Re: I need help
On 12/02/2016, Ric Moore <wayward4now@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> It would be sweet if we didn't encourage people to post subject lines
> like "I need help". It helps no one else but the OP. Ric
>
Quite agree.
"I need help" also happens to sound like a spam message subject line,
quite appart from it lacking any indication of a problem description.
And, "I need help" better applies to "I need help" to stop people
posting messages with useless subject lines like "I need nelp".
I suggest that this mailing list be changed to a mailing list to which
only subscribers can post (to reduce spam and other malicious messages
- "click on this link, so I can breach your system..."), and that, on
the web page from whence people can subscribe to the list, or, that
gives instructions of how to subscribe to the list, and, in the
"welcome to the list" message that is sent to the subscribers,
inclusion of a recommendation for people posting queries to the list,
to use informative Subject line contents, such as "<distribution
version> - <package name (if applicable)> - <very short problem
description>", so as to facilitate and expedite responses, could be
useful, so as to get subject lines like "Debian woozy - synaptic -
screen does not stop flashing", or, "Debian 7 - screensaver - crashes
system", which could make the whole experience better for everyone, so
that people who have some knowledge of the applicable distribution
version, and, package, may have seen the particular problem, and have
the solution, and, be inclined to read the rest of the message and
post a possible solution, rather than dismissiing a "I need help"
message as appearing to be one of those, where the appropriate
response would be "It is a CD/DVD drive, not a coffee mug holder", or,
"You are not supposed to use a tablet PC to take underwater
photographs without some kind of waterproof casing".
--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............
"So once you do know what the question actually is,
you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
A Trilogy In Four Parts",
written by Douglas Adams,
published by Pan Books, 1992
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