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Thread: warning : dont use "rtfm"

  1. #1
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    warning : dont use "rtfm"

    I received this warning :

    Reason:
    -------
    don't use "rtfm"

    Your post http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...13#post5477113 was reported for use of the acronym "rtfm". Although you did not use the term in a personally directed / offensive manner, usage of this acronym is not appropriate on the Ubuntu Community Forums. Please refrain from using it in the future.

    [ Warnings serve as a reminder to you of the forum's rules, which you are expected to understand and follow. ]
    I fully understand the forum policy of not allowing "RTFM" answers to support questions : it's not helpful (to the majority of Ubuntu's target audience), while the forums are supposed to be about support, and and is condescending, which isn't really ubuntu-like and goes against the atmosphere you want to maintain on the forums.

    As it happens, it seems to me that my post was the more helpful one, and possibly the only post in that thread that actually contributed towards a solution. And as the mod in question stated in the PM : "you did not use the term in a personally directed / offensive manner"


    I looked up the rule in question so I could reference it (as required for posts in RC), and found that it reads

    [When answering technical support issues:]
    (II.8) RTFM, "Go look on google" are two inappropriate responses to a question. If you don't know the answer or don't wish to help, please say nothing instead of brushing off someone's question.
    (II.9) [...] Any replies for help that contain language disrespectful towards the user asking the question, i.e. "STFU" or "RTFM" are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
    It's obvious (I hope), that this doesn't apply to my post : I did want to help, and didn't brush off anything, and while the text string "rtfm" did appear in the post, it was in no way disrespectful, just short for "read the man page" or "look up the exact syntax"

    You might try removin any references to Intrepid from sources.list, then reinstall the mismatched package with apt-get install --re-install libc6
    (i'm not sure of that syntax, you may have to rtfm)

    I work in public service so I'm quite used to seeing bureaucrats blindly apply rules to the letter into the extreme, even if this leads to absurd situations or generates a result that is the opposite of what the rule intended.
    I'm quite surprised to find similar behaviour on ubuntuforums.

    On a side note: Google finds 5400 occurrences of the string "rtfm" on site:ubuntuforums.org - and that includes an entire thread on the subject. Maybe all of these deserve a warning and should have 'rtfm" edited out ?
    I'm just saying: this is getting absurd.

  2. #2
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    Re: warning : dont use "rtfm"

    I will consider this and come back soon
    This account is not active.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Re: warning : dont use "rtfm"

    This was a warning intended to point out our policy re this and to show that your post may be in breach of the code.
    This account is not active.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Re: warning : dont use "rtfm"

    Quote Originally Posted by KiwiNZ View Post
    This was a warning intended to point out our policy re this and to show that your post may be in breach of the code.
    weird answer, it doesn't really tell me whether or not my post was actually in breach of the CoC.
    So I'm still assuming it was not.

    As a matter of principle, I don't want my name on things I didn't write, so I'd appreciate it that OldSoldier clearly indicates in my post which parts were edited.

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