Re: Monthly FAQ for the Debian-user mailing list (last modified 20250404)
* Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com> [25-04/05=Sat 00:52 -0400]:
> Still missing a topic or discussion of "SOLVED" in the subject.
Or a diff.
> On Fri, Apr 4, 2025 at 8:47 PM Andrew M.A. Cater <amacater@einval.com> wrote:
>>
>> Debian-user is a mailing list provided for support for Debian users,
>> and to facilitate discussion on relevant topics.
>>
>> Codes of Conduct
>> ================
>>
>> * The list is a Debian communication forum. As such, it is subject to both
>> the Debian mailing list Code of Conduct and the main Debian Code of Conduct
>> https://www.debian.org/MailingLists/#codeofconduct
>> https://www.debian.org/code_of_conduct
>>
>> Guidelines for this list
>> ========================
>> Some guidelines which may help explain how the list should work:
>>
>> Language
>> ========
>>
>> * The language on this mailing list is English. There may be other mailing
>> lists that are language-specific, for example, debian-user-french or
>> debian-user-catalan
>>
>> * It is common for users to be redirected here from other lists, for example,
>> from debian-project. It is also common for people to be posting here when
>> English is not their primary language. Please be considerate.
>>
>> Answering questions and contributing to discussions constructively
>> ==================================================================
>>
>> * This is a fairly busy mailing list but even so you may have to wait some
>> time for an answer - please be patient.
>>
>> * Help and advice on this list is provided by volunteers in their own time.
>> It is common for there to be different opinions or answers provided.
>>
>> * It is not necessary to answer every post on the mailing list.
>>
>> * Be constructive in your responses. It may be that somebody else answers
>> a question before you - if so, you should not reply simply in order to get
>> the last word in, only reply if you can add useful information.
>>
>> * Don't feed the trolls: it's not necessary to reply to every post.
>>
>> If someone is trolling/misbehaving - don't amplify it by commenting
>> on the list and giving them attention. Do report it to community@debian.org
>>
>> There is also the option to refer directly to listmaster@lists.debian.org
>> In both cases, do reference which post it is - user, date, mailing list and
>> topic. Multiple reports may add background detail to justify further action.
>>
>> * Auto-generated posts and posts from large language models (LLMs)
>> These are potentially not welcome. They have the potential to confuse
>> readers and the information may not be correct. If a writer is not
>> confident, they might be used to improve a draft of a post. If you
>> do use an LLM or auto-generation, please indicate that parts of your
>> mailing list message may have been assisted by auto-generation.
>>
>> Off-topic posts
>> ===============
>>
>> * Please try to stay on topic.
>>
>> * Off-topic posts will happen occasionally as threads wander.
>> Don't reply to them to make them carry on.
>>
>> * If you wish to introduce an off-topic subject that might be
>> of interest to the wider list, start a new thread and preface
>> the title with [OT].
>>
>> * There is no debian-offtopic mailing list: please don't try
>> to start one.
>>
>> Partisan topics and political arguments
>> =======================================
>>
>> * Arguments for the sake of it are not welcome here.
>>
>> * Partisan political / religious / cultural arguments do not belong here
>> either.
>>
>> Debian's community is world wide; do not assume others will agree with your
>> views or need to read them on a Debian list.
>>
>> This is a list discussing Debian and technical and wider issues concerning
>> Debian, not national politics, religious views and so on - the chances
>> are that your wider readership is just not interested in these things which
>> might be very important to you but irrelevant to the rest of the wider
>> world.
>>
>> Off-topic arguments also have a habit of derailing useful discussion.
>>
>> Editing and answering mailing list posts
>> ========================================
>>
>> * It is helpful to write meaningful subject lines for each email.
>>
>> * If you change subject or mail title in mid-thread, some mail clients
>> may have problems with subsequent email threading. It may then be more
>> appropriate to introduce a new email to start a new thread.
>>
>> * It may also be useful for someone to post a summary email from time to
>> time to explain long threads.
>>
>> * Before posting, it may be useful to check your post for spelling mistakes
>> and scan it for redundancy, duplicate words and redundancy.
>>
>> * Clear replies and a short mailing list thread are much easier to
>> read and follow than long threads. Don't make threads that occupy
>> half a month's list traffic: don't reopen old threads that closed
>> months ago.
>>
>> * If a thread is already significantly long, please do consider whether
>> your intervention to add an additional reply in the thread is justified
>> before posting. Knowing when to hold back is just as useful as knowing
>> when to contribute.
>>
>> * If you are replying to a post, please reply in-line if possible and
>> cut out extra text that is not relevant to your point.
>>
>> Private replies and responding to posts off-list
>> ================================================
>>
>> * Please post answers back to the list so others can benefit: private
>> conversations don't benefit people who may only be following
>> along on the list or reading the archives later.
>>
>> * We're only human: you may want to respond to someone off-list
>> to make a point (or to wish them Happy Birthday / comment that you
>> haven't seen them for a long time). We're also a community and the
>> people you find on the list may become familiar friends
>>
>> BUT
>>
>> * Posting outside the list can be unhelpful: bad behaviour outside the lists
>> can't easily be dealt with and will be invisible. You may inadvertently leak
>> personal information by posting a private reply back to the list.
>>
>> If you *do* want to post outside the list - make it clear that you have done
>> so at the top of the message. If someone replies to you privately and you
>> think that this should go back to the list - ask them to post it to the list
>> - do not just do so on their behalf without checking.
>>
>> I can't see what I want here - help me!
>> =======================================
>>
>> * It is often useful to look through the archives to see whether the issue
>> you wish to raise or a similar issue has been raised before by someone
>> else. The top level link to the archives of this list is at
>> https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/ organised by year, then month.
>>
>> * Although there are only twenty or thirty regular contributors, there may
>> be a couple of thousand readers in the background. Nobody is
>> a mind reader, nobody can sit beside you. Please help by providing
>> useful details if asked, especially which version of Debian you are
>> running.
>>
>> I'm not using Debian but ...
>> ============================
>>
>> * Strictly, discussions of other distributions are off-topic here.
>> Please note: advice on Linux distributions other than Debian will be
>> only our best guess - other distributions may do things very differently.
>>
>> Any advice given accordingly may be inaccurate but is given in good faith.
>> Repeated requests for off-topic advice may lead to a ban.
>>
>> FAQ topics
>> ==========
>>
>> * There is an FAQ on the Debian wiki derived from some questions asked on this
>> list at https://wiki.debian.org/FAQsFromDebianUser
>>
>> This is a public list, archived in many places
>> ==============================================
>>
>> * One question that comes up on almost all Debian lists from time to time
>> is of the form:
>>
>> "I have done something wrong / included personal details in an email.
>> Could you please delete my name / details / remove the mail"
>>
>> Practically, this is impossible: the mailing lists are archived, potentially
>> cached by Google and so on.
>>
>> Unfortunately, there is nothing much we can do to ensure that all copies
>> anywhere on the Internet are deleted. Asking to do this may only serve to
>> draw further attention - the so-called "Streisand effect"
>> See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
>>
>> Problems and inappropriate behaviour?
>> =====================================
>>
>> Complaints about inappropriate behaviour should be referred to the
>> Debian Community Team <community@debian.org>.
>>
>> Inappropriate behaviour on the list may lead to warnings: repeated bad
>> behaviour may lead to temporary or permanent bans for offenders.
>>
>>
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