From owner-svn-doc-all@freebsd.org Fri Sep 6 13:58:38 2019 Return-Path: Delivered-To: svn-doc-all@mailman.nyi.freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2610:1c1:1:606c::19:1]) by mailman.nyi.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9036AF4750; Fri, 6 Sep 2019 13:58:38 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bcr@FreeBSD.org) Received: from mxrelay.nyi.freebsd.org (mxrelay.nyi.freebsd.org [IPv6:2610:1c1:1:606c::19:3]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) server-signature RSA-PSS (4096 bits) client-signature RSA-PSS (4096 bits) client-digest SHA256) (Client CN "mxrelay.nyi.freebsd.org", Issuer "Let's Encrypt Authority X3" (verified OK)) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 46Pzg23nRXz4P17; Fri, 6 Sep 2019 13:58:38 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bcr@FreeBSD.org) Received: from repo.freebsd.org (repo.freebsd.org [IPv6:2610:1c1:1:6068::e6a:0]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (Client did not present a certificate) by mxrelay.nyi.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 46A511DC57; Fri, 6 Sep 2019 13:58:38 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bcr@FreeBSD.org) Received: from repo.freebsd.org ([127.0.1.37]) by repo.freebsd.org (8.15.2/8.15.2) with ESMTP id x86DwcDs060709; Fri, 6 Sep 2019 13:58:38 GMT (envelope-from bcr@FreeBSD.org) Received: (from bcr@localhost) by repo.freebsd.org (8.15.2/8.15.2/Submit) id x86Dwcim060708; Fri, 6 Sep 2019 13:58:38 GMT (envelope-from bcr@FreeBSD.org) Message-Id: <201909061358.x86Dwcim060708@repo.freebsd.org> X-Authentication-Warning: repo.freebsd.org: bcr set sender to bcr@FreeBSD.org using -f From: Benedict Reuschling Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2019 13:58:38 +0000 (UTC) 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 X-SVN-Group: doc-head X-SVN-Commit-Author: bcr X-SVN-Commit-Paths: head/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/freebsd-questions X-SVN-Commit-Revision: 53380 X-SVN-Commit-Repository: doc MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-BeenThere: svn-doc-all@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.29 Precedence: list List-Id: "SVN commit messages for the entire doc trees \(except for " user" , " projects" , and " translations" \)" List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2019 13:58:38 -0000 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 @@ -
- How to get best results from the FreeBSD-questions mailing - list - +
+ + How to get Best Results from the FreeBSD-questions Mailing + List - GregLehey -
grog@FreeBSD.org
- + + + Greg + Lehey + + +
+ grog@FreeBSD.org +
+ + &tm-attrib.freebsd; @@ -23,89 +33,100 @@ $FreeBSD$ - 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. + 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. - This document is regularly posted to the FreeBSD-questions mailing - list. + This document is regularly posted to the FreeBSD-questions + mailing list. Introduction - FreeBSD-questions is a mailing list maintained by - the FreeBSD project to help people who have questions about the normal - use of FreeBSD. Another group, FreeBSD-hackers, - discusses more advanced questions such as future development - work. + FreeBSD-questions is a mailing list + maintained by the FreeBSD project to help people who have + questions about the normal use of FreeBSD. Another group, + FreeBSD-hackers, discusses more advanced + questions such as future development work. - The term hacker has nothing to do with breaking - into other people's computers. The correct term for the latter - activity is cracker, 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 How To Become - A Hacker + The term hacker has nothing to do with + breaking into other people's computers. The correct term for + the latter activity is cracker, 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 How + To Become A Hacker - This is a regular posting aimed to help both those seeking advice - from FreeBSD-questions (the newcomers), and also those - who answer the questions (the hackers). + This is a regular posting aimed to help both those seeking + advice from FreeBSD-questions (the newcomers), + and also those who answer the questions (the + hackers). - 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. + 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. - 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. + 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. - How to subscribe to FreeBSD-questions + How to Subscribe to + FreeBSD-questions - FreeBSD-questions is a mailing list, so you need mail access. Point - your WWW browser to the information page of the FreeBSD-questions mailing list. - In the section titled Subscribing to freebsd-questions fill - in the Your email address field; the other fields are optional. - + FreeBSD-questions is a mailing list, so you need mail + access. Point your WWW browser to the information page of the + FreeBSD-questions mailing list. In the section titled + Subscribing to freebsd-questions fill + in the Your email address field; the other fields + are optional. - The password fields in the subscription form provide only mild - security, but should prevent others from messing with your - subscription. Do not use a valuable password as - it will occasionally be emailed back to you in cleartext. + The password fields in the subscription form provide only + mild security, but should prevent others from messing with + your subscription. Do not use a valuable + password as it will occasionally be emailed back + to you in cleartext. You will receive a confirmation message from - mailman; follow the included instructions - to complete your subscription. + mailman; follow the included + instructions to complete your subscription. - Finally, when you get the Welcome message from - mailman telling you the details of the list - and subscription area password, please save it. - If you ever should want to leave the list, you will need the information - there. See the next section for more details. + Finally, when you get the Welcome message + from mailman telling you the details + of the list and subscription area password, please + save it. If you ever should want to leave the + list, you will need the information there. See the next section + for more details. - How to unsubscribe from FreeBSD-questions + How to Unsubscribe from + FreeBSD-questions - When you subscribed to FreeBSD-questions, you got a