The wisdom of asking questions 55528（提问的智慧55528）

The wisdom of asking questions 55528（提问的智慧55528） The wisdom of asking questions 55528(提问的智慧55528) The wisdom of asking questions Article address: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way The wisdom of asking questions Copyright (C) 2001, by, Eric, S., Raymond Chinese version Copyleft 2001, by, D.H.Grand (nOBODY/Ginux) English Edition: ~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html Thanks to the patience and guidance of Eric, this article has been completed and released. The English edition of this guide is copyright Eric Steven Raymond all, the Chinese version of copyright by D.H.Grand[nOBODY/Ginux] all. Catalog brief introduction Before asking questions How to ask questions Forum selection Use the mailing list as much as possible Appropriate terminology, correct grammar, spelling Send questions in easy to read format Use a title rich in meaning and descriptive Accurate description, large amount of information Words are not many Just say the symptoms, not guess List the symptoms in chronological order Don't ask for a private reply Know what you want to ask Don't ask questions that should be solved by yourself Remove meaningless questions Modesty is no harm, and it always helps After the problem is solved, add a brief explanation How to understand the answer RTFM and STFW: don't bother me Still do not understand: Face rudeness Never be a failure Questions Not To Ask Good question, bad question What can I do if I can't find the answer? = = = = brief introduction = = = = In the hacker world, when you ask a technical question, what kind of answer can you get? It depends on the difficulty of digging out the answer, as well The way you ask questions. This guide is designed to help you improve your questioning skills to get the answers you want most. First of all, you have to understand that hackers only prefer difficult tasks or can stimulate good thinking. If not, we'll do it ? We would appreciate it if you had some good questions to chew on and chew on. The problem is a good incentive, otherwise, can To improve our understanding, and often reveal problems that we have never been aware or thought of before. For hackers, "ask." Good!" Praise from the bottom of your heart. Although hackers have a reputation for contempt for simple problems and unfriendly, sometimes it seems that we are hostile to beginners and those who are poor in knowledge But that's not the case. We do not want to hide contempt for such people they do not want to think, or do not do what they should do before asking questions. Such people They only kill time - they only want to take, never give, spend our time without cause, and we can have time for something more interesting Questions or questions that are more worthy of being answered. We call such a man "loser" (for historical reasons, we sometimes spell it "Lusers"). We also know that many people only want to use the software we write and are not interested in technical details. For most people, the computer does not Being a tool is a means to an end; they have more important things to do, and a more important life to live through. We understand this Point, and don't expect everyone to other us crazy technical problems with enthusiasm. However, we answer the question of style that is directed at such a Group people - they are interested and willing to take an active part in problem solving. This will not change, nor should it change; if it changes, we Will lose the efficiency that we are proud of. We are largely volunteers, taking time off from busy lives to answer questions, and are often overwhelmed by questions. So I They ruthlessly filter out some topics, especially those who look like losers, so that they can use their time more effectively to answer the winners Problem of. If you think we are too arrogant attitude make you unhappy, let you wronged, may wish to put yourself in mind. We did not ask you to come to us Surrender - in fact, most of us like fair trade, but only if you make small efforts to meet the minimal requirements We will welcome you to our culture. But it is pointless for us to help those who are unwilling to help themselves. as If you can't accept this "discrimination", we suggest you spend some money on a business company and sign a technical support agreement. Don't ask the hacker for it Help。 If you decide to turn to us for help, of course, you don't want to be seen as a loser, and you don't want to be part of the loser. Get an immediate answer The best way to do this is to ask questions like winners: smart, confident, and problem-solving, but occasionally on specific issues Get a little help. (welcome to improve this guide. Any suggestion, please call E-mail to esr@thyrsus.com, however, please note that this article is not network etiquette As a general guide, I usually reject suggestions that do not help get useful answers in the technical forums (of course, if you write Chinese, you'd better send it to DHGrand@hotmail.com; -) . Before asking questions . Check your email, newsgroup or chat room before you check out: 1. read through the manual and try to find the answer yourself. 2. find answers in FAQ (a well maintained FAQ can be all inclusive:). 3. search on the Internet (personal recommendation google~~~). 