running. This is particularly the case for
|
||||
FreeBSD-CURRENT, where you should also specify the date of the
|
||||
sources, though of course you should not be sending questions
|
||||
about -CURRENT to FreeBSD-questions.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem><para>With any problem which <emphasis>could</emphasis> be
|
||||
hardware related, tell us about your hardware. In case of
|
||||
doubt, assume it is possible that it is hardware. What kind of
|
||||
CPU are you using? How fast? What motherboard? How much
|
||||
memory? What peripherals?</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>There is a judgement call here, of course, but the output of
|
||||
the &man.dmesg.8; command can frequently be very useful, since it
|
||||
tells not just what hardware you are running, but what version of
|
||||
FreeBSD as well.</para>
|
||||
<para>In nearly every case, it is important to know the
|
||||
version of FreeBSD you are running. This is
|
||||
particularly the case for FreeBSD-CURRENT, where you
|
||||
should also specify the date of the sources, though of
|
||||
course you should not be sending questions about
|
||||
-CURRENT to FreeBSD-questions.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If you get error messages, do not say <quote>I get error
|
||||
messages</quote>, say (for example) <quote>I get the error
|
||||
message 'No route to host'</quote>.</para>
|
||||
<para>With any problem which <emphasis>could</emphasis> be
|
||||
hardware related, tell us about your hardware. In case
|
||||
of doubt, assume it is possible that it is hardware.
|
||||
What kind of CPU are you using? How fast? What
|
||||
motherboard? How much memory? What peripherals?</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>There is a judgement call here, of course, but the
|
||||
output of the &man.dmesg.8; command can frequently be
|
||||
very useful, since it tells not just what hardware you
|
||||
are running, but what version of FreeBSD as well.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If you get error messages, do not say <quote>I get
|
||||
error messages</quote>, say (for example) <quote>I get
|
||||
the error message 'No route to host'</quote>.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If your system panics, do not say <quote>My system
|
||||
panicked</quote>, say (for example) <quote>my system panicked
|
||||
with the message 'free vnode isn't'</quote>.</para>
|
||||
panicked</quote>, say (for example) <quote>my system
|
||||
panicked with the message 'free vnode
|
||||
isn't'</quote>.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If you have difficulty installing FreeBSD, please tell us
|
||||
what hardware you have. In particular, it is important to know
|
||||
the IRQs and I/O addresses of the boards installed in your
|
||||
machine.</para>
|
||||
<para>If you have difficulty installing FreeBSD, please
|
||||
tell us what hardware you have. In particular, it is
|
||||
important to know the IRQs and I/O addresses of the
|
||||
boards installed in your machine.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If you have difficulty getting PPP to run, describe the
|
||||
configuration. Which version of PPP do you use? What kind of
|
||||
authentication do you have? Do you have a static or dynamic IP
|
||||
address? What kind of messages do you get in the log
|
||||
file?</para>
|
||||
<para>If you have difficulty getting PPP to run, describe
|
||||
the configuration. Which version of PPP do you use?
