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- Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
- Path: sparky!uunet!haven.umd.edu!darwin.sura.net!wupost!cs.utexas.edu!csc.ti.com!tilde.csc.ti.com!mksol!mccall
- From: mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539)
- Subject: Re: About the 'F' in RTFM
- Message-ID: <1992Jul28.171356.13637@mksol.dseg.ti.com>
- Organization: Texas Instruments Inc
- References: <1992Jul17.202448.19848@wyvern.tw> <1992Jul23.155203.11430@newshost.lanl.gov> <1992Jul26.190928.20817@mksol.dseg.ti.com> <5963@npri6.npri.com>
- Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 17:13:56 GMT
- Lines: 36
-
- In <5963@npri6.npri.com> murphy@npri6.npri.com (David P. Murphy) writes:
-
-
-
- >>>> Proposed change to 'standard' practice. 'RTFM' is now 'RTM'.
- >>>> The 'F' does not relate to any known adjective for Manual.
- >>>> 'Read The Manual' should suffice.
- >>>>
- >>>>alpha@wyvern.twuug.com
-
- > >>The usual interpretation of the F is an accurate description of the quality
- > >>of most UNIX manuals. The correct response to `RTFM' is "I *did* read it,
- > >>and it didn't answer the question I wanted answered."
- > >>
- > >>jlg@cochiti.lanl.gov (Jim Giles)
-
- > >At which point, of course, you reach up, pull down the appropriate
- > >manual, open it up, drop it in front of them and point. They then
- > >say, "Oh," and walk away looking sheeplike.
- > >
- > >mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539)
-
- >close, fred, but no cigar. assuming for the sake of argument
- >that the information really _is_ in the manual, then the novice
- >says "Oh. dammit, why isn't there an INDEX in this manual??"
-
- At which point you fix him with the look reserved for killing small,
- brain-dead rodents and either point out that the commands are in
- alphabetical order or hand him the book describing the layout of the
- manuals.
-
- --
- "Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live
- in the real world." -- Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Fred.McCall@dseg.ti.com - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.
-