4. to you at this friend asked. When you ask a question, first of all, explain what you did before. This will help to build your image: you are not a fool A beggar begging for nothing is wasting his time. It would be better to show what you learned from these operations. If asked We learn more from answers, and we are more willing to answer his questions. Thoughtful thinking, preparing your questions, asking questions hastily, or getting no answer at all. More performance The more you try to solve a problem before you ask for help, the more help you get. Be careful not to ask the wrong question. If your problem is based on false assumptions, ordinary hackers (J. Random) Hacker) usually answers you with meaningless literal explanations, thinking of "stupid questions...", hoping you'll answer the question Learn from the answers you don't want. Never think you are qualified enough to get the answer, you do not have this qualification. After all, you didn't pay anything for this kind of service. You have to go by yourself" Earn an answer by putting in a meaningful, interesting, thought motivated question - a potential for community experience Instead of just passively asking for knowledge from others - contribute to the problem. On the other hand, it's a good beginning to show you're willing to do something in the process of finding answers. "Who can give you a hint?"" ," What's missing from my example?" And "where should I check?"" Easier to get than "please stick out the exact process" Reply。 Because you seem to have the ability and determination to accomplish it as long as someone is pointing it in the right direction. . How to ask questions . Forum selection Be careful where you ask questions. If, as described below, you are likely to be overlooked or seen as a failure: 1. put up your questions in forums that are not in the wind and horses 2. post a very rudimentary question on the forum for advanced skills; vice versa 3. cross posted on too many different newsgroups Hackers usually cut off questions about the wrong place to protect their communities from being flooded with irrelevant posts. You don't want your post Be cut off like this. On the whole, questions are sent to well chosen public forums, which are easier to get useful answers than to a closed coterie. This phenomenon has One reason for this is that public forums have more potential problem respondents; the other is that public forums have more listeners. black Customers prefer to make as many people as possible - not limited to one or two - benefit from the answer. Use the mailing list as much as possible If a project has its own mailing list, send questions to this mailing list, not to a developer, even if you know who it is The most able to answer your question. Take a closer look at the project documentation and project home page and find the mailing list address for this project. The reason for this is Four: 1. any good question worthy of asking a developer should be put forward to the entire development community. On the other hand, if you think this problem is not worth it There is no reason to harass any developer on the mailing list. 2. asking questions in the mailing list can share the developer's workload. A developer (especially if he's the head of the project), probably Too busy to answer your question. 3. most mailing lists have historical archives and can be retrieved in search engines. People can find your questions and answers from them Don't ask questions over and over again. 4., if a problem is frequently presented, developers can improve documentation or improve software to reduce user confusion. And if the problem No one will be able to take a whole picture of it in private. If you cannot find the mailing list address of the project and you can only see the maintainer of the project, write it to the maintainer. In this case, too Don't think the mailing list doesn't exist. In your letter, you have tried your best to find the mailing list, but you still can't find it. Also, show that you don't mind Pass this message to someone else. (most people think that private letter should remain private, even if not what can be kept confidential content. You are allowed Messages are forwarded to others, giving the recipient a choice to process your mail Appropriate terminology, correct grammar, spelling We found from experience, the writer is often careless sloppy Thinker (I'm sure). The problem of answering careless people is very It's not worth it. We'd rather spend our time elsewhere. Therefore, it is important to express your questions clearly and adequately. If you don't do it, we'll be too lazy to talk to you. Pay attention to what you are saying The terminology, not necessarily with stiff formal language -- in fact, the hacker culture values is not to stick at trifles. The exact use of slang and wealth A sense of humor, but don't use it; be sure to show that you're thinking and paying attention. Correct spelling, punctuation, and case writing are important. Don't take "its" and "it" "S" or "loose" is confused with "lose". Don't use all capital forms, which are considered rude shouting (all in small case) It doesn't go anywhere because it makes reading difficult. Alan Cox can use all lowercase, but you can't.. More generally, if your questions are written like a semi illiterate, you are likely to be ignored. If it's written like a peep reader (crack lovers) (guest) or ash will only use the ready-made tools troublemakers) absolutely kill yourself, that you are not ruthless what to (or in addition to The best ending is getting a lot of sarcastic, mocking help. If you use a non-native forum to ask questions, you can make a point of spelling and grammar -- but must not be careless in thinking (yes, We can make a distinction between the two. Also, unless you know exactly what language your respondent will use, please use english. Hurriedly Busy hackers often skip simple questions they don't understand, and English is the working language on the internet. You can lower your question in English The risk of being abandoned from being read. Send questions in easy to read format If people make your questions difficult to read and understand, they will be more easily overlooked. So you want: One Using plain text mail, do not use HTML (turn off HTML is not difficult). 