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Date:      Sun, 29 Nov 1998 14:42:39 +1030
From:      Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com>
To:        ML Duke <mlduke@concentric.net>, Andrew Boothman <andrew@sour.cream.org>
Cc:        alissa bader <molbloo@interport.net>, freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Where to ask questions (was: installation problems)
Message-ID:  <19981129144239.F6182@freebie.lemis.com>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.4.01.9811282047510.410-100000@cyberhighway.net>; from ML Duke on Sat, Nov 28, 1998 at 09:00:58PM -0700
References:  <3660A011.68F02857@sour.cream.org> <Pine.BSF.4.01.9811282047510.410-100000@cyberhighway.net>

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On Saturday, 28 November 1998 at 21:00:58 -0700, ML Duke wrote:
>> alissa bader wrote:
>>> Basically, I can get it to go through the install, but I sometimes get
>>> kind of wonky things when I try to install a package.  I get a a "fatal
>>> trap 12:  page fault in kernel mode."  Then the machine reboots.
>>>
>>> I have been tearing my hair out over this for the past 2 days.  I've tried
>
> The suggestion it might be faulty memory was a good one--been there done
> that, it can hose your entire system.
>
> The suggestion to take it to "questions" was not--unless you do some
> preparation first. Installing a package? From CD Rom, dos distribution
> or downloading/compile from ports?
>
> Define _everything_ or these guys will cream you. Not because they are
> bad guys, but because they are tired of attempting to answer incomplete
> questions. As yours stands it would stink to high heaven on questions.

Yes, it's true that people on -questions get upset if you put in a
badly formulated question.  But the solution isn't to put in a badly
formulated question to an inappropriate list--you may not get flamed,
but chances are you won't get a useful answer either.

For example, you and Andrew both suggested it could be memory.  It may
be.  I've seen cases like this where it has been memory, I've seen
cases where it wasn't.  If Alissa believes you two guys, she might go
out and buy new memory and find herself in exactly the same situation
as before, just a couple of hundred dollars poorer.  You can
understand that the guys on -questions (myself included) want to give
the right answer, and for that we need more details.

There's really no alternative: the obvious solution is to find out how
to ask questions correctly.  http://www.lemis.com/questions.html is a
good place to start.

Greg
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