welcome message - from mailman. In this message, amongst - other things, it told you how to unsubscribe. Here is a typical - message: + When you subscribed to FreeBSD-questions, you got a welcome + message from mailman. In this + message, amongst other things, it told you how to unsubscribe. + Here is a typical message: - Welcome to the freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list! + 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. - From the URL specified in your Welcome message you - may visit the Account management page and enter a request - to Unsubscribe you from FreeBSD-questions mailing - list. + From the URL specified in your Welcome + message you may visit the Account management page + and enter a request to Unsubscribe you from + FreeBSD-questions mailing list. A confirmation message will be sent to you from - mailman; follow the included instructions - to finish unsubscribing. + mailman; follow the included + instructions to finish unsubscribing. - If you have done this, and you still can not figure out what + If you have done this, and you still cannot figure out what is going on, send a message to - freebsd-questions-request@FreeBSD.org, and they will - sort things out for you. Do not send a message to - FreeBSD-questions: they can not help you. + freebsd-questions-request@FreeBSD.org, and they + will sort things out for you. Do not send + a message to FreeBSD-questions: they cannot help you. - Should I ask <literal>-questions</literal> or - <literal>-hackers</literal>? + Should I ask <literal>-questions</literal> + or <literal>-hackers</literal>? Two mailing lists handle general questions about FreeBSD, FreeBSD-questions and - FreeBSD-hackers. In some cases, it is not really - clear which group you should ask. The following criteria should help - for 99% of all questions, however: + FreeBSD-hackers. In some cases, it is not + really clear which group you should ask. The following criteria + should help for 99% of all questions, however: If the question is of a general nature, ask - FreeBSD-questions. Examples might be questions - about installing FreeBSD or the use of a particular &unix; - utility. + FreeBSD-questions. Examples might be + questions about installing FreeBSD or the use of a + particular &unix; utility. - 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 - FreeBSD-questions. + 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 FreeBSD-questions. If the question relates to a bug, and you are - sure 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 + sure 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 FreeBSD-hackers. - If the question relates to enhancements to FreeBSD, and you - can make suggestions about how to implement them, then send the - message to FreeBSD-hackers. + If the question relates to enhancements to FreeBSD, and + you can make suggestions about how to implement them, then + send the message to + FreeBSD-hackers. - There are also a number of other - specialized mailing lists, - 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. + There are also a number of other specialized + mailing lists, 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. - Before submitting a question + Before Submitting a Question - You can (and should) do some things yourself before asking a question - on one of the mailing lists: + You can (and should) do some things yourself before asking a + question on one of the mailing lists: - 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. - + 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. - Read the manual pages, and the FreeBSD documentation (either - installed in /usr/doc or accessible via WWW at - http://www.FreeBSD.org), especially the - handbook - and the FAQ. - + Read the manual pages, and the FreeBSD documentation + (either installed in /usr/doc or + accessible via WWW at http://www.FreeBSD.org), + especially the handbook + and the FAQ. - 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 https://www.FreeBSD.org/mail - and https://www.FreeBSD.org/search/search.html#mailinglists - respectively. This can be done at other WWW sites as well, for example - at http://marc.theaimsgroup.com. - + 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 https://www.FreeBSD.org/mail + and https://www.FreeBSD.org/search/search.html#mailinglists + respectively. This can be done at other WWW sites as well, + for example at http://marc.theaimsgroup.com. - Use a search engine such as Google - or Yahoo to find answers to your question. - + Use a search engine such as Google + or Yahoo to find + answers to your question. - How to submit a question + How to Submit a Question - When submitting a question to FreeBSD-questions, consider the - following points: + When submitting a question to FreeBSD-questions, consider + the following points: 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. + 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. - 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. FreeBSD - problem or Help 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. + 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. FreeBSD + problem or Help 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. - 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. + 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. - 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. + 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. - A lot of badly formatted messages come from - bad mailers or badly - configured mailers. The following mailers are known to - send out badly formatted messages without you finding out about - them: + A lot of badly formatted messages come from bad + mailers or badly configured mailers. The following + mailers are known to send out badly formatted messages + without you finding out about them: @@ -320,86 +354,92 @@ your options page that will email your current passwor - 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. + 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. - 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. + 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. - 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: + 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: - 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. + 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. - With any problem which could 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? + + With any problem which could 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? - 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. + 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. - If you get error messages, do not say I get error - messages, say (for example) I get the error - message 'No route to host'. + If you get error messages, do not say I get + error messages, say (for example) I get + the error message 'No route to host'. If your system panics, do not say My system - panicked, say (for example) my system panicked - with the message 'free vnode isn't'. + panicked, say (for example) my system + panicked with the message 'free vnode + isn't'. - 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. + 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. - 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? + 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? - 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 /var/log/messages. 