Ask the wisdom
Copyright (c) 2001 by Eric S. Raymond Chinese Copyleft 2001 by d.h.grand (Nobody / Ginux)
English: http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html Thanks Eric patient pointers and consent, this article is completed and released, this guide English copyright ERIC Steven raymond, Chinese The version is owned by DHGRAND [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 up some people's contempt - they don't want to think, or don't do what they should do before you ask. This kind of person will only murder - they are only willing to ask, 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 Question ======================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
In front of the technical problem by email, newsgroups or chat rooms, check you if you do: 1. Read the manual, try to find answers 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 the 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 anything 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?", "What is missing in this example?" And "Where should I check?" Compared with the exact process, "is more likely to get a reply. Because you seem to have a correct direction, you have your ability and determination.
======== How to 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 seen as a loser: 1. The forum that is not between the wind horse is posted on your problem 2. Exploring the high-level technical forum posted very primary questions; Easily also 3. At too many different news groups
---------------------------- Use the words, the grammar is correct, spelling the wrong ------------- ---------------
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 the meaning of use, describe the 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" (not to say "to save !!!!!" This opportunity to resent) 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 problems: Xfree86 4.1 Lower mouse cursor deformed, FooWare MV1005 display chip.
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, the contents of the previous article are extracted and deleted, leaving clues to the new readers.
------------------ Accurate description, the amount of information is large ------------------
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.
-------- Word is not available --------
You need to provide accurate and effective information. This is not asking you to simply put into a ton error code or data complete dump into 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 say 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 encountered a SIG11 error in the kernel compilation, I suspect that a flying line is on the front line of the motherboard, how should this be the best?
Clever problem: I have a set of K6 / 233 systems, motherboards are FIC-PA2007 (VIA Apollo VP2 chipset), 256MB Corsair PC133 SDRAM, frequently generating SIG11 errors in kernel compilation, from booting 20 minutes later, this situation I never happen within 20 minutes before booting. 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 ....
------------------ Symptoms in time 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. Transfer this: http://www.eygle.com/eygle/Article.php? Id = 52