2., you can usually append MIME attachments, but be sure to have real content (for example, additional source files or patches), not just you The file template generated by the mail client (for example, a copy of your mail). Three Don't put all the questions in the whole line. This will make it difficult for the person who answers to answer some of the questions, even if they can All the questions, I want one more orderly one. It is possible that recipients can only be on text display with characters of 80 characters wide Read the letter, so the corresponding to your line wrap in 80 characters or less. 4. don't use MIME in English Forums Quoted-Printable encoding sends; this encoding format is necessary for languages that ASCII codes cannot express, but many messages do It does not support it, when the full text of the "=20" symbol to split the text, both ugly and distracting. Five Never expect hackers to be happy to read closed file formats, such as fading Word formats. Most hackers react to it You like a pile of steaming on the doorstep of pig manure (or who never in your door - Translator's note). 6., if you send mail via a Windows installed computer, turn off the flaccid, stupid "smart reference" feature. This will save you from it Garbage characters are sent in the mail. Use a title rich in meaning and descriptive In a mailing list or newsgroup, subject headings around 50 words are the golden time to catch the attention of senior experts. Don't chatter Hugh's "help" (not to mention "help!"!!!!!" This is a disgusting thing) to waste this opportunity. Don't try to use you The extent of the pain moves us; don't use spaces to describe the problem, even if it's a very short description. Stupid question: Help! My laptop doesn't show up properly! Smart question: XFree86 4.1 mouse cursor deformation, Fooware MV1005 display chip. If you ask questions in your response, remember to change the title of the content to indicate that there is a problem. One looks like "Re: Test"" Or, "Re: new bug" is hard to attract enough attention. In addition, quote and cut out the contents of the previous paragraph and leave a thread for the new reader Cable. Accurate description, large amount of information 1. be cautious and describe the symptoms clearly. 2. provide the environment in which problems occur (machine configurations, operating systems, applications, and so on). 3. explain how you study and understand this question before you ask it. 4. explain what steps you took before you asked questions to solve it. 5. list what hardware and software changes have been made recently. Try to imagine how a hacker might question you and give him an answer in advance. Simon Tatham wrote an excellent essay entitled "how to effectively report Bug". I recommend you read it too. Words are not many You need to provide accurate and effective information. This doesn't mean you simply dump tons of error code or data into your files In question. If you have large and complex testing conditions, try to cut it as small as possible. It works for at least three points. First, show that you have worked hard to simplify the problem, which will give you an increased chance to get the answer Second. Simplifying questions increases your chances of getting useful answers; third, in refining your bug report, perhaps yourself You can find the problem or make corrections. Just say the symptoms, not guess Tell the hackers what you think the problem is causing and it doesn't help. If your inference is so effective, do you still ask somebody for help? Therefore, make sure you tell them the symptoms of the problem, not to add your own understanding and inference. Let hackers diagnose it . Stupid question: I encountered SIG11 errors again and again in kernel compilation. I suspect that a fly line is on the main board Is sample check best? Smart question: I made a set of K6/233 system, the main board is FIC-PA2007 (VIA Apollo VP2 chipset), 256MB, Corsair, PC133 SDRAM, in the kernel compiler frequently produce SIG11 error, from the boot after 20 minutes there is this situation, 20 minutes before the boot never Happen. It's no use restarting, but you can work for another 20 minutes with a night off. All memory has been changed, no effect. Related department Typical compilation records are as follows.... List the symptoms in chronological order The most helpful clue to finding a problem is often a series of operations before the problem occurs, so your instructions should include steps And the computer's response until the problem arises. In command line operations, keep an operating record (for example, using scripting tools) ) and referencing about 20 commands will help a lot. If the crash program has diagnostic options (such as using -v to go through exhaustive mode), try to carefully consider the option to increase in the operation record Useful debugging information. If your instructions are long (more than four paragraphs), it's helpful to sketch the questions at the beginning, and then follow them in chronological order. So black The guests will know what to find in your instructions. Don't ask for a private reply Hackers believe there should be an open and transparent process to solve the problem. As long as any sensible person is aware that the answer is incomplete or incorrect Indeed, this initial answer can and should be corrected. At the same time, through the ability and knowledge to be attention, accepted by everyone, answer The problem deserves a reward. If you ask the other person to answer you in private, it undermines the entire process and undermines the reward system. Don't mention the request. It's the answer The right is chosen by him to answer privately - if he chooses to do so, usually because he thinks the answer is too obvious, or There are bad public influences that other people will not be interested in. There is only one limited exception: if you expect to receive a lot of similar responses, you can say, "send me the answers, and I'll collect them." Right?." The mailing list or newsgroup save out from a large number of repeated posts is a gentleman, but