From 58df115ccf34da04cbc8a465b5237985fae93220 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Andrew David Wong Date: Wed, 2 May 2018 22:33:17 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Update discussion list guidelines - Convert bullet points to headings so that they can be linked to individually - Minor content clarifications --- about/support.md | 78 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----------- 1 file changed, 60 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-) diff --git a/about/support.md b/about/support.md index 1f3124e5..1089c27e 100644 --- a/about/support.md +++ b/about/support.md @@ -79,24 +79,32 @@ and knowledgeable people who enjoy corresponding on these lists. The vast majority of them will be happy to help you if you follow these simple guidelines. - * **Be polite and respectful.** Remember, no one here is under any obligation +### Be polite and respectful ### + + Remember, no one here is under any obligation to reply to you. Think about your readers. Most of them are coming home after a long, hard day at work. The last thing they need is someone's temper tantrum in their inboxes. If you are rude and disrespectful, you are very likely to be ignored. - * **Be concise.** Include only essential information. Most of your readers lead +### Be concise ### + + Include only essential information. Most of your readers lead busy lives and have precious little time. We *want* to spend some of that time helping you, if we can. But if you ramble, it will be easier to skip over you and help someone else who gets right to the point. - * **Help us help you.** Tell us what you've already tried, and which +### Help us help you ### + + Tell us what you've already tried, and which documentation pages you've already read. Put yourself in your readers' shoes. What essential information would they require in order to be able to help you? Make sure to include that information in your message. [Ask questions the smart way.][smart-questions] - * **Be patient.** Do not "bump" a thread more than once every three days *at +### Be patient ### + + Do not "bump" a thread more than once every three days *at most*. If it seems like your messages to the mailing lists are consistently being ignored, make sure you're following the guidelines explained on this page. If you're already doing so but still not getting any replies, then it's @@ -104,7 +112,9 @@ guidelines. that the devs are very busy working on Qubes. They usually only have a chance to answer questions on the mailing lists once every several days. - * **Be a good community member.** As with any social community, members of the +### Be a good community member ### + + As with any social community, members of the mailing list earn different reputations for themselves over time. We want the mailing lists to be a friendly, productive place where information and ideas are exchanged for the mutual benefit of all. We understand that the best way @@ -124,26 +134,43 @@ guidelines. ### Specific rules and notes ### - * While the mailing lists are implemented as Google Group web forums, many - discussants treat them as conventional [mailing lists] rather than web - forums. The Qubes OS Project does not maintain a web forum apart from the - mailing lists. - * Send your message to the correct list. Read the sections below to determine +#### Use the correct list #### + + Send your message to the correct list. Read the sections below to determine which list is correct for your message. - * Do not [top-post]. - * Include a precise and informative subject line. This will allow others to + +#### Do not top-post #### + + [Top-posting] is placing your reply above the quoted message to which you're + replying. Please refrain from doing this. Instead, either [interleave] your + reply by placing parts of your message immediately below each quoted portion + to which it is replying, or [bottom-post] by placing your entire reply below + the quoted message to which you're replying. + +#### Use proper subject lines #### + + Include a precise and informative subject line. This will allow others to easily find your thread in the future and use it as a reference. (Bad: "Help! Qubes problems!" Good: "R2B2 Installation problem: Apple keyboard not working in installer.") - * If your message is not successfully sent to the list, it probably got caught + +#### Do not send duplicates #### + + If your message is not successfully sent to the list, it probably got caught in the spam filter. We check the spam filter regularly, so please be patient, and your message should be approved (and your email address added to the whitelist) within a few days. - * Keep the mailing list CCed throughout the conversation unless there's a + +#### Keep the list CCed #### + + Keep the mailing list CCed throughout the conversation unless there's a special need for privacy (in which case, use PGP encryption). This increases the likelihood that a greater quantity of useful information will be available to everyone in the future. - * Quote appropriately. If you're replying to a thread (whether your own or + +#### Quote appropriately #### + + If you're replying to a thread (whether your own or someone else's), you should make sure to quote enough from previous messages in the thread so that people reading your message can understand the context without having to find and read earlier messages from that thread. Each reply @@ -151,13 +178,19 @@ guidelines. in itself. Do not quote advertisements in signatures or inline PGP signature blocks. (Quoting the latter interferes with the ability of programs like Enigmail to properly quote replies thereafter). - * If you do not speak English, you should feel free to post in your own + +#### English not required #### + + If you do not speak English, you should feel free to post in your own language. However, bear in mind that most members of the list can only read English. You may wish to include an automated translation in your message out of consideration for those readers. If you choose to write in English, please do not apologize for doing so poorly, as it is unnecessary. We understand and will ask for clarification if needed. - * While we're generally open to hearing suggestions for new features, please + +#### Suggestions #### + + While we're generally open to hearing suggestions for new features, please note that we already have a pretty well defined [roadmap], and it's rather unlikely that we will change our schedule in order to accommodate your request. If there's a particular feature you'd like to see in Qubes, a much @@ -167,6 +200,13 @@ guidelines. your idea on the `qubes-devel` list before putting in a lot of hard work on something that we may not be able or willing to accept. +#### Mailing lists vs. forums #### + + While the mailing lists are implemented as Google Group web forums, many + discussants treat them as conventional [mailing lists] rather than web + forums. The Qubes OS Project does not maintain a web forum apart from the + mailing lists. + qubes-announce -------------- @@ -422,7 +462,9 @@ You must be subscribed in order to post to this list. [verify]: /security/verifying-signatures/ [qsb]: /security/bulletins/ [qubes-announce-web]: https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-announce -[top-post]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style +[Top-posting]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Top-posting +[interleave]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style +[bottom-post]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Bottom-posting [roadmap]: https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/milestones [smart-questions]: http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html [Whonix]: /doc/whonix/