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Date:      Mon, 23 Dec 2002 23:06:48 -0500
From:      Mike Jeays <mj001@rogers.com>
To:        Cliff Sarginson <cls@raggedclown.net>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: List etiquette
Message-ID:  <3E07DD58.4090201@rogers.com>
References:  <20021223003837.GC87124@dan.emsphone.com> <Pine.LNX.4.44.0212222036210.15410-100000@janeway.vonbek.dhs.org> <20021223054602.GA16438@raggedclown.net>

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Cliff Sarginson wrote:

>On Sun, Dec 22, 2002 at 08:39:17PM -0500, John Bleichert wrote:
>  
>
>>On Sun, 22 Dec 2002, Dan Nelson wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 18:38:37 -0600
>>>Subject: Re: List etiquette
>>>
>>>In the last episode (Dec 22), Mike Jeays said:
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Many times I have asked questions on this list, and had helpful
>>>>replies from one or more people.  My usual practice is to reply to
>>>>them directly and thank them, and tell them whether their idea
>>>>helped.  This avoids cluttering up the list with "thank-you"
>>>>messages, but may look as though I haven't bothered to even listen.
>>>>
>>>>Should one post such replies to the list?
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>It's a good idea, so that people reading the thread later have
>>>confirmation that the suggestion actually was the correct solution.
>>> 
>>>      
>>>
>Yes, this is important, I think a thread with an affirmative onclusion
>should be registered on the list. Someone in the future may not know you
>need to wear a penguin suite and sing the Hallelulah Chorus when you
>wish to install Port X.
>
>On a second note, if while waiting for an answer, and you discover it
>yourself then post the answer, close the ticket so to speak.
>
>  
>
>>Agreed - by having a solution confirmation in the archives of this list, 
>>it makes searching the archives a little easier and more believable. Not 
>>that I minded the private 'danke' :)
>>
>>    
>>
>>>>Secondly, an occasional question goes unanswered - perhaps because no
>>>>one thought it was interesting enough to reply. Is it acceptable to
>>>>post it again after a few days?
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>I'd wait a week before reposting, and then try to ask the question a
>>>different way, or provide more info.
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>Yup, unfortunately you will always believe that someone *does* know the
>answer to your question, so re-posting a week or so later sometimes
>works. If it does not, then you are perhaps asking on the wrong list or
>the people who know are all holidaying in the Seychelles on the huge
>profits they make from answering questions on FreeBSD :)
> 
>  
>
>>Ocassionally there will be no response because nobody knows the answer 
>>*or* it's been answered ad nauseum in the archives. Re-posting with an 
>>update, however, does keep the archives up to date.
>>
>>    
>>
>Private thank you's are nice.,but I think some people will find it
>enough that you have acknowledged the solution proposed works in the
>public forum. Of course there is a class of questions for which you will
>get a shell and an awk and a perl and a sed and a python and a ruby
>answer, often many of all of them. Hee hee ,,, 
>
>  
>
OK, thanks for the advice from all of you.  I will follow it in future.  
A useful discussion.



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