[OpenIndiana-discuss] Mailing list etiquette reminder

[Reginald Beardsley]

I don't like posts such as this, but sometimes such things are needed.

There is a traditional etiquette of limiting the number of discreet posts one makes.  These date from when Usenet was the Internet and a 9600 baud Trailblazer attached to seismos was the sole link between the US and Europe.   Most of the people who post to this list know this well, but there are some who seem to need this explained.

Briefly:

Don't make 3 posts with 3 very basic questions.  Make a single post.  Take some time to consider how best to present your questions.  Stream of consciousness is not welcome.

Please do not post 3 times to respond to  3  consecutive posts by a single person.  If someone violates the first rule, don't exacerbate the problem.  Read all the posts and address all of them in a single reply.

Do your own research first and take some care to frame your questions well.  There are many reading this list who will not respond because the OP has clearly not made any attempt to investigate on their own and taken no time to consider how to frame the questions.  Many times, the mere act of framing your questions carefully will give you the answers without your needing to post at all.  Many times I've knocked on a door down the hall, explained my question and then said, "Never mind.  I just figured it out."  Through much of my career I ran an "orphan home for lost problems" even though it was not in any of my assigned duties. Countless times, after a few questions from me the person said, "I know how to do that!" and left.

Don't carry on what is basically a private conversation between two people on the list.  Take it off list.  It's very simple to do, just alter the address after you hit "Reply" and before you hit "Send". If you don't know how to do this you probably don't belong here.

If you're under 30 please realize that many, if not most, of the people on this list have been working with  SunOS/Solaris professionally for longer than you have been alive.

There are a number of people who have been egregiously violating the above.  I am not going to name names because there is no point.  It's obvious from the archive. However, these people have added themselves to my "Do not respond" list.  I am far from alone in this.

No one is obligated to help you.  If you want help you must conform to the rules outlined above or risk not getting a response from someone who actually knows what you are seeking in great detail.  

If I see 3-4 posts by one person in the course of 2-3 minutes, I simply delete them without reading any of them.  I am not the only one who does this.  So instead of getting an authoritative answer, you will get responses from people who don't actually know what they are talking about.  And those who do know aren't  reading either your posts or the replies. The net result will be that you are in more trouble than you were before you posted.  Each time you add to the clutter you will dig the hole you are in deeper.

Opinions are like watches. Most people have one and none of them agree.  If you feel you must express some opinion of yours, please have the courtesy to think through what you are saying and express it well. I took my BA in English lit and I will typically take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours to write a single post.  The greater the opinion component. the longer I take to write it.

Reg