Where's the corresponding wake-up-call for developers who are tired of answering stupid questions about their software? I've dealt with more than one piece of software where the mailing list is filled with tons of unanswered questions from noobs because the interface or documentation is a mess. You start out asking stupid questions yourself, and everybody ignores you and keeps talking about their high-level expert problems, and you think, "What a bunch of assholes." Then after you figure out the answer yourself, the answer is so stupid and convoluted or just so depressingly retarded that you can't bring yourself to explain it to anybody else who runs into the same problem.

I wish developers would see chronic widespread noob frustration as a problem with the software that needs to be corrected by the developers. There are always a few people who are willing to spend days experimenting and digging through your code before they can use your software. Not only is it a poor piece of software that can only be used that way, it's extremely confusing, because that's not the way things are done anymore! New users are going to waste many days struggling with the overly charitable assumption that your software has a logical, well-documented interface that they are on the verge of figuring out. When they finally figure out that there is no coherent interface and the user manual should be prefaced with a directive to "tinker for a week until you understand how it's implemented, then you'll know what's missing from this manual," they're going to be filled with hatred and rage and desire to kill you. At this point, if I mentioned the piece of software I'm currently working with, it might legally constitute some kind of threat, so I'll just say that I'm pretty fed up and it's a good thing there's no dog, wife, or child at home that I might vent my rage on.

I prefer this one: http://www.mikeash.com/getting_answers.html

Targetted at UseNet, but the lessons are valid.

Interestingly, the advice is quite similar to that found in Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People".

Targeted at IRC, I think you mean.

But it's certainly quite a bit better than ESR's, simply because it doesn't come off as talking down to you. Thanks, I'll start pointing newbs to this one instead :)

Can you post this? I'd like it in my archive here, but I want you to get credit if others agree.

EDIT: I meant submit here to Hacker News (it hasn't been submitted before). I think of most of my submissions and upvotes as an archive.

Not sure I understand what you're asking. It's not mine, and I think it would be inappropriate for me to post someone else's work here. You can always pull a copy and put it in your archive, can't you?

EDIT: OK, understood, I'll do so ...

It never occurred to me that somebody would need a manual on how to do this, but it turns out there is some interesting information in here.

The section title "RTFM and STFW: How To Tell You've Seriously Screwed Up" Amuses me.

More discussion here:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=175681

I question the validity of posting this to HN for the following reasons:

1) As mattyb points out, it was already submitted as a link to HN over a year ago. 2) It's a fairly old article. 3) Most hackers have already read this. Thoroughly. Corollary to 3) Hackers generally know enough about asking questions the "right way" to invalidate the requirement of reading this except for the novelty alone. 4) The very individuals who need to read this won't. Furthermore, they'll be offended if you link it to them. 5) The only thing more obnoxious than someone asking "can u plz halp me" is the person who maliciously links this article for the purposes of inflaming the clueless for their own enjoyment. Subsequently, "How to Ask Questions the Smart Way" is one of the most over-linked yet genuinely-useful documents that can almost instantaneously derail an otherwise productive conversation.

On the other hand, fledgling hackers may not be aware of the mores and folkways of online interaction and this information may be valuable to them.

I have an example that has happened on more than one occasion. First, some background: I consider myself a rather helpful person from time to time (when I'm in a charitable mood, at least) and may lurk various forums in search of people asking questions that need answers. It entertains me.

Yes, there are indeed those people who aren't willing to do any work themselves. Conversely, there are some who are willing to do useful work but haven't a clue how to ask (correctly) or where to start. If I am attempting to assist someone who falls into the latter category with their dilemma, the absolute most annoying thing someone can do is post a link to "How to Ask Questions the Smart Way." It derails the conversation and generally inflames the individual I'm trying to help.

So please, for those of you who haven't had any exposure to "How to Ask Questions the Smart Way," exercise restraint if you consider posting this to a message board. If the individual asking the question is a fool and has no intention of doing anything without outside assistance (i.e. they're asking in the hopes you'll do the work for them), by all means--link it! If the person isn't asking a "smart" question but genuinely seems interested in solving his or her own problem--don't. The latter is especially true if you interject into an ongoing conversation populated in part by those of us who are attempting to lend aid. In such a case, by linking this article you will be wasting our time as well if the person asking the question grows increasingly more frustrated and angry.

Having said that, I'd encourage you to read the article in its entirety if you haven't already. Eric Raymond, IIRC, has a section on how to politely point out the error of one's ways. Rather than blatantly linking the article the next time someone asks a stupid question, consider following the advice of the very article you contemplated linking!