Re: [cobalt-users] Read before posting

["Matthew John Darnell" <mdarnell@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Who starts a list with zero?!?

Must mean we are real bit heads!

-Matt
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Thom LaCosta" <baltimoremd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2003 3:42 PM
Subject: [cobalt-users] Read before posting


> The Cobalt Users Mailing List meta-FAQ, Version 0.22
> ====================================================
> 
> Not so much an FAQ but a guide to how to get your FAQs and IAQs
> answered.
> 
> 0.  Do not be afraid to ask questions.  There are helpful people here.
> Nobody was born with this knowledge - and we are all still learning.
> 
> 1.  There's ways of annoying those helpful people, and there's ways of
> getting the most from them.  This is what this guide is primarily about.
> 
> 2.  If you can, read the list for a while (days, weeks, months even)
> before posting to it.  This will give you a feel for it.
> 
> 3.  The chances are that you are not the first person to have asked your
> question.  In the case of Cobalt's products, the answers are archived in
> the Knowledge Base and in the mailing list archives.  To check those
> resources go to http://list.cobalt.com/mailman/listinfo/cobalt-users,
> and learn to search the Web for answers on non-Cobalt specific
> questions.
> http://www.mail-archive.com/index.php3?hunt=cobalt is an alternative.
> 
> 3.1 But remember that not everything you read is correct!  Read all the
> way through an archived thread before doing anything.
> 
> 3.2 When you post, consider indicating that you have tried these
> avenues, particularly if you are new to the list: people are much more
> willing to help those who try to help themselves first.
> 
> 3.3 Invest in some books; and don't expect the list to do your job for
> you.
> 
> 4.  When you post, observe some "rules".
> 
> 4.1. Give a meaningful subject, including the precise product.  E.g.
> "[RaQ 3] Strange error in web log".  In the body of your post, include
> enough information that people will understand your problem and be able
> to help.  But don't include 500 lines of logfile of which only one is
> relevant.
> 
> 4.2. If it's a fresh subject, then make a fresh post, don't "reply" to
> an existing message.  Even if you change the subject line, for many
> people your post will be threaded under the original thread.  (Which
> they may have chosen to disregard in the meantime.  You *do* want
> people to read and respond, don't you?)
> 
> 4.3. Do not post in HTML (sometimes called Rich Text).  This really
> winds some people up.  There are many reasons, not least of which is
> that for people subscribed to the list digest, it appears as raw HTML,
> and in other words is practically unreadable.  If people can't read it,
> they certainly won't reply to it.
> 
> 4.4. Do not top-post.  That is to say, when replying to a post, give
> context to your post in the form of just enough quoted material, and
> put your responses *after* the quoted material.  Put a space between
> the quoted material and your response, and again before the next section
> of quoted material.
> 
> 4.4.1 Again, consider the effect top-posting has on the digest form
> of the list, and consider how when you were searching the archives
> (as you were, remember?) the most useful replies were the ones that
> came *after* the question.  Further argument about this point can be
> referred to RFC 1855 and just about every guide to newsgroup and
> mailing list etiquette ever written.
> It is not a "personal preference".  It is a standard.
> 
> 4.5. Keep your line lengths short, less than 80 characters.  Otherwise,
> many people will see your post with some badly-mangled formatting,
> and be less inclined to read it.
> 
> 4.6. Read your post through before sending, and check for spelling,
> grammar, and layout.  The easier it is to read, the more likely people
> are to respond. Check you've given enough information to give
> people a clue.
> 
> 4.7. Don't criticise someone else's spelling and grammar.  In fact, in
> general, do not flame.  If you wouldn't make the same comment
> face-to-face with someone twice your size, don't say it.
> 
> 4.8. Keep your signature short - four lines is reckoned to be plenty.
> Use the correct sig separator: "-- " on a line by itself.  Some mail
> software will then be able to strip it automatically.
> 
> 4.9  Do not repost your question before a number of days (a week maybe?)
> have elapsed.  If you do not receive a prompt reply, it's probably
> because your post was not well written in the first place, the question
> has been answered several times already (check the archives), the gurus
> of the list are behind on reading posts, or there's nobody on the list
> that can answer your question.  If you wish to repost your question
> after said amount of time, be sure to include any additional information
> you may have gathered since your last post which would help someone
> respond.  Reposting your question multiple times within a short time
> period (i.e.: daily) will likely ensure you are /dev/null'd
> (redirected to the bit bucket, however you wish to phrase it).
> 
> 5. Do not post the following:
> 5.1 binaries or attachments of any sort.
> 5.2 advertising, "make money fast" (a.k.a. "lose account fast") etc.
> 5.3 way off-topic questions - like setting up a video card in Windows.
> 
> 5.4 If it's not Cobalt-specific then consider directing your question
> to a Linux (or other appropriate) forum.  But people do understand that
> particularly for newbies it's not obvious if something is
> Cobalt-specific.
> If you get the urge to start an off-topic thread, it is best to put
> that in the subject line.
> 
> 5.5 You will find that threads veer off onto totally unrelated subjects.
> People have way more tolerance for this than they do for threads that
> start off off-topic.  Don't criticise people in such a thread for being
> off-topic.  Do, if contributing, consider changing the subject line, and
> adding "[OT]", or similar.
> 
> 6.  Do not assume that everybody lives in the same country; if you are
> looking for a service, then say where you are situated.  Try to avoid
> regional words and phrases that not everybody will understand.
> 
> 7.  "Relaying denied" / "POP before SMTP" - RTFA, that is to say, Read
> The Fine Archives.
> 
> 8.  Although the list is hosted by Cobalt, they do not maintain an
> "official" presence on the list.  Some Cobalt engineers do contribute,
> but they do so of their own volition.  Do not take your frustrations
> out on them.
> 
> 8.1 If you wish to get the attention of the list maintainer (if for
> example an invalid address needs to be unsubscribed) do so by sending
> mail to the address listed at the bottom of
> http://list.cobalt.com/mailman/listinfo/cobalt-users ;
> Don't do it on-list.
> 
> 9. Vacation messages: if you want thousands of people to curse the day
> you were born, be sure to set up a vacation auto-responder that replies
> to every single post to the list.
> 
> 10. Learn about the following commands: type "man xx" at the command
> line to learn about xx, then use the arrow keys to scroll, and hit "q"
> to quit. apropos, ls, cd, mv, ln, cp, locate, find, xargs, grep, less,
> cat, chown, chmod, pwd, diff, rm, rmdir, df, du, ftp, tar, su, gzip,
> telnet, ping, who, uptime, top, ps, traceroute, strings, rpm, cron.
> 
> 11. List Administration.
> >From time to time, there may be posts from a user that appear to be
> off topic.  Rather than admonish, chastise or flame the poster on the
> list, send your comments directly to that person.  Posting of
> "moderation" messages to the list may sometimes encourage an
> escalation of off topic postings.
> 
> If you have concerns about the validity of posts from another user on
> the list (e.g., off-topic, personal attack, flame, etc), and feel you
> should not contact the individual, the proper course of action should
> be to notify the list administrator about your concern.  The current
> list administrator's email address is listed at the bottom of
> http://list.cobalt.com/mailman/listinfo/cobalt-users
> 
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> 
> Notes & Links:
> 
> Compiled by Dom Latter with contributions from, amongst others:
> Dan Kriwitsky, Rodolfo J. Paiz, Brian Curtis, Rob Evans, CarrieB,
> ||Bruce Timberlake, Thom LaCosta & Jeff Lovell.
> This document is freely distributable, as long as it is without charge,
> but remains copyright of the named individuals, and must retain
> this copyright notice.
> 
> ||Denotes Changed/Added information
> 
> Official support from Sun/Cobalt on supported issues:
> http://www.sun.com/service/suncobalt/
> 
> Unofficial Packages NOT supported by Sun/Cobalt
> http://pkgmaster.com/
> 
>  Other Cobalt Related Lists
> 
>  Official Unofficial Qube Users' List
>  http://majordomo.email-lists.com/qube-users/
>  Cobalt-OT List
>  http://www.baltimoremd.com/cobaltfacts/
>  Hosting-Biz List (Hosting Business Related)
>  http://www.baltimoremd.com/cobaltfacts/
>  General Web Hosting Questions/Questions On Particular ISPs:
>  http://www.webhostingtalk.com
>  Announce -- Mailiinglist for annoucements about PkgMaster.com
>  http://pkgmaster.com/
> 
> Additional Resources For Help:
> http://www.baltimoremd.com/cobaltfacts/sitelist.html
> 
> Meta-Faq on the Web:
> http://www.cobaltfacts.com/metafaq.html
> 
> Webmaster's reference: http://www.elsop.com/wrc/refroom.htm
> An etiquette guide:    http://wise.fau.edu/netiquette/net/elec.html
> RFC 1855:              http://www.dtcc.edu/cs/rfc1855.html
> More etiquette:
> http://www.gweep.bc.ca/~edmonds/usenet/ml-etiquette.html
> Top Posting Explained:
> http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/gey_stv0.htm
> Usenet power search:   http://www.deja.com/home_ps.shtml
> Virus myths:           http://www.vmyths.com/
> Sanity restoration:    http://www.dilbert.com/
> 
> When the Sun Lists are down, or finally killed, feel free
> to join us on the CobaltFacts List - Details at
> www.cobaltfacts.com
> 
> Last updates  May 2, 2003 & Posted 3 November, 2003
> Previosly  posted 7 September, 2003
> Previously posted 4 August, 2003
> Previously posted 2 July, 2003.
> Previously posted 2 May, 2003
> Previously posted 2 March, 2003
> Previously posted 7 February, 2003
> Previously posted 3 December, 2002
> Previously posted 8 November, 2002
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> Previously posted 1 April, 2002
> Previously posted 1 March, 2002
> Previously posted 2 February, 2002
> Previously posted 23 January, 2002
> 
> Thom
> -- 
> baltimoremd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx             Thom LaCosta K3HRN
> http://www.cobaltfacts.com/  Cobalt Users Supporting Cobalts
> CobaltFacts - The Other Blue List
> Sun won't do it, we need to do our own wash
> CobaltFacts Web Ring www.baltimoremd.com/cobaltfacts/
> 
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