|
||||
What kind of authentication do you have? Do you have a
|
||||
static or dynamic IP address? What kind of messages do
|
||||
you get in the log file?</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
</itemizedlist>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>A lot of the information you need to supply is the output of
|
||||
programs, such as &man.dmesg.8;, or console messages, which usually
|
||||
appear in <filename>/var/log/messages</filename>. Do not try to copy
|
||||
this information by typing it in again; it is a real pain, and you are
|
||||
bound to make a mistake. To send log file contents, either make a
|
||||
copy of the file and use an editor to trim the information to what
|
||||
is relevant, or cut and paste into your message. For the output of
|
||||
programs like &man.dmesg.8;, redirect the output to a file and
|
||||
include that. For example,</para>
|
||||
<para>A lot of the information you need to supply is the
|
||||
output of programs, such as &man.dmesg.8;, or console
|
||||
messages, which usually appear in
|
||||
<filename>/var/log/messages</filename>. Do not try to copy
|
||||
this information by typing it in again; it is a real pain,
|
||||
and you are bound to make a mistake. To send log file
|
||||
contents, either make a copy of the file and use an editor
|
||||
to trim the information to what is relevant, or cut and
|
||||
paste into your message. For the output of programs like
|
||||
&man.dmesg.8;, redirect the output to a file and include
|
||||
that. For example,</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>dmesg > /tmp/dmesg.out</userinput></screen>
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -408,21 +448,22 @@ your options page that will email your current password to you.</literallayout>
|
|||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If you do all this, and you still do not get an answer, there
|
||||
could be other reasons. For example, the problem is so complicated
|
||||
that nobody knows the answer, or the person who does know the answer
|
||||
was offline. If you do not get an answer after, say, a week, it
|
||||
might help to re-send the message. If you do not get an answer to
|
||||
your second message, though, you are probably not going to get one
|
||||
from this forum. Resending the same message again and again will
|
||||
only make you unpopular.</para>
|
||||
<para>If you do all this, and you still do not get an answer,
|
||||
there could be other reasons. For example, the problem is
|
||||
so complicated that nobody knows the answer, or the person
|
||||
who does know the answer was offline. If you do not get an
|
||||
answer after, say, a week, it might help to re-send the
|
||||
message. If you do not get an answer to your second
|
||||
message, though, you are probably not going to get one
|
||||
from this forum. Resending the same message again and again
|
||||
will only make you unpopular.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
</itemizedlist>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>To summarize, let's assume you know the answer to the following
|
||||
question (yes, it is the same one in each case).
|
||||
You choose which of these two questions you would be more prepared to
|
||||
answer:</para>
|
||||
<para>To summarize, let's assume you know the answer to the
|
||||
following question (yes, it is the same one in each case).
|
||||
You choose which of these two questions you would be more
|
||||
prepared to answer:</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<example>
|
||||
<title>Message 1</title>
|
||||
|
|
@ -437,7 +478,7 @@ so why don't you guys tell me what I doing wrong.</literallayout>
|
|||
<example>
|
||||
<title>Message 2</title>
|
||||
|
||||
<literallayout class="monospaced">Subject: Problems installing FreeBSD
|
||||
<literallayout class="monospaced">Subject: Problems installing FreeBSD
|
||||
|
||||
I've just got the FreeBSD 2.1.5 CDROM from Walnut Creek, and I'm having a lot
|
||||
of difficulty installing it. I have a 66 MHz 486 with 16 MB of
|
||||
|
|
@ -449,29 +490,31 @@ fine, but when I try to reboot the system, I get the message
|
|||
</sect1>
|
||||
|
||||
<sect1>
|
||||
<title xml:id="followup">How to follow up to a question</title>
|
||||
<title xml:id="followup">How to Follow up to a Question</title>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>Often you will want to send in additional information to a question
|
||||
you have already sent. The best way to do this is to reply to your
|
||||
original message. This has three advantages:</para>
|
||||
<para>Often you will want to send in additional information to a
|
||||
question you have already sent. The best way to do this is to
|
||||
reply to your original message. This has three
|
||||
advantages:</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<orderedlist>
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>You include the original message text, so people will know what
|
||||
you are talking about. Do not forget to trim unnecessary text out,
|
||||
though.</para>
|
||||
<para>You include the original message text, so people will
|
||||
know what you are talking about. Do not forget to trim
|
||||
unnecessary text out, though.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>The text in the subject line stays the same (you did remember to
|
||||
put one in, did you not?). Many mailers will sort messages by
|
||||
subject. This helps group messages together.</para>
|
||||
<para>The text in the subject line stays the same (you did
|
||||
remember to put one in, did you not?). Many mailers will
|
||||
sort messages by subject. This helps group messages
|
||||
together.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>The message reference numbers in the header will refer to the
|
||||
previous message. Some mailers, such as
|
||||
<link xlink:href="http://www.mutt.org/">mutt</link>, can
|
||||
<para>The message reference numbers in the header will refer
|
||||
to the previous message. Some mailers, such as <link
|
||||
xlink:href="http://www.mutt.org/">mutt</link>, can
|
||||
<emphasis>thread</emphasis> messages, showing the exact
|
||||
relationships between the messages.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
|
@ -479,114 +522,122 @@ fine, but when I try to reboot the system, I get the message
|
|||
</sect1>
|
||||
|
||||
<sect1>
|
||||
<title xml:id="answer">How to answer a question</title>
|
||||
<title xml:id="answer">How to Answer a Question</title>
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
<para>Before you answer a question to FreeBSD-questions, consider:</para>
|
||||
<para>Before you answer a question to FreeBSD-questions,
|
||||
consider:</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<orderedlist>
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>A lot of the points on submitting questions also apply to
|
||||
answering questions. Read them.</para>
|
||||
<para>A lot of the points on submitting questions also apply
|
||||
to answering questions. Read them.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Has somebody already answered the question? The easiest way to
|
||||
check this is to sort your incoming mail by subject: then
|
||||
(hopefully) you will see the question followed by any answers, all
|
||||
together.</para>
|
||||
<para>Has somebody already answered the question? The easiest
|
||||
way to check this is to sort your incoming mail by subject:
|
||||
then (hopefully) you will see the question followed by any
|
||||
answers, all together.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>If somebody has already answered it, it does not automatically
|
||||
mean that you should not send another answer. But it makes sense to
|
||||
read all the other answers first.</para>
|
||||
<para>If somebody has already answered it, it does not
|
||||
automatically mean that you should not send another answer.
|
||||
But it makes sense to read all the other answers
|
||||
first.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Do you have something to contribute beyond what has already been
|
||||
said? In general, <quote>Yeah, me too</quote> answers do not help
|
||||
much, although there are exceptions, like when somebody is
|
||||
describing a problem they are having, and they do not know whether it is
|
||||
their fault or whether there is something wrong with the hardware or
|
||||
software. If you do send a <quote>me too</quote> answer, you should
|
||||
<para>Do you have something to contribute beyond what has
|
||||
already been said? In general, <quote>Yeah, me too</quote>
|
||||
answers do not help much, although there are exceptions,
|
||||
like when somebody is describing a problem they are having,
|
||||
and they do not know whether it is their fault or whether
|
||||
there is something wrong with the hardware or software. If
|
||||
you do send a <quote>me too</quote> answer, you should
|
||||
also include any further relevant information.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Are you sure you understand the question? Very frequently, the
|
||||
person who asks the question is confused or does not express themselves
|
||||
very well. Even with the best understanding of the system, it is
|
||||
easy to send a reply which does not answer the question. This
|
||||
does not help: you will leave the person who submitted the question
|
||||
more frustrated or confused than ever. If nobody else answers, and
|
||||
you are not too sure either, you can always ask for more
|
||||
<para>Are you sure you understand the question? Very
|
||||
frequently, the person who asks the question is confused or
|
||||
does not express themselves very well. Even with the best
|
||||
understanding of the system, it is easy to send a reply
|
||||
which does not answer the question. This does not help: you
|
||||
will leave the person who submitted the question more
|
||||
frustrated or confused than ever. If nobody else answers,
|
||||
and you are not too sure either, you can always ask for more
|
||||
information.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Are you sure your answer is correct?
