Formatting Help Requests Quite a few OpenBSD users [2] use a text-based email reader such as mutt. (Quite a few also use graphic-friendly mail readers, mind you.) These are very powerful programs for handling large amounts of email, but they do not display HTML messages. If you are using a graphic mail client such as Microsoft Outlook, send your mail in plain text. What’s more, be sure to wrap your text at 72 columns. Sending mail in HTML, or without decent line wrapping, is simply an invitation to have your email discarded unread. This may seem harsh, but you need to consider to whom you’re writing. Most email clients are simply not suited to handle thousands of messages a day, scattered across dozens of mailing lists and several dozen discussions, in a manner accessible to a human mind. Even the most popular Windows-based email clients, such as Microsoft Outlook, cannot perform such fundamental tasks as discussion threading. I receive thousands of email messages a day, and many OpenBSD developers are in even worse straits. We simply cannot cope without competent mail tools, and HTML is not a necessary part of a competent mail tool. Presentation of a large number of messages in a sensible order is necessary. On a similar note, most attachments are unnecessary. You do not need to PGP sign your email, and those business-card attachments just demonstrate that you really shouldn’t be running OpenBSD. On a similar note, be sure to not use a long signature line. The “standard” for email signatures allows for four lines of text, no more. Long ASCII art signatures, even really nifty ones featuring the official OpenBSD Blowfish, are Right Out. Also, do not send your message to multiple mailing lists. At this point, your messages should almost certainly go to . Most especially, do not cross-post between < misc@OpenBSD.org> and ! Finally, use a good subject line. Many people who receive those thousands of email messages decide what messages to read based entirely on the subject line. Moderately advanced mail readers allow the reader to delete entire discussions based on subject line. Something like “Problem with OpenBSD” will be ignored by the vast majority of people. A subject line like “Internal modem not recognized at boot” will attract readers who are familiar with that sort of problem, and who are best able to help you. Some mail readers do even more sophisticated threading based upon the mail message headers; if you want to start a new discussion on a mailing list, it’s best to compose the message from scratch rather than replying to an existing message. Sending Your Email Finally, put all of your information together and send your question with relevant documentation to < misc@OpenBSD.org>. Yes, there are other mailing lists for discussing OpenBSD, but people who post questions or problems to them are almost overwhelmingly told to go ask on misc@ instead. You might be referred to another mailing list, but it’s much better to post a message to a specific list if that message starts with “The people on misc@ recommended I ask this here.” It’s easy to let frustration turn a simple request into a rampaging demand for immediate assistance. Remember to be polite; the people who are receiving your message may decide to help you out of the goodness of their hearts, but they are under no obligation to do so. If you want someone to be obliged to help you, get a support contract. Also remember, the reason you’re having a problem is because of something you do not understand. You’re seeking enlightenment. If you ask someone to fix your problem for you, you’re going to get a poor response. Responding to Email Your answer may be a brief note with a URL, or even just two words: “man such-and-such.” If that’s what you get, that’s where you need to go. Don’t go asking for more detail. If you have a question about the contents of the reference you’re given, or if you’re confused by the reference, treat that as another problem. Narrow down the source of your confusion and ask about it. Man pages and tutorials are not perfect, and it’s possible that some parts seem to be mutually exclusive or contradictory if you don’t fully comprehend them. Page 33
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