I've been noticing bogus topics and answers more and more lately, causing threads to de-rail and leaving support for the people asking for help. Therefore, I'm writing a simple guide on how to post in this forum. After all, I had this forum made so that people could discuss tech in a pro way along with receiving good support from knowledgeable members, and it'd help to have the people here listen to this a bit.
I'll make a few examples, after which I explain whats wrong and whats good. Should be easy enough to follow, right?
EXAMPLE #1 - LAPPY
Quote from Derp »
Hey guys, I got 600 bucks for my birthday and I want to spend it on a laptop so I can play minecraft during class, ruining my education. Which laptop fits best to my budget and needs?
Quote from Zn0wm@n »
why not build a pc yourself its a lot cheaper
