Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnewsh!mbb
From: mbb@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (martin.b.brilliant)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: Telling people to Read The F Manual
Message-ID: <4210@cbnewsh.ATT.COM>
Date: 25 Sep 89 22:29:08 GMT
References: <14729@bfmny0.UU.NET>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 39

From article <14729@bfmny0.UU.NET>, by tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET (Tom Neff):
> In article <130@ubbs-nh.MV.COM> noel@ubbs-nh.MV.COM (N. Del More) writes:
>>1.	It takes up as much if not more bandwidth to follow-up on a users
>>	request for information only to tell him to RTFM.
> 
> Nonsense.  If you try to do the manual's job for it, you will get 10
> little niggling correction followups .....

Well, how about a middle course?

> If I go over to comp.lang.c and post something saying, "I AM NEW HEAR
> AMD I WANT TO INKRIMENT A VURIABLE BY 1 (OONE) IN "c" AN D CAN YOU TEL
> ME HOW." -- what do you think the appropriate response is?  Post a
> chapter length dissertation netwide on the ++ operator, together with
> the expected raft of followups?  Or mail, yes MAIL the guy a kind
> request to RTFM before posting?

One appropriate response might be "x++; RTFM for details."  That was
half a line, not a chapter.  Posting it tells the innocent newuser what
to look for in TFM, and it might help other innocent newusers too.  And
it doesn't say enough to warrant a niggle.

Experts can and should guide novices through the manuals.  That takes
knowledge of what's in the manual, and what's missing from it, and how
to find what you need.  The experts have that.  The novices will
eventually get it, and then they can be experts, too.

A real expert is not afraid to share knowledge.  An insecure
half-expert, having barely enough knowledge for one person, says "RTFM"
for two purposes: first, to avoid exposing his/her own ignorance;
second, to keep the novices from catching up too fast.  If you show
some knowledge, you can avoid that charge.

M. B. Brilliant					Marty
AT&T-BL HO 3D-520	(201) 949-1858
Holmdel, NJ 07733	att!hounx!marty1 or marty1@hounx.ATT.COM

Disclaimer: Opinions stated herein are mine unless and until my employer
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