Subject: FAQ diff -u [was: Monthly FAQ for Debian-user mailing list [Modified 20260401]]
Note that although the subject says "Modified 20260401",
this was actually mailed on 5/1. The full diff -wu:
--- _01 2026-02-02 21:21:51.646238002 -0800
+++ _04 2026-05-01 15:29:54.592950190 -0700
@@ -1,101 +1,143 @@
Debian-user is a mailing list provided for support for Debian users,
and to facilitate discussion on relevant topics.
-Some guidelines which may help explain how the list works:
+Codes of Conduct
+================
+
+* The list is a Debian communication forum. As such, it is subject to both
+ the Debian mailing list Code of Conduct and the main Debian Code of Conduct +
https://www.debian.org/MailingLists/#codeofconduct
+
https://www.debian.org/code_of_conduct
+
+Guidelines for this list
+========================
+Some guidelines which may help explain how the list should work:
+
+Language
+========
* The language on this mailing list is English. There may be other mailing
- lists that are language-specific for example debian-user-french
+ lists that are language-specific, for example, debian-user-french or
+ debian-user-catalan
-* It is common for users to be redirected here from other lists - for example, +* It is common for users to be redirected here from other lists, for example,
from debian-project. It is also common for people to be posting here when
English is not their primary language. Please be considerate.
-* It is not primarily a discussion forum for wishlist items for Debian. If
- you are looking for something to be changed within Debian, there may be
- more appropriate lists.
-
-* Although the list has some developers reading it, it is not a primary
- forum for contacting Debian developers. It may be more appropriate to
- use reportbug or other tools for raising bugs on the Debian bug tracker.
-
-* If you have a problem - do try looking with a search engine to see if
- someone else has had similar issues. If you can't understand what you
- find, at least if you bring that search criterion to the list, we may
- have a better idea of where to start. (See also how to ask questions
- below.)
-
-* The list is a Debian communication forum. As such, it is subject to both
- the Debian mailing list Code of Conduct and the main Debian Code of Conduct +Answering questions and contributing to discussions constructively +==================================================================
-
https://www.debian.org/MailingLists/#codeofconduct
-
https://www.debian.org/code_of_conduct
-
-* This is a fairly busy mailing list and you may have to wait for an
- answer - please be patient. Please post answers back to the list so
- others can benefit; private conversations don't benefit people who
- may be following along on the list or reading the archives later.
+* This is a fairly busy mailing list but even so you may have to wait some
+ time for an answer - please be patient.
* Help and advice on this list is provided by volunteers in their own time.
It is common for there to be different opinions or answers provided.
- * Please try to stay on topic. Arguments for the sake of it are not
- welcome here. Partisan political / religious / cultural arguments
- do not belong here either. Debian's community is world wide; don't
- assume others will agree with your views or need to read them on a
- Debian list.
-
-* There is an FAQ on the Debian wiki derived from some questions asked on
- this list at
https://wiki.debian.org/FAQsFromDebianUser
-
-* How to ask questions and read replies.
-
-1. PLEASE use a subject line that means something - "I need help" is probably -not useful. "I'm having problems with the Debian 12.12 amd64 DVD image" or -similar is better - something that sets out one problem / a single issue.
-
-2. Try and write down what steps you have taken / where you have found -information. Show what you have actually done as much as what you think you -have done. If it helps, write down things you do / commands you run as you do -them.
-
-3. People may ask you to run commands to establish what is happening / what -hardware you have. Provide the full output if you can: if you can't provide -full output - show what commands you ran and what output (if any) was the -result after each command. The history command will help here.
-Likewise with logs. It may be also be appropriate for you to ask what extra -information is needed / may help others solve the problem and then to try
-to give the extra information requested.
-
-4. The mailing list threads replies. Don't break the thread / raise other -issues needlessly . It is as easy to begin a separate email - one per issue.
-
-Please DO NOT hijack other people's ongoing threads. Raise a separate email, -as above
-
-5. If several people ask similar questions, it may be possible to summarise -lots of information in one post.
-
-6. Give as much useful information as you can. If you are unsure, it is fine -to ask what other information might be necessary. We cannot all read minds: we -need some clues.
-
-7. If all other things don't work: stop, write down one thing you want to -make clearer and make that clear. Slow down and think - sometimes a -deliberate approach is necessary.
-
-8. If the problem has produced a long thread it is very useful to provide a -subject title periodically with [SUMMARY] or [SOLVED] outlining how the -problem was eventually solved or showing what issues remain outstanding.
-
-9. Unfortunately, the people on the Debian mailing lists / IRC channels cannot -give good advice for every Debian-derived distribution. Each distribution -changes different things and we will not have all the answers.
-
-10. As a result, strictly speaking, Debian-derived distributions are off-topic -in debian-user. Each one should have its own support channels and processes to -raise issues. Debian-user is not normally the appropriate place to raise -problems with non-Debian distributions though if you can reproduce the -problem in Debian we will possibly be better able to help.
+* It is not necessary to answer every post on the mailing list.
+
+* Be constructive in your responses. It may be that somebody else answers
+ a question before you - if so, you should not reply simply in order to get
+ the last word in, only reply if you can add useful information.
+
+Off-topic posts
+===============
+
+* Please try to stay on topic.
+
+* Off-topic posts will happen occasionally as threads wander.
+ Don't reply to them to make them carry on.
+
+* If you wish to introduce an off-topic subject that might be
+ of interest to the wider list, start a new thread and preface
+ the title with [OT].
+
+* There is no debian-offtopic mailing list: please don't try
+ to start one.
+
+Partisan topics and political arguments
+* Arguments for the sake of it are not
+ welcome here.
+
+* Partisan political / religious / cultural arguments do not belong here
+ either.
+
+ Debian's community is world wide; do not assume others will agree with your + views or need to read them on a Debian list.
+
+Editing and answering mailing list posts +========================================
+
+* It is helpful to write meaningful subject lines. If you change subject
+ or emphasis in mid-thread, please change the subject line on your email
+ accordingly so that this can be clearly seen.
+
+ For example: New question [WAS Old topic]
+
+* It may also be useful for someone to post a summary email from time to
+ time to explain long threads.
+
+* Before posting, it may be useful to check your post for spelling mistakes
+ and scan it for redundancy, duplicate words and redundancy.
+
+* Clear replies and a short mailing list thread are much easier to
+ read and follow than long threads.
+
+* If you are replying to a post, please reply in-line if possible and
+ cut out extra text that is not relevant to your point.
+
+Private replies and responding to posts off-list +================================================
+
+* Please post answers back to the list so others can benefit: private
+ conversations don't benefit people who may only be following
+ along on the list or reading the archives later.
+
+* We're only human: you may want to respond to someone off-list
+ to make a point (or to wish them Happy Birthday / comment that you
+ haven't seen them for a long time). We're also a community and the
+ people you find on the list may become familiar friends
+
+ BUT
+
+* Posting outside the list can be unhelpful: bad behaviour outside the lists
+ can't easily be dealt with and will be invisible. You may inadvertently leak + personal information by posting a private reply back to the list.
+
+ If you *do* want to post outside the list - make it clear that you have done + so at the top of the message. If someone replies to you privately and you
+ think that this should go back to the list - ask them to post it to the list + - do not just do so on their behalf without checking.
+
+I can't see what I want here - help me! +=======================================
+
+* It is often useful to look through the archives to see whether the issue
+ you wish to raise or a similar issue has been raised before by someone
+ else. The top level link to the archives of this list is at
+
https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/ organised by year, then month.
+
+* Although there are only 20 or 30 regular contributors, there may
+ be a couple of thousand readers in the background. Nobody is
+ a mind reader, nobody can sit beside you. Please help by providing
+ useful details if asked, especially which version of Debian you are
+ running.
+
+I'm not using Debian but ...
+============================
+
+* Strictly, discussions of other distributions are off-topic here.
+ Please note: advice on Linux distributions other than Debian will be
+ only our best guess - other distributions may do things very differently.
+ Any advice given accordingly may be inaccurate but is given in good faith.
+
+FAQ topics
+==========
+
+* There is an FAQ on the Debian wiki derived from some questions asked on this + list at
https://wiki.debian.org/FAQsFromDebianUser
+
+This is a public list, archived in many places +==============================================
* One question that comes up on almost all Debian lists from time to time
is of the form:
@@ -104,37 +146,18 @@
Could you please delete my name / details / remove the mail"
Practically, this is impossible: the mailing lists are archived, potentially -cached by Google and so on. Unfortunately, there is nothing much we can do to -ensure that all copies anywhere on the Internet are deleted. Asking to do this -may only serve to draw further attention - the so-called "Streisand effect" -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
-
-Spam and unsolicited commercial email that doesn't belong on the list -=====================================================================
-
-Debian does have comparatively strong spam filters on the mailing lists: -listmasters will remove emails that are reported as spam. The easiest
-way to report spam is by using the web interface to Debian mailing lists -below
https://lists.debian.org
-
-If you quote spam email in a reply, you may end up making the spam filters -less effective. If you respond to it on list, then it becomes part of the -list conversations forever. Replying to it with angry messages won't get
-back to the originators and does not help the ongoing fight against spam. +cached by Google and so on.
-See also:
https://wiki.debian.org/Teams/ListMaster/ListArchiveSpam +Unfortunately, there is nothing much we can do to ensure that all copies +anywhere on the Internet are deleted. Asking to do this may only serve to +draw further attention - the so-called "Streisand effect"
+See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
-Problems?
-=========
+Problems and inappropriate behaviour?
+=====================================
Complaints about inappropriate behaviour should be referred to the
Debian Community Team <
community@debian.org>.
-Inappropriate behaviour on the list may lead to warnings; repeated bad +Inappropriate behaviour on the list may lead to warnings: repeated bad
behaviour may lead to temporary or permanent bans for offenders.
-
-Contributions
-=============
-
-This FAQ is now archived as a git repository. Contributions and corrections -would be welcome. Contact
amacater@debian.org for details.
--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)