Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2019 13:58:38 +0000 (UTC) From: Benedict Reuschling <bcr@FreeBSD.org> To: doc-committers@freebsd.org, svn-doc-all@freebsd.org, svn-doc-head@freebsd.org Subject: svn commit: r53380 - head/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/freebsd-questions Message-ID: <201909061358.x86Dwcim060708@repo.freebsd.org>
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Author: bcr Date: Fri Sep 6 13:58:37 2019 New Revision: 53380 URL: https://svnweb.freebsd.org/changeset/doc/53380 Log: 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 Modified: head/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/freebsd-questions/article.xml Modified: head/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/freebsd-questions/article.xml ============================================================================== --- head/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/freebsd-questions/article.xml Fri Sep 6 00:01:01 2019 (r53379) +++ head/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/freebsd-questions/article.xml Fri Sep 6 13:58:37 2019 (r53380) @@ -1,14 +1,24 @@ <?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?> <!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//FreeBSD//DTD DocBook XML V5.0-Based Extension//EN" "http://www.FreeBSD.org/XML/share/xml/freebsd50.dtd">; -<article xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" version="5.0" xml:lang="en"> - <info><title>How to get best results from the FreeBSD-questions mailing - list</title> - +<article xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" + xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" version="5.0" + xml:lang="en"> + <info> + <title>How to get Best Results from the FreeBSD-questions Mailing + List</title> - <author><personname><firstname>Greg</firstname><surname>Lehey</surname></personname><affiliation> - <address><email>grog@FreeBSD.org</email></address> - </affiliation></author> + <author> + <personname> + <firstname>Greg</firstname> + <surname>Lehey</surname> + </personname> + <affiliation> + <address> + <email>grog@FreeBSD.org</email> + </address> + </affiliation> + </author> <legalnotice xml:id="trademarks" role="trademarks"> &tm-attrib.freebsd; @@ -23,89 +33,100 @@ <releaseinfo>$FreeBSD$</releaseinfo> <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> - <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 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 passwor </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> + <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> + <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>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> + <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 passwor </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.</lit <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 m </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 m </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>
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