The wisdom of questioning (2) _php Foundation

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Understand what you want to ask.


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Rambling questions almost endless time black holes. The one who can give you the most useful answers is the busiest.


People (they are busy because they have to do most of the work themselves). Such people on the uncontrolled time black hole is not too


Colds, so you can say that they are not very cold about rambling questions.



If you articulate what needs to be answered (provide advice, send a piece of code, check your patch


or otherwise), the most likely to get useful answers. This will set a limit of time and energy,


It's good for the respondents to focus their energies on helping you.



To understand the world in which experts live, think of professional skills as abundant resources, and the time to reply


is a scarce resource. The less time you need to solve your problem, the more you can get the answer out of a busy expert.



Therefore, optimizing the structure of the problem, minimizing the time the experts need to solve it, will have a


Big help-This is usually different from simplifying the problem. So ask "I want to better understand X,


Can you give me some hints? "It's usually better than asking," Can you explain x? Better If your code


If you can't work, ask what's wrong with it, and it's much wiser than asking someone to change it for you.



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Don't ask questions that should be solved by yourself.


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Hackers are always good at distinguishing which problems should be resolved by you, because most of us


Have solved such problems by themselves. Again, it's up to you to take care of the problems, and you'll learn from them.


You can ask for a hint, but don't ask for a complete solution.



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Get rid of meaningless questions


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Don't end your questions with meaningless words like, "Can someone help me?" "or" Is there an answer? ”。


First of all: If your description of the problem is not very appropriate, this question is superfluous. Second: as this


The question is to gild the lily and the hackers will get tired of you--and usually use logically correct answers to form


Showing their contempt, for example: "Yes, someone can help you" or "no, no answer.


”。



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Modesty is never harmful, and it is always helpful.


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Be polite, use the word "please" and "Thank you first". Let everyone know that you spend time with them


obligation to provide help to be thankful.



However, if you have many problems that cannot be solved, politeness will increase your chances of getting useful answers.



(We note that since the publication of this guide, the only serious flaw that has been obtained from the senior hackers


Feed, that is to thank in advance this one. Some hackers think the "thanks first" implication is later


I would never thank anyone again. Our suggestion is: Thank you all. ）



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After the problem is resolved, add a brief description


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After the problem is solved, send a note to all those who have helped you to know how the problem is solved


, and once again to express our gratitude to them. If the problem is caused by a newsgroup or mailing list


There should be a supplementary note there.



It doesn't have to be long or deep; the simple phrase "Hello, it turns out that the network cable out asked


Problem! Thank you, everyone.--bill "is better than nothing." In fact, unless the conclusions are really


Technical content, otherwise short and lovely summaries are better than long academic papers. Explain how the problem is


Solved, but the big will not necessarily solve the problem of the process to repeat.



In addition to expressing courtesy and feedback, this supplement helps others in mailing lists/news


Groups/Forums Search for complete solutions that help you, which may be useful to them as well.



At last (at least?) , this supplement helps all those who have provided help to get a sense of satisfaction from it.


If you're not a veteran or a hacker, trust us, the feeling that you


It is very important for them to ask for help from a mentor or an expert. The problem of long delays will make people gray


The hackers are eager to see that the problem is resolved. A good man has a nice newspaper, satisfies their desire, you will


When you post a new problem, you get a taste of sweetness.




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Still don't understand


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If you don't understand the answer, don't ask for an explanation right away. Like you've tried to solve yourself before.


Questions like that (use the manual, FAQ, network, the master around) to understand it. If


You really need the other person to explain, and remember to show what you've learned.



For example, if I answer you: "It seems that Zentry is blocked; you should clear it first.


except it. ", and then:



A bad follow-up question: "What is Zentry?" ”



The smart way to ask is this: "Oh ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Two


Parameters mentioned in the Zentry and there is no clear explanation:< you mean the two


Which one? Or did I miss something? ”


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Think twice and then ask


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Here are a few classic silly questions, and the hacker's mind when refusing to answer:



Question: Where can I find the X program?


Question: My program/configuration/sql declaration is not used


Question: I have a problem with Windows, can you help me?


Question: I have a problem installing Linux (or x), can you help me?


Question: How can I crack the root account/steal OP privileges/read other people's emails?



Question: Where can I find the X program?


Answer: Just where I found it, stupid--the one on the search engine. Oh, my God!


Do people still not use Google?



Question: My program (Configuration, SQL Declaration) is not used


Answer: That's not a problem, I'm not interested in finding out your real problem--if you want to


I asked you 20 questions to find out--I have more interesting things to do.


