on Mon, Dec 10, 2001 at 02:01:52PM -0300, Nicolás Conde (nconde@fing.edu.uy) wrote:
> Hello.
> I don't mean to be rude with this, but i've noticed that few people
> do their homework before posting. I've seen some questions over and over
> again for which answers exist in the {manual pages | list archives}.
> Looking for existing answers (IOW doing your own research) before
> posting helps everyone: you learn about your OS and your computer,
> becoming a better {admin | user}; and also reduces the amount of
> messages received by subscribers everyday.
> So, without wanting to ofend anyone, before you post a question
>
> 1. RTFM (Read The Friendly Manual)
> 2. Search the {archives | HOW-TOs}
> 3. Ask your local {Linux | Unix} guru (if you have one)
>
> and if this doesn't help (which I doubt) drop some lines to this list.
> Thanks all, enjoy Linux.
I'd generally agree with this advice. Mostly because researching
questions is a damned good way to get better at things -- it's a
"learning how to learn" process.
That said, if you can't turn up a viable result in, say, fifteen minutes
of research, make a mention of your problem, steps taken to resolve or
identify a solution, and post to list.
Recognizing not everyone's going to follow Nicholas's advice, I've no
qualms against telling someone to Google results (STFW). I'll usually
coach my RTFM by pointing out _which_ FM to R. This is more often than
not the problem. "Documented" doesn't mean "accessible", particularly
when there's substantial documentation in multiple systems (man, info,
HOWTOs, Web, mailing lists, ....).
I'll generally reserve personal outrage for those who act as if they've
an entitlement to support. That's where I get off the ride.
And thanks to those who've mentioned me as a good resource. The
standard kickback checks are in the mail.
Peace.
--
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com> http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
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