NEED HELP? Read this first. Also, NOODZ.

Xyne · 2008-11-15 13:03:42

Ok, first, noodz (caution: may not be work/school-safe*).

Now, if you need help, follow these guidelines.

Do your homework first.
Many of the questions that get posted here are directly answered in the Wiki or easily found on Google or through an Arch forum search. The Latest News will sometimes address known issues too. Finally, you can check the bugtracker to see if anyone else has reported the same problem. Do some research before posting to save yourself and others time. Don't just post a problem and expect everyone else to do your work for you. Archers help those who (at least try to) help themselves.

Use an explanatory subject title.
Titles such as "this doesn't work, wtf???" do not help and make people roll their eyes. Try to summarize the problem in the title so someone opening the thread has an idea of what your post is about. This will also increase the chance of someone who can solve your problem finding your thread.

Explain the problem clearly and provide detailed information.
Again, "it's just broken" and similar "descriptions" don't tell anyone anything. Give all the relevant information that you can think of, such as the specific error that you're getting, system information (e.g. soundcards for audio problems, network setup for connection problems), when the problem started and what might have caused it, relevant logs, relevant system configuration files, etc. Include information about anything that you've tried so far to solve the problem. You can also read this extensive guide on getting help.

Be patient and polite.
Sometimes it takes time to get a reply. Do not bump your thread every 3 hours with messages like "come on, help me!!!". Also, don't be rude to people who misunderstand your problem or reply with suggestions that don't work. Instead, politely try to explain your problem more clearly.

Mark the thread as [SOLVED] once you've found a solution.
Once you've found the solution, edit your original post and add "[SOLVED]" to the beginning of the subject title. This way others with similar problems will be able to find the solution faster.

@mods
This is my suggested consolidation and replacement of the following stickies:
http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=16152
http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=50160
http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=50161

*actually, it's a joke in response to Mr. Elendig's comment and it's perfectly worksafe

Last edited by Xyne (2008-11-15 14:25:33)

tomk · 2008-11-15 13:30:48

Thanks for the suggestion, we'll have a look at it.

Tip for the future - if you want to make effective contributions, it would be better not to include random links to pages that may not be work/school-safe. Whatever merit your suggestion may have has been completely undermined by this unnecessary nonsense, which clearly belongs in the Off-topic area.

Xyne · 2008-11-15 14:08:44

tomk wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion, we'll have a look at it.
Tip for the future - if you want to make effective contributions, it would be better not to include random links to pages that may not be work/school-safe. Whatever merit your suggestion may have has been completely undermined by this unnecessary nonsense, which clearly belongs in the Off-topic area.

Um, it's a joke. If you check the link, you'll find a wikipedia page.

EDIT: The joke is a direct response to Mr. Elendig's post and my reply to it here: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=50161

Last edited by Xyne (2008-11-15 14:12:54)

.:B:. · 2008-11-15 14:08:52

If I may contribute to the discussion:

This is pretty much the de facto standard reference for newbies asking questions. Also, there are translations in plenty of languages .

Last edited by B (2008-11-15 14:11:46)

Xyne · 2008-11-15 14:14:46

Thanks B, but I've already included that, mentioned as the "extensive guide" in the post.

.:B:. · 2008-11-15 14:38:05

Ok. Apologies are in order

Xyne · 2008-11-15 14:41:06

Sorry if that came off the wrong way, should probably have just said "got it " instead.

Arch Linux

#1 2008-11-15 13:03:42

NEED HELP? Read this first. Also, NOODZ.

#2 2008-11-15 13:30:48

Re: NEED HELP? Read this first. Also, NOODZ.

#3 2008-11-15 14:08:44

Re: NEED HELP? Read this first. Also, NOODZ.

#4 2008-11-15 14:08:52

Re: NEED HELP? Read this first. Also, NOODZ.

#5 2008-11-15 14:14:46

Re: NEED HELP? Read this first. Also, NOODZ.

#6 2008-11-15 14:38:05

Re: NEED HELP? Read this first. Also, NOODZ.

#7 2008-11-15 14:41:06

Re: NEED HELP? Read this first. Also, NOODZ.

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