Nice analogy, except for one thing.

The person who needs the glass of water, is in a wheel-chair and can't reac=
h the tap; you would know this if you turned around and looked. So in this =
case, it's just cruel to not give the person the glass of water that they n=
eed.

The point is, everybody's different, and so is their situation.
Maybe English isn't their first language, and it's hard for them to read th=
rough endless documents looking for a simple fact that somebody knows off t=
he top of their head.

One of the great things about the internet, is that in some cases it can sa=
ve you time. But within a mailing list, it shields you from the person at t=
he other end and their circumstances.

There's only one stupid question to ask... that's when you already know the=
 answer (and even that's perfectly valid in some situations).

If people feel it's a stupid or lazy question, they shouldn't answer it.







-----Original Message-----
From: Tamas Rudnai [mailto:tamas.rudnai@gmail.com] =

Sent: 06 March 2010 06:36
To: Joe P. Farr
Subject: Re: [OT]: Is RTFM necessary? If not, is it useful?

I think the whole subject is about an attitude or generation gap if we
can say that so. When i was kid there was no internet, had to learn
how to turn pages in book. If i had a question i had to wait few days
or weeks before even had the chance to talk to someone might know the
answer. Now with internet and mailing lists like this we can just ask
as many times as we want - so why bother to read books? :)

What is going on here with the thirsty analogy mentioned before:
Q: I'm thirsty.
A: The tap is behind you.
Q: But I'm really really thirsty,why don't you give me a f. glass of water?
A: Because the tap is right behind you, help yourself.
3rd person: You moron, why  don't you give him a glass of water, can't
you see he's really begging you?

Tam=E1s

On 3/6/10, Russell McMahon <apptechnz@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> RTFM is shorthand for "I'm better than you but I don't have time to
>>> prove it".
>
>> Actually, when I say things along those lines, it means that I'm
>> pretty sure the data is in the manual, but don't have it on the top of
>> my head. =A0So it boils down to whether I should look it up in the
>> manual, or the original poster should look it up in the manual...
>
> That's what you say :-).
>
> Seriously though, where's the pain in the very very few extra letters
> required to turn it into something just as pointed, or, if you must,
> even more pointed, but without the expletives-abbreviated non-deleted
> (to misquote Nixon badly)? Addition of the magical F is usually done
> with care in even vaguely 'polite' circles. If you wouldn't use it in
> professional environments, why use it here. if you would usually use
> it in professional environments, why use it here?:-). That can be
> taken as "PC" if desired. I'd hope that it would be taken as 'polite'.
> I can be every bit as pointed and attention focusing as Olin ever is,
> when I deem the need is there, F acronyms not being required. Think it
> as a life skill worth learning :-). (My smiley bucket is getting a bit
> depleted by now :-( ).
>
> You'll find that information in the manual.
> It's in the manual.
> That's covered in the manual.
> As advised last time you asked that question, it's covered in the manual.
> People keep referring you to the manual when you ask that question.
> Have you looked?
> I think it's well past time that you had a good read of the manual.
> If you are in any way serious about this subject them you are going to
> have to take the time required to properly understand the manual.
>
> [[Note that that latter says more than a standard RTFM does]].
> ...
>
> All sound fairly tame but are all liable to make the RTFM point well
> enough without adding culturally variable value added standard
> abbreviatiions :-).
>
>
>
>
>             Russell
>
> --
> http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
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