remember to fulfill their About aggregate commitments. Know what you want to ask The question is almost endless boundless holes in time. The person who can give you the most useful answer is the busiest Do most of the work yourself. Such people are not too cold for an inordinate length of time the black hole, so it can be said of their boundless. Ask a little cold. If you specify what you need to answer (offer advice, send a piece of code, check your patch, or something else), the most important thing is to do so Get a useful answer. This will give you an upper limit on time and effort, and it will be useful for the respondent to concentrate on helping you. To understand the world in which experts live, one must think of professional skills as an abundant resource, and the time to reply is a poor resource. Solve you The fewer questions you need, the more you can pull out the answer from a busy expert. Therefore, optimizing the structure of the problem and minimizing the time it takes for the expert to solve it would be very helpful - and this usually simplifies the problem Differ. So, "I want to better understand X, can you give me a hint?"" Usually, "can you explain X?"" Better. If your code doesn't work, ask what's wrong with it. It's much smarter than asking someone else to change it for you. Don't ask questions that should be solved by yourself Hackers are always good at identifying which problems should be solved by yourself; Because most of us have solved this problem ourselves. same These problems have to be settled by you, and you will learn something from them. You can ask for hints, but don't ask for complete solutions . Remove meaningless questions Don't finish asking questions with meaningless words, such as "can someone help me?"" Or, "do you have the answer?"". First of all: if you describe the problem The not very appropriate, ask is superfluous. Secondly, because of this question is superfluous, hackers are tired of you -- and usually Use logical correct responses to express their contempt, such as "yes, someone can help you", or "no, no answer."". Modesty is no harm, and it always helps Be polite. Use "please" and "thank you" first". Let everyone know that you are grateful for their time and obligation to help. To be honest, though it's not as grammatical, clear and accurate as description, it's important to avoid the private format and so on Hackers generally prefer direct, yet technically astute bug reports, rather than polite nonsense (if that makes you mad) Puzzled, remember, we measure the value of a problem by how much it can make us learn. However, if you have a lot of problems that can't be solved, courtesy will increase your chances of getting a useful answer. (we note that the only serious defect feedback received from veteran hackers since the publication of this guide is to thank you in advance . Some hackers feel that "thanks first" means that no one will thank anyone afterwards. Our advice is: Thank you all.) After the problem is solved, add a brief explanation After you have solved the problem, make a note to all the people who have helped you, let them know how the problem is solved, and express it to them again Thanks. If the problem caused widespread concern in the newsgroup or mailing list, there should be a supplement. Supplementary instructions do not have to be very long or very deep; a simple "hello" is a problem with the cable! Thank you, --Bill, more than anything else No better said than done. In fact, unless the conclusion is really technical, a brief and lovely summary is better than a long academic paper. Explanation How is the problem solved, but it is not necessary to retell the problem solving process again?. In addition to courtesy and feedback, this supplement helps others search for help in mailing lists / newsgroups / Forums A complete solution, which might be useful to them, too. Finally (at least) This supplement helps the satisfaction of all the people who have helped. If you're not an old hand or black Trust us, and this feeling is very important to the mentors or experts you ask them for help. Problems dragged on for a long time Pending can be frustrating; hackers are eager to see problems solved. Good good, meet their desire, you will be posted in the next. When the title tasted the sweetness. ============ How to understand the answer ============ RTFM and STFW: don't bother me There is an ancient and sacred tradition: if you receive "RTFM" (Read The Fucking) Manual) replies that the answer is that you should read the TMD manual. Of course, basically he's right. You should read it. RTFM has a young relative. If the answer is "STFW" (Search The Fucking) "Web"), the respondent thinks you should search on TMD's Web site. Basically, he's right, so go find it. Usually, one of these answers will give you a manual or a web address that contains what you need, and they'll type the words While I was reading. These replies mean that respondents think (1) The information you need is very easy to obtain; (2) You search for this information yourself, and you learn more than you do. Don't be upset about this; according to hacker standards, he does not turn a blind eye to what you want; he has been able to give you more attention. you He should be grateful for his grandmother's kindness. Still do not understand: If you don't understand the answer, don't ask for it immediately. Just like you tried to solve the problem yourself before (using the manual, FAQ, the Internet, the experts around you) to understand it. If you really need someone to explain, remember to show what you've learned. For example, if I answer you: "it looks as if zEntry is blocked; you should clean it first."." And then: A bad follow-up question: "what is zEntry?"" The clever question should be this: "Oh, I've seen help:) but only -z and -p mentioned" zEntry: "in the two argument (and not yet) Have a clear explanation: