Hi,
this is my proposal for a posting, it got longer than intended, but it
is a good one, I believe (corrections welcomed).
It is too long for a weekly posting, but it is a good welcome mail one
should get on subscription. And it can be made available on the net
(and in a newbie-doc package).
I will see, if I can extract a (at most) two pages version for a
weekly posting.
Ciao,
Martin
HOW TO DEAL WITH YOU DEBIAN PROBLEM
Something doesn't work like it should? You spend some hours and still
no go? You are frustrated,and you want to post to debian-user for
help?
This is OK, and if follow a few rules, you are also likely to receive
good help.
Keep clam. Doing something in stress is never helpful when trying
to solve a problem. Drink some tea, go for a walk.
Did you check the right spots for help?
The documentation is found in /usr/doc/<package>/, keep an eye for a
file called README.Debian. It can contain tips and special options
used for the package.
General documentation is in the HOWTO documents in /usr/doc/HOWTO/.
If you have the dhelp package installed, call dhelp to read it in the
browser. The dwww package will also give you access all documentation
available on your system, so install it.
Check the manual pages. man <command> or man <configfile> will show
you how to use a program. Under X, tkman is a nicer way to access
this.
Use the apropos command to look for a keyword in the manpage
description (dwww has fulltext search).
$ apropos password
chage (1) - change user password expiry information
chpasswd (8) - update password file in batch
dpasswd (8) - change dialup password
Then read the manpage with "man 8 chpasswd".
Use www.dejanews.com. They also archive the Debian mailinglists, so
try a few keyword.
Extra tip: A good reading for new Linux users is the Debian Tutorial
at http://www.debian.org/~hp/debian-tutorial.html
http://packages.debian.org will help you if you are looking for some
file, program or package.
So still no go, and you want to post to debian-user?
Ok, you read some documentation and found things that will help you in
the future, but the problem at hand still persists. The bunch at the
Debian userlist is helpful, but the mailvolume is high, so you should
follow the following rules when posting to debian-user - it will help
you get your answers faster, and it will help everyone who answers
postings.
- Start a new thread
When you post a question, don't "kidnap" a thread by pressing reply,
killing the text and filling you question.
Your question will appear as part of some thread, so it may be missed
by someone who could help you, but ignored this thread.
Instead, mail your question to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
This will start your own thread.
- Choose your subject wisely
Many user just browse the list of subjects, and pick the mails about a
topic they know or are interested in.
So "HELP!!!!" is not a good subject, "Proftpd doesn't allow anon
access" is.
It also features a wise to do thing. It lists the packagename in the
subject. If a maintainer browses the subject list, he usually
configured the reader to highlight threads about his packages.
So this helps to bring your question to the attention of the right
people.
Don't post unrelated questions in one mail. Better split it in
multiple mails.
- Keep the form
Keeping an eye on the form of your posting will allow easier reading,
and will enhance your chances of getting an answer.
o Turn of HTML
o Turn of vcard, ms-tnef and such
o Wordwrap your posting at around 70 characters
o Seperate your signature with "-- ", this wil allow a program to hide
it and exclude it on replys automatically
When replying
o Shorten the citation, only leave the relevant parts you are
answering to (= no fullquote, don't quote the signature)
o You can use elipsis like
[... ppp log ...]
Your logfile looks OK to me, maybe the problem is at ...
o Don't answer on top of the cited (full)quote. Insert your answer
after the part you are answering to. You read from top to down,
right? This makes it easier to follow the thoughts, as a reader
doesn't have to switch between the reply and the part it relates to
(which he has to find).
NO: YES:
Hi, Hi,
It is set to no. > John wrote:
This is set to yes. > What is the value of option foo?
Thanks, Joe It is set to no.
-- > And what about option bar?
My random sig
This is set to yes.
-----------------------------
> John wrote: Thanks, Joe
> What is the value of option foo? --
> And what about option bar? My random sig
>
> Bye, John
>
> --
> my sig
> --
> Debian list signature
If your mail is difficult to read and understand, fewer people will
read it. Oh, and avoid the broken-keyboard-syndrom which looks like
"What now ????!!?!?!??!". It just looks silly and you are not a
script kiddi, aren't you? This doesn't apply if your keyboard is
indeed broken.
- Now the proper content
"It doesn't print" is not a good description of a problem. The most
likely answer (if you get one at all) is "give some details, please."
So why not giving these in the first place.
The more relevant information you give, the better answers you will
receive.
Basically it gets down to "What did you do? What was the result? What
did you expect as a result?"
Be as exact as possible on these three questions.
Now some points you should consider to provide relevant information.
o You have problems with a specific package (you mention the
packagename in the subject, right)?
Give the packagename and version. dpkg -l <package> will give you
this information.
Give the kernel version. uname -a
Give the brand and name of any hardware involved with the problem,
if applicable.
If you have problems with the configuration, include the relevant
parts of the config file. If you are unsure what is relevant, thaen
better include more than to few. You could also remove the comment
lines (usually starting with #), as they are not important, and make
your mail longer.
What Debian version do you use? (cat /etc/debian_version) Did you
also install files from other sources than your installation media?
For example some packages from the Debian developement branch?
o Include the error messages
"There were some errormessages" is a useless information. Cut and
paste the messages into the mail (typing them in is cumbersome and
errorprone, but also OK, if it is the only way).
You should also include the exact command you typed, of cause.
You can also save the messages to a file, if this is easier for
you. Use the command script for this:
$ script /tmp/err.msg
$ <your action here>
$ exit
You now have a copy of every output in /tmp/err.msg. Remove the
uninteresting bits from this, and attach the file to your mail. But
be sure to not use base64 encoding for this. This will require an
extra step of saving the file to read it, instead of being readable
inline.
o Check the logfiles
If you have a problem with hardware, a daemon or other more system
oriented program (like pppd), check the logfiles in /var/log/.
Syslog is the general log, another useful one is daemon.log. Also
there are a other specific logfiles like ppp.log.
Use less, or mc (from the equaly named packages) to check these
files for hints.
Be as precise as you can. This way, it is more likely you get an
answer, and if you don't have to supply more infos afterwards, you get
a solution to your problem faster.
If your problem was somthing complicated, and took some time to solve,
post a summary of the solution, so others can benefit as well, as it
will be archieved.
I propse you use the subject "Solution: <problem description>"
So, good luck with your posting to debian-user.