|
||||
If not, wait a day or so. If nobody else comes up with a
|
||||
better answer, you can still reply and say, for example, <quote>I
|
||||
do not know if this is correct, but since nobody else has
|
||||
replied, why don't you try replacing your ATAPI CDROM with
|
||||
a frog?</quote>.</para>
|
||||
<para>Are you sure your answer is correct? If not, wait a day
|
||||
or so. If nobody else comes up with a better answer, you
|
||||
can still reply and say, for example, <quote>I do not know
|
||||
if this is correct, but since nobody else has replied, why
|
||||
don't you try replacing your ATAPI CDROM with a
|
||||
frog?</quote>.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Unless there is a good reason to do otherwise, reply to the
|
||||
sender and to FreeBSD-questions. Many people on the
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions are <quote>lurkers</quote>: they learn by reading
|
||||
messages sent and replied to by others. If you take a message which
|
||||
is of general interest off the list, you are depriving these people
|
||||
of their information. Be careful with group replies; lots of people
|
||||
send messages with hundreds of CCs. If this is the case, be sure to
|
||||
trim the Cc: lines appropriately.</para>
|
||||
<para>Unless there is a good reason to do otherwise, reply to
|
||||
the sender and to FreeBSD-questions. Many people on the
|
||||
FreeBSD-questions are <quote>lurkers</quote>: they learn by
|
||||
reading messages sent and replied to by others. If you take
|
||||
a message which is of general interest off the list, you are
|
||||
depriving these people of their information. Be careful
|
||||
with group replies; lots of people send messages with
|
||||
hundreds of CCs. If this is the case, be sure to trim the
|
||||
Cc: lines appropriately.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Include relevant text from the original message. Trim it to the
|
||||
minimum, but do not overdo it. It should still be possible for
|
||||
somebody who did not read the original message to understand what
|
||||
you are talking about.</para>
|
||||
<para>Include relevant text from the original message. Trim
|
||||
it to the minimum, but do not overdo it. It should still be
|
||||
possible for somebody who did not read the original message
|
||||
to understand what you are talking about.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Use some technique to identify which text came from the original
|
||||
message, and which text you add. I personally find that prepending
|
||||
<quote><literal>> </literal></quote> to the original message
|
||||
works best. Leaving white space after the
|
||||
<quote><literal>> </literal></quote> and leave empty lines
|
||||
between your text and the original text both make the result more
|
||||
readable.</para>
|
||||
<para>Use some technique to identify which text came from the
|
||||
original message, and which text you add. I personally find
|
||||
that prepending <quote><literal>> </literal></quote>
|
||||
to the original message works best. Leaving white space
|
||||
after the <quote><literal>> ;</literal></quote> and
|
||||
leave empty lines between your text and the original text
|
||||
both make the result more readable.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Put your response in the correct place (after the text to which
|
||||
it replies). It is very difficult to read a thread of responses
|
||||
where each reply comes before the text to which it replies.</para>
|
||||
<para>Put your response in the correct place (after the text
|
||||
to which it replies). It is very difficult to read a thread
|
||||
of responses where each reply comes before the text to which
|
||||
it replies.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>Most mailers change the subject line on a reply by prepending a
|
||||
text such as <quote>Re: </quote>. If your mailer does not do it
|
||||
automatically, you should do it manually.</para>
|
||||
<para>Most mailers change the subject line on a reply by
|
||||
prepending a text such as <quote>Re: </quote>. If your
|
||||
mailer does not do it automatically, you should do it
|
||||
manually.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
|
||||
<listitem>
|
||||
<para>If the submitter did not abide by format conventions (lines too
|
||||
long, inappropriate subject line), <emphasis>please</emphasis> fix
|
||||
it. In the case of an incorrect subject line (such as
|
||||
<quote>HELP!!??</quote>), change the subject line to (say)
|
||||
<quote>Re: Difficulties with sync PPP (was: HELP!!??)</quote>. That
|
||||
way other people trying to follow the thread will have less
|
||||
<para>If the submitter did not abide by format conventions
|
||||
(lines too long, inappropriate subject line)
|
||||
<emphasis>please</emphasis> fix it. In the case of an
|
||||
incorrect subject line (such as <quote>HELP!!??</quote>),
|
||||
change the subject line to (say) <quote>Re: Difficulties
|
||||
with sync PPP (was: HELP!!??)</quote>. That way other
|
||||
people trying to follow the thread will have less
|
||||
difficulty following it.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>In such cases, it is appropriate to say what you did and why you
|
||||
did it, but try not to be rude. If you find you can not answer
|
||||
without being rude, do not answer.</para>
|
||||
<para>In such cases, it is appropriate to say what you did and
|
||||
why you did it, but try not to be rude. If you find you can
|
||||
not answer without being rude, do not answer.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>If you just want to reply to a message because of its bad
|
||||
format, just reply to the submitter, not to the list. You can just
|
||||
send him this message in reply, if you like.</para>
|
||||
<para>If you just want to reply to a message because of its
|
||||
bad format, just reply to the submitter, not to the list.
|
||||
You can just send him this message in reply, if you
|
||||
like.</para>
|
||||
</listitem>
|
||||
</orderedlist>
|
||||
</sect1>
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
Loading…
Add table
Add a link
Reference in a new issue