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, + 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 + /var/log/messages. 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, &prompt.user; dmesg > /tmp/dmesg.out @@ -408,21 +448,22 @@ your options page that will email your current passwor - 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. + 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. - 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: + 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: Message 1 @@ -437,7 +478,7 @@ so why don't you guys tell me what I doing wrong. Message 2 - Subject: Problems installing FreeBSD + 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 - How to follow up to a question + How to Follow up to a Question - 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: + 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: - You include the original message text, so people will know what - you are talking about. Do not forget to trim unnecessary text out, - though. + You include the original message text, so people will + know what you are talking about. Do not forget to trim + unnecessary text out, though. - 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. + 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. - The message reference numbers in the header will refer to the - previous message. Some mailers, such as - mutt, can + The message reference numbers in the header will refer + to the previous message. Some mailers, such as mutt, can thread messages, showing the exact relationships between the messages. @@ -479,114 +522,122 @@ fine, but when I try to reboot the system, I get the m - How to answer a question + How to Answer a Question + Before you answer a question to FreeBSD-questions, + consider: - Before you answer a question to FreeBSD-questions, consider: - - A lot of the points on submitting questions also apply to - answering questions. Read them. + A lot of the points on submitting questions also apply + to answering questions. Read them. - 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. + 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. - 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. + 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. - Do you have something to contribute beyond what has already been - said? In general, Yeah, me too 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 me too answer, you should + Do you have something to contribute beyond what has + already been said? In general, Yeah, me too + 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 me too answer, you should also include any further relevant information. - 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 + 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. - 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, 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?. + 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, 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?. - Unless there is a good reason to do otherwise, reply to the - sender and to FreeBSD-questions. Many people on the - FreeBSD-questions are lurkers: 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. + Unless there is a good reason to do otherwise, reply to + the sender and to FreeBSD-questions. Many people on the + FreeBSD-questions are lurkers: 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. - 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. + 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. - Use some technique to identify which text came from the original - message, and which text you add. I personally find that prepending - > to the original message - works best. Leaving white space after the - > and leave empty lines - between your text and the original text both make the result more - readable. + Use some technique to identify which text came from the + original message, and which text you add. I personally find + that prepending >  + to the original message works best. Leaving white space + after the > ; and + leave empty lines between your text and the original text + both make the result more readable. - 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. + 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. - Most mailers change the subject line on a reply by prepending a - text such as Re: . If your mailer does not do it - automatically, you should do it manually. + Most mailers change the subject line on a reply by + prepending a text such as Re: . If your + mailer does not do it automatically, you should do it + manually. - If the submitter did not abide by format conventions (lines too - long, inappropriate subject line), please fix - it. In the case of an incorrect subject line (such as - HELP!!??), change the subject line to (say) - Re: Difficulties with sync PPP (was: HELP!!??). That - way other people trying to follow the thread will have less + If the submitter did not abide by format conventions + (lines too long, inappropriate subject line) + please fix it. In the case of an + incorrect subject line (such as HELP!!??), + change the subject line to (say) Re: Difficulties + with sync PPP (was: HELP!!??). That way other + people trying to follow the thread will have less difficulty following it. - 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. + 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. - 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. + 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.