When I see this kind of problem, my reaction is usually no more than the following three kinds:


1. Do you have anything else to add?


2. Bad, I hope you can handle it.


3. What does this have to do with my bird?



Question: I have a problem with Windows, can you help me?


Answer: Yes, throw away the soft trash, change Linux.



Question: I have a problem installing Linux (or x), can you help me?


Answer: No, I have to do it myself on your computer to find out what's wrong.


Or go to your local Linux user group for hands-on guidance (you can


Find a list of user groups here).



Question: How can I crack the root account/steal OP privileges/read other people's emails?


Answer: If you want to do this, you are a despicable person, you want to find a hacker to help you, that you are an idiot!



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Good questions, bad questions.


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Finally, I would like to give some examples to illustrate how to ask questions in a smart way.


The law is put together, one is stupid, the other is wise.



Stupid question: Where can I find information about Foonly flurbamatic?


This kind of method of asking is to want "STFW" such answer.



Smart question: I googled "foonly flurbamatic 2600" with Google, but


No useful results were found. Who knows where to find information on the programming of this device?


The problem has been stfw, and it seems that he is really in trouble.



Stupid question: The source code I got from the Foo Project can't be compiled. Why is it so bad?


He thinks it's all somebody else's fault, this arrogant guy.



Smart question: The Foo Project code cannot be compiled with Nulix version 6.2. I've read the FAQ,


But there is no mention of Nulix-related problems. This is the record of my compiling process, what I have


The wrong place?


He explained the environment, also read the FAQ, and pointed out the error, and he did not take the responsibility of the problem


Put it on someone else's head, this guy deserves attention.



Stupid question: My motherboard has a problem, who will help me?


Ordinary hackers usually answer such questions by: "Yes, I'll get you a pat on the back and a diaper change."


Do you? , and then press the DELETE key.



Smart question: I tried x, y, and z on the S2464 motherboard, but it didn't work, and I tried again.


A, B and C. Please note the strange phenomenon when I try C. Apparently, there was a contraction in the side belt transmission,


But the results were unexpected. What are the common causes of side-band leaks on multiprocessor motherboards?


Who's got a good idea? What should I do next to find out?


This guy, from another point of view, deserves to be answered. He showed up to solve the problem.


Ability, instead of waiting for the sky to drop the answer.



In the last question, pay attention to "tell me the Answer" and "enlighten me and point out that I should also


The subtle and important distinction between what to do and what to diagnose.



In fact, the latter problem originated in the August 2001 Linux kernel mailing list of a true


Real questions. I (Eric) is the one who raised the question. I'm on the Tyan S2464 motherboard.


This unexplained locking phenomenon was observed, and the list members provided important information to solve the problem.



Through my questioning methods, I gave you something worth pondering; I made it easy for people to get involved and


And be drawn in. I have shown myself to have the same abilities as them, inviting them to share with me


Explore I told them the detours I had traversed to avoid wasting their time, which was a kind of


Respect for the value of others ' time.



Later, when I thanked everyone and appreciated the program (referring to the discussion in the mailing list


A Linux kernel mailing list (LKML) is a good time to work.


The problem was solved not because I was a "celebrity" in the list, but because


I use the right way to ask questions.



We hackers are, in some ways, knowledgeable but impersonal fellows;


He's right, if I ask questions like a beggar, whoever I am, I will annoy some


People or neglected by them. He suggested that I write down the matter and give some guidance to the person who wrote the guide.



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What if I can't find the answer?


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If you still don't get the answer, please don't think we can't help you. Sometimes I just see you


The problem person doesn't know the answer. No response does not mean you are neglected, although it cannot be denied that this


It is difficult to distinguish between different kinds.



In general, a simple repetitive posting problem is a bad idea. It will be considered meaningless.


Noisy.


Noisy.



You can get help from other sources, which are usually better suited to the needs of beginners.



There are many online as well as local user groups, by Avid software enthusiasts (even if they may


have never written any software in person) composition. Usually people form such groups to help each other and


Help Beginners.



In addition, you can ask a lot of business companies whether they are big or small (Red


Hat and Linuxcare are the two most common examples. Don't pay to get help


Feel frustrated! After all, if your car engine cylinder seals are blown off--it's completely possible


This--you have to take it to the repair shop and pay for the repairs. Even if the software doesn't cost you a cent


Money, you can't insist that technical support is always free.



For popular software, like Linux, each developer will have at least tens of thousands of users.


It is impossible for a person to handle calls from tens of thousands of users. You know, even if you


To pay for help, you have to pay less than you have to buy the same kind of software


(usually closed source software's technical support costs are much higher than open source software,


And the content is not so rich).