Eric S.
How to Ask Questions the Smart Way Raymond (2001) + √3.9, 2013 The kinds of answers you get depend very much on how ask your question. especially in tech! How do I B avoid triggering this response ask like Someone with Smarts Ⓒ confidence you Good question! You... This person didn't do the homework, is a timesink, is a loser... Why does this matter? (volunteers), so we filter "ruthlessly, ! clue who just happens to need help with one particular problem. On P Losers Winners Try to find an answer by... о the archives PREPARE your question → hasty? hasty Q poor ? → useless Q Now!) You are not ENTITLED to an answer. You can EARN an answer (maybe) with a substantial, interesting, thought-provoking Q. Gm and if you show you're Gwilling to help find the solution When You Ask Right level (beginner expert) Not off-topic Right forum - Subject lines are crucial Typical pattern object - deviation What's wrong topic Start a new thread for Don't ask for personal replies (unless confidential) Oct 23, 2013+ Send plain text e-mails Argent your question → use the same channel you used to ask Write in clear, grammatical, (NOALL) Correctly-spelled language CAPS If English is not language, say so. your native Be precise & informative & explicit • bug symptoms + not guesses! b environment research diagnostic steps chronological order/ Simplify much as as recent changes / possible Not crossposted to too many places • steps to reproduce ☑Not a personal e-mail unless acquaintances/etc. check the FAQ or website ✡ assume you are doing Something wrong, not Bug the code Describe your overall goals, Not this Before P searching Take • searching the web You ask reading the manual your reading a FAQ time. inspection or experimentation asking a skilled friend reading the source code Cif you're a programmer) Don't give up to confirm topic fit right away Be polite. Responses don't Web forums (last resort) จาก and IRC G fried Say пою you investigate, then ask for to find list G If that doesn't give you the answer, you can show your work when asking. I tried searching for I learned but just this step Follow up: FIXED/SOLVED... Maintainer e-mail if you understand, Mailing lists User dev only if nontrivial, no response, Code-related.. give permission to 'forward clarification See document for tips on how to answer questions, too http://sach.ac/ask Sacha Chúa