[7] NETIQUETTE WHEN POSTING TO COMP.OBJECT.CORBA UPDATED!
(Part of the CORBA FAQ, Copyright © 1996-99)


[7.1] HOW CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT GENERAL NETIQUETTE SO I DON’T EMBARRASS MYSELF?

Key guidelines:

Many more general netiquette questions are answered in the newsgroup news.announce.newusers. This newsgroup contains many must-read articles for new users.

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


[7.2] WHAT DOES IMHO MEAN? (OR IMO, IMNSHO, FWIW, OTOH, ETC.)?

Here’s a partial list of acronyms in alphabetical order:

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


[7.3] HOW DO I GET COMP.OBJECT.CORBA TO DO MY HOMEWORK PROBLEM FOR ME?

Shame on you!

Please do not post your homework questions to comp.object.corba.

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


[7.4] WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I SEE SOMEONE ELSE POSTING A HOMEWORK PROBLEM? NEW!

[Recently created (12/1998). Click here to go to the next FAQ in the “chain” of recent changes]

When a slackard asks comp.object.corba to do their homework for them, answering their question is bad for them. Please don’t do it! It’s not good for them, it’s not good for the newsgroup, and it wastes your time. Plus it may encourage them to commit plagiarism. It’s just plain bad.

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


[7.5] WHAT DO I DO IF SOMEONE ELSE POSTS A QUESTION THAT’S ALREADY IN THE FAQ?

Rather than reinventing the same answers to the same frequently asked questions over and over, it would be better if you pointed the questioner to the FAQ. For example, you could use something like the following template:

    Subject: It’s in the FAQ [was: Original_Subject_Goes_Here]

    > Original_Question_Goes_Here [...]

    This issue is covered in the CORBA FAQ.
    You can get the FAQ at:
        http://www.aurora-tech.com/corba-faq/

    Please read the FAQ.

If everyone chips in and points people to the FAQ, it will hopefully keep the signal-to-noise ratio on comp.object.corba down to a reasonable level, thereby preserving that valuable resource.

Notes:

  1. It’s better if you don’t give them the location of the appropriate FAQ. E.g., don’t say, “Look at FAQ [10.3]” or “Look in section [10].” It’s the old give-them-a-fish vs. teach-them-to-fish idea.
  2. It’s best to be polite. We’re hoping to can avoid “RTFM” or “RTFFAQ” euphemisms (or worse!).

Thanks for any help you can give in this matter.

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


[7.6] WHAT MAKES A GOOD “SUBJECT: LINE?

Be descriptive. For example, this is a good Subject: line:

In contrast, these are bad Subject: lines:

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


[7.7] HOW DO I POST A QUESTION ABOUT CODE THAT DOESN’T WORK CORRECTLY?

Whenever possible, try to give people everything they need to understand your code. For example, it would be ideal if a reader could recreate your situation. This means doing the best you can to:

  1. Post minimal code — just enough to demonstrate the problem.
  2. Post complete code — include any necessary interfaces, methods, etc.

Finally, it’s best if you post the tools you used (ORB vendor, operating system, etc.) and, if relevant, the exact error messages you received. As always, make sure your question isn’t already in the FAQ — use the subject index to check.

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


[7.8] WHICH NEWSGROUP SHOULD I POST MY QUESTIONS?

Only post to comp.object.corba if your question has something to do with CORBA. For example, questions about general object-oriented design, C++ programming, specific operating systems (Windows NT / 95 / 3.x, UNIX, etc.) all belong on more appropriate newsgroups.

Newsgroups about miscellaneous object-oriented issues:

Newsgroups about particular programming languages:

Newsgroups about particular operating systems:

Newsgroups about particular software development tools:

Other newsgroups:

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


[7.9] HOW DO I GET THE FAQS FOR A PARTICULAR NEWSGROUP?

Let me count the ways...

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions lists) are available 24-hours a day via:

Please, PLEASE do not send e-mail to us!

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


[7.10] IN ADDITION TO THESE FAQS, WHAT OTHER USEFUL URLS MIGHT I BE INTERESTED IN?

TopBottomPrevious sectionNext section ]


E-Mail E-mail us
CORBA FAQTable of ContentsExhaustiveAlphabeticalSubject indexAbout the authors©TMDownload your own copy ]
Revised May 27, 1999