*BSD News Article 72572


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From: michael@memra.com (Michael Dillon)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Look, this is depressing!  I'm outta here, folks!
Date: 1 Jul 1996 17:52:26 -0700
Organization: Memra Software Inc. - Internet consulting - http://www.memra.com
Lines: 49
Message-ID: <4r9rsa$s9e@sidhe.memra.com>
References: <31C6A7A0.7DE14518@FreeBSD.org> <4qan42$g3@anorak.coverform.lan>
NNTP-Posting-Host: sidhe.memra.com

In article <4qan42$g3@anorak.coverform.lan>,
Brian Somers <brian@awfulhak.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>The FreeBSD usenet "answerers" are far too generous.  I am beginning
>to believe that a lot of people should be answered with one-liners
>that point to a man page or a bit of the FAQ/Handbook.  They should
>not be answered when they have obviously gone straight to usenet
>without trying to figure it out for themselves.  Besides wasting
>time - time that could have been spent improving FreeBSD, they
>probably won't retain the knowledge.  The answer that's remembered
>is "ask Jordan/J"org/Terry/etc." - things degrade from here.

Hear, hear! That's just what I do with those kinds of questions on various
lists and newsgroups. I flame them to a crisp for not doing their
research and give them a couple URL's at the end of the message.

I have invented a couple new useful acronyms to use.

STFW - Search The "Fine" Web
ERQ - Easily Researched Question as in "Do not ERQ me with your ERQsome
                                        questions".

And I talk about the 4 R's: Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic and Research

And FreeBSD is one of the easier things to research too because if you
can't find the answer on a WWW search engine like AltaVista, a search of
the mailing lists at http://www.freebsd.org/search.html
will usually find the answer.

>"read the philosophy FAQ.  You don't get anything for free - the price
>is to use your head".

TANSTAAFL

An acronym invented by the greatest American philosopher of the 20th
century who is responsible for far more than most people realize including
the Internet itself and all the technology that runs it. It stands for
There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

Robert A. Heinlein promoted his philosphical views in a series of science
fiction novels that influenced many of the people responsible for the
technology underpinnings of todays world. 



-- 
Michael Dillon                                   ISP & Internet Consulting
Memra Software Inc.                                 Fax: +1-604-546-3049
http://www.memra.com                             E-mail: michael@memra.com