Question Wisdom (How to ask questions the smart way)
At the beginning of the 9CBS Java Forum, I saw this post of [Wolfsquare (Wolf Square)], then see the top post of the 9CBS C / C Forum Causey45 (YC), and then watching the VC Forum from 9CBS, Full-filled. It seems to collect a first. Among them, some of them have a sputum, I make up the content of English, and it is formatted, but it is recommended to read the original text of the English version CCBOY 2002.04.01
CopyRight (c) 2001 by Eric S. Raymond
Chinese version COPYLEFT 2001 by d.h.grand (Nobody / Ginux)
English: http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Thanks to ERIC's patience and agreement, this article is completed and released, this guide
English version of the copyright Eric Steven raymond,
The Chinese version of the copyright is owned by d.h.grand [NoBody / Ginux].
In the hacker world, what kind of answer can you get when it is proposed a technical issue? This depends on the difficulty of digging out the answer, also depends on the method you ask. This guide is intended to help you improve your skills to get your most wanted answer.
First of all, you must understand that hackers only prefer arduous tasks, or can inspire their thinking. If so, do we come back? If you have a good question worthy of we repeatedly chew, we will be grateful to you. A good problem is that incentives, it is a thick gift, which can improve our understanding, and usually expose what we have never realized or thinking. For hackers, "Ask!" Is a strong praise from the heart.
Although the hacker has a despise simple problem and unsoliche, sometimes it seems that we have hostile to the newbie, with the poor of knowledge, but it is not that.
We don't want to cover some people's contempt - they don't want to think, or don't complete what they should do before you ask. This kind of person will only murder - they are only willing to request, never pay, do not consume our time, and we can use time to use the more interesting questions or more worth answering. We call such a person "loser" (due to historical reasons, we sometimes spell "lusers").
We have a large extent belong to volunteers, with the time from the busy life to solve the answer, and often submerged. So we have ruthlessly filter out some topics, especially those who look like a loser, so that more efficient use of time to answer the victory.
If you think that we are too arrogant, let you not be cool, let you wrote, you can think about it. We didn't ask you to succumb to us - in fact, most people in our favorite fair trading, as long as you pay small efforts to meet the minimum requirements, we will welcome you to join our culture. Come. But let us help those who are unwilling to help themselves. If you can't accept this "discrimination", we recommend that you spend money to find a business company to sign a technical support agreement, don't give help to hackers.
If you decide to help us, of course, I don't want to be considered a loser, and I don't want to be a member of the loser. The best way to get a valid answer is to ask questions like winners - smart, self-confidence, and solve problems, just occasionally need to get a little help on specific issues.
(Welcome to this guide to make improvements to this guide, please e-mail to esr@thyrsus.com, however, please note that this article is not a general guide to the network etiquette, I usually refuse to adopt the proposal for the technical forum to get useful answers.)
(Of course, if you write Chinese, it is best to send it to DHGRAND@hotmail.com ;-) Before You ASK
Check that you have to do it before the technical issue is made by email, newsgroups or chat rooms:
1. Read the manual, try to find an answer yourself.
2. Look in the answer in FAQ (a well-maintained FAQ can include :).
3. Search online (personal recommendation google ~~~).
4. I am in listening to your friends.
When you ask questions, you must first explain what you have before this; this will help to establish your image: You are not a beggar who is inused, do not want to waste others. If the questioner can learn something from the answer, we are more happy to answer his questions.
Thoughtful thinking, ready for your problem, the question of the grass rate can only get an answer to the grass rate, or you can't get any answers. The more you show your efforts to solve the problem before seeking help, the you can get a substantive help.
Be careful, don't ask questions. If your problem is based on the wrong assumption, the ordinary hacker (J. Random Hacker usually uses meaningless literal explanation to reply you, thinking "stupid problems ...", I hope you will answer from the question (and Did you you want to get a lesson.
Never think of being qualified to get answers, you don't have this eligibility. After all, you didn't pay any remuneration for this service. You have to go back to "earn" back to an answer, relying on a question of connotation, interesting, thinking incentive effect - a problem with potential contribution to the community, not just passive from others Knowledge - to earn this answer.
On the other hand, you are willing to do something in the process of finding the answer, it is a very good start. "Who can give some prompts?" Because you seem to have a correct direction, you have your ability and determination.
How to ask questions (when you ask)
Care to choose the forum
Carefully choose to ask questions. If you are likely to be described below, you are likely to be ignored or as a loser:
1. Issues in the forum in the wind horse
2. In the discussion of advanced skills, it posted very primary questions;
3. Posted at too many different news groups
Use the vocabulary, the syntax is correct, spelling
We found out from experience, careful writers are often horses and tigers (I dare to make package).
The question that answers careless people is not worth it, we would rather consume time elsewhere.
Correct spelling, punctuation and case is important.
More general, if your question is written like a half illiteracy, you are likely to be ignored.
If you ask questions in using non-nominal forums, you can make a little fault to spell and grammar - but I can't think about the horse or tiger (right, we can figure out the differences.)
Use rich use, describe accurate title
In the mailing list or newsgroup, the topic title within about 50 words is the golden timing of grasping senior experts. Don't use chatter "help" (let alone "save !!!!!" This is a dissentful words) to waste this opportunity. Don't want to use your pain to touch us, don't use space instead of the description of the problem, even if it is an extremely short description.
Stupid question:
Help! My lap is not displayed normally!
Smart problem:
XFree86 4.1 The mouse cursor deformation, the display chip of the FooWare MV1005.
If you ask questions in your reply, remember to modify the content headline, indicating that there is a problem. A problem that looks like "Re: Test" or "Re: new bug" is difficult to attract enough attention. In addition, reference and delete the content of the previous article, leave a clue to the new readers. Accurate description, large information
1. Carefully describe the symptoms.
2. Provide a problem that occurs (machine configuration, operating system, application, and other).
3. Explain how you study and understand this problem before you ask questions.
4. Note What steps you have taken before you ask questions.
5. Russen has recently made hardware, software changes that may have an impact.
Try to think about how a hacker will ask you, give him an answer when you ask questions.
Simon Tatham wrote an excellent essay called "How to Effective Report Bug". Strongly recommend you to read it.
Not too much
You need to provide accurate and effective information. This is not asking you to simply put the ton of error code or data completely dump in your question. If you have a large and complicated test condition, try to cut it as much as possible.
There is at least three points everywhere. First, you have made your efforts to simplify the problem, which allows you to answer the opportunity to increase; second, simplify the problem to increase the opportunity to get useful answers; third, in the process of refining your BUG report, Maybe you can find a problem or make corrections.
Just say symptoms, don't talk about guess
Tell the hacker that you think there is no help. (If your inferior is so effective, do you want to help others?), So be sure that you originally tell the symptoms of their questions, don't add your own understanding and presentation. Let hackers diagnose it.
Stupid question:
I met again and again in the kernel compilation, I met a SIG11 error. I doubt that a flying line is on the front of the motherboard.
What should this be the best?
Smart problem:
A set of k6 / 233 systems I made, the motherboard is FIC-PA2007 (VIA Apollo VP2 chipset), 256MB
Corsair PC133
SDRAM, frequently generating SIG11 errors in the kernel compilation, there is this situation after 20 minutes of boot, never happened within 20 minutes before boot. It is useless to restart, but it will work 20 minutes in one night. All memory has changed, no effect. Typical compilation records in the relevant part ....
Symptom symptoms in time
For the most helpful clues to find out, it is often a series of operations before the problem, so your instructions should include steps, as well as the response of the computer until the problem is generated.
If your description is long (more than four paragraphs), the problem will help, followed by the time order. This hacker knows what to find in your instructions.
Understand what you want to ask
There is no margin, and there is almost no time black hole. People who can give you useful answers are also the most busy people (they are busy because they must do most of them.). Such people don't have a cold, so they can also say that they have a bad cold about the margin. If you explicitly express what you need to answer (provide suggestions, send a code, check your patch or other), it is most likely to get useful answers. This will give a maximum of time and energy, which makes it easy to get to help you.
To understand the world of experts, to imagine professional skills as abundant resources, while replying is poor resources. Solve your problem, the less time you need, the more you can take an answer from a busy expert port. Therefore, the structure of the optimization problem is minimized, and the experts will have a lot of help - this usual and simplified issues are different. So, ask "I want to know better X, can I give some hints?" I usually ask "Can you explain X?" Better. If your code can't work, ask what is wrong, than you ask others to make much more attention. Don't ask questions that should be solved by yourself.
The hackers are always good at distinguishing which issues should be solved by yourself; because most of us have solved such problems. Similarly, these problems have to be done by you, you will learn from the middle. You can ask a prompt, but do not request a complete solution.
Remove meaningless questions
Don't use meaningless words to end your questions, for example, "Can someone help me?" Or "Is there an answer?".
First of all: If you are not very suitable for the description of the problem, this is more painted. Second: Because this question is to draw the snake, the hacker will be tired of you - and usually use logically correct answers to represent their contempt, for example: "Yes, someone can help you" or "no answer".
Humility is not harmful, and often help
Gift, use "please" and "first thank you first." Let everyone know that you spend time obligations to help heart gratitude.
However, if you have a lot of problems, you can't solve it, and the courtesy will increase your opportunity to get useful answers.
(We note that since this guide is released, the only serious defective feedback from the Senior Hacker is the first to thank this. Some hackers feel that "thank you", I will not thank anyone. Our suggestions are: all thank you.)
After the problem is solved, add a short description
After the problem is resolved, send someone to all people who have helped you, let them know how the problem is solved, and once again expressed gratitude. If the problem has attracted extensive attention in the newsgroup or mailing list, there should be a supplementary instructions there. Supplementation does not have to be long or deep; simple sentence "Hello, it turned out to be a problem! Thank you - Bill" More than anything is stronger. In fact, unless the conclusion is really technical, short and lovely summary is better than a long academic papers. Explain how the problem is solved, but it is not necessary to repeat the process of solving the problem.
In addition to representing politeness and feedback, this supplement helps others in the mailing list / newsgroup / forum to search for your full solution to you, which may also be useful to them.
Finally (at least?), This supplement helps all people who have provided help have been satisfied. If you are not a older or hacker, I believe us, this feeling is very important for those tutors or experts you have to help them. The problem will be discouraged; the hackers are eager to see the problem is resolved. Good people have good news, meet their desire, you will taste the sweetness when you post new questions.
How To Interpret Answers
RTFM and Stfw: How To Tell You'VE Seriously SCREWED UP
There is an ancient and hallowed tradition:... If you get a reply that reads "RTFM", the person who sent it thinks you should have Read The Fucking Manual He is almost certainly right Go read it.RTFM has a younger relative If You get a reply what reads "Stfw", The Person WHO SENT IT Thinkings You Should Have Searched The Fucking Web. HE IS Almost Certainly Right. Go Search IT.
Often, the person sending either of these replies has the manual or the web page with the information you need open, and is looking at it as he types. These replies mean that he thinks (a) the information you need is easy to find, And (b) you will learn more if you seek out the information tour you have it spoon-fed to you.
You Shouldn't Be Offended by this; by Hacker Standards, He Is Showing You a Rough Kind of Respect SIMPLY by NOT IGNORING You. You Should Instead Thank Him for His Grandmotherly Kindness.
Still don't understand
If you are not very understanding, don't immediately ask the other party to explain. I would like to understand it when you try to solve the problem yourself. If you really need the other party to explain, remember what you have learned. For example, if I answer you: "It seems that ZENTRY is blocked; you should clear it first.", Then: a very bad follow-up question: "What is ZENTRY?" The smart question should be like this: " Oh ~~~ I have seen helping but only -z and -p two parameters mention ZENTRY and there is no clear explanation: DEALING WITH RUDENESS Much of what looks like rudeness in hacker circles is not intended to give offence. Rather, it's the product of the direct, cut-through-the-bullshit communications style that is natural to people who are more concerned about solving problems than making others feel Warm and fuzzy. When you perceive rudeness, try to react calmly. If someone is really acting out, it is very likely that a senior person on the list or newsgroup or forum will call him or her on it. If that does not happen and you lose your temper, it is likely that the person you lose it at was behaving within the hacker community's norms and you will be considered at fault. This will hurt your chances of getting the information or help you want.On the other hand, you will occasionally run across rudeness and posturing that is quite gratuitous. The flip-side of the above is that it is acceptable form to slam real offenders quite hard, dissecting their misbehavior with a sharp verbal scalpel. Be very, very sure of your ground before you try this ., however The line between correcting an incivility and starting a pointless flamewar is thin enough that hackers themselves not infrequently blunder across it; if you are a newbie or an outsider, your chances of avoiding such a blunder are low If you're after. Information Rather Than Entertainment, It's Better To Keep Your Fingers Off The Keyboard Than To Risk this. (Some people assert that many hackers have a mild form of autism or Asperger's Syndrome, and are actually missing some of the brain circuitry that lubricates `normal 'human social interaction. This may or may not be true. If you are not a hacker yourself , it may help you cope with our eccentricities if you think of us as being brain-damaged Go right ahead We will not care;.. we like being whatever it is we are, and generally have a healthy skepticism about clinical labels). In the next section, we'll talk about a different issue; the kind of `rudeness' you'll seehen you misshave. On Not Reacting Like A LoserOdds are you'll screw up a few times on hacker community forums -.. In ways detailed in this article, or similar And you'll be told exactly how you screwed up, possibly with colourful asides In public. When this happens, the worst thing you can do is whine about the experience, claim to have been verbally assaulted, demand apologies, scream, hold your breath, threaten lawsuits, complain to people's employers, leave the toilet seat up, etc. Instead, Here's what you do: Get over it. It's normal. In Fact, It's Healthy and Appropriate. Community standards do not maintain themselves: They're by people actively applying them maintained, visibly, in public Do not whine that all criticism should have been via conveyed private mail:.. That's not how it works Nor is it useful to insist you 'VE BEEN PERSONALLISULTED WHEN Someone Comments That Of Your Claims Was Wrong, or That His Views Differ. Those Are Loser Attitudes. There have been hacker forums where, out of some misguided sense of hyper-courtesy, participants are banned from posting any fault-finding with another's posts, and told "Do not say anything if you're unwilling to help the user." The RESUENG DEPARTURE OF Clueful Participants To elsewhere Causes Theme and Become Useless As Technical Forums. EXAGGERATEDLY "Friendly" or useful: Pick One. Remember: when this hacker tells you today You Not to do it again, he's acting out of concern for (1) you and (2) his community. It Would Be Much Easier for him to ignore you and filter you out of his life. If you can't manage to be grateful, at Least Have a little Dignity, Don't Whone, and don't expect to be treated Like a fragile doll seat Because You're a newcomer with a theatrically hypersensitive soul and delusions of entitlement. Three days later (Questions Not to Ask) The following is a few classic and stupid problems, as well as the hacker thinks in the heart of refusing to answer: Question: Where can I find the X program? Question: My program / configuration / SQL declaration is useless Question: My windows has problems, can you help me? Question: I have problems when I installed Linux (or X), can you help me? Question: How can I crack the root account / steal OP privilege / read the email? Question: Where can I find the X program? Answer: Just find it, the idiots - the one of the search engine. Scorpio! Does anyone won't use Google? Question: My program (configuration, SQL declaration) is useless Answer: This is not a problem, I am not interested in finding your true problem - if I want me to ask you that you have to find it - I have more interesting things. When I see this problem, my reaction is usually the following three: 1. Do you have anything to add? 2. It's really bad, I hope you can get it. 3. Do you have any birds with me? Question: My windows has problems, can you help me? Answer: Yes, throw away Microsoft's garbage, change Linux. Question: I have problems when I installed Linux (or X), can you help me? Answer: You can't, I only personally get a problem in your computer. Still go to your local Linux user group to seek your handle guidance (you can find a list of users here). Question: How can I crack the root account / steal OP privilege / read someone else's mail? Answer: I want to do this, indicating that you are a man; if you want to find a hacker to help you, you are an idiot! Good problem, bad question (Good and bad questions) Finally, I will give some examples to explain how smart questions; the two questions in the same question are put together, one is stupid, the other is wise. Stupid question: Where can I find information about FOONLY FLURBAMATIC? This question is nothing to get the answer "STFW". Smart question: I have searched "Fooly FluBamatic 2600" with Google, but I didn't find useful results. Who knows where to find information on this kind of equipment? This problem has been STFW, it seems that he really encounters trouble. Stupid question: I can't compile the source code I found from the Foo project. How is it so bad? He feels all the faults of others, this arrogant guy Smart question: The Foo project code cannot be compiled by the Nulix 6.2. I have read FAQ, But there is no problem related to Nulix. This is the record of my compilation process. Is there anything wrong with me? He talked about the environment and also read FAQ, but also indicated the mistake, and he did not push the responsibility of the problem to others, this guy is worth paying attention. Stupid question: I have a problem with my motherboard. Who will help me? Ordinary hackers answer to this type of question is usually: "Okay, have you to take back and change diaper?", Then press the delete key. Smart question: I tried X, Y and Z on the S2464 motherboard, but I didn't work, I tried A, B and C again. Please note that when I try C's strange phenomenon. It is obvious that contraction occurs in the sideband transmission, but the result is unexpected. What is the usual reason that causes a sideband leak on a multiprocessor motherboard? Who has a good idea next to what tests I have to find out? This guy, from another perspective, worth answering him. He showed the ability to solve the problem, not to sit and wait for the answer. In the last question, pay attention to "tell me the answer" and "give me the revelation, point out what I should do what diagnose work" is subtle between subtle and important differences. In fact, the latter problem is derived from a real question on the list of Linux kernels in August 2001. I (ERIC) is the person who made a question. I observed this uninterrupted lock phenomenon on the TYAN S2464 motherboard, which provided important information about solving that problem. Through my question method, I gave you something worthy of playing; I make people easily participate in and attracted. I show yourself with their equivalent ability, inviting them to discuss with me. I told them the detour I have gone to avoid them, this is a respect for the value of others. Later, when I expressed your gratitude to everyone, I appreciated this set of programs (the discussion in the mailing list - Translator's Note) was very good, a Linux kernel mailing list (LKML) member said that the problem is not Since I am "celebrity" in this list, but because I use the right way to ask questions. Our hackers have a guy with rich knowledge but lack of people; I believe he is right, if I ask questions like a beggar, no matter who I am, I will be annoying some people or Ignore them. He suggests that I will write down this matter and give some guidance to the people who write this guide. What should I do if I can't find an answer (if you can't get an affright) If you still don't get an answer, please don't think we can't help you. Sometimes I just see your question, I don't know the answer. No response does not mean that you are ignored, although it is difficult to distinguish this difference. In general, a simple repeating post problem is a very bad idea. This will be regarded as meaningless noisy. You can get help through other channels, which are usually more suitable for beginners. There are many online and local user groups, made from fanatics (even if they may have written any software.). Usually people build such groups to help each other and help newers. In addition, you can seek help from many commercial companies, regardless of the company's large or small (RedHat and Linuxcare are two most common examples). Don't be frustrated for payable to get help! After all, false your car engine cylinder seal is burst - it is probably - you have to send it to the repair shop and pay for maintenance. Even if the software doesn't spend a penny, you can't force technical support to always be free. For popular software, as linux, each developer will have at least 10,000 users. It is impossible to handle help from tens of thousands of users at all. To know, even if you want to pay for help, you have to pay more than you have to buy similar software (usually the technical support cost of the closure source code software is much higher than the open source software, and the content is not So rich. Related resources If you need instruction in the Basics of How Personal Computers, UNIX, AND AND AND Internet Fundamentals Howto. ..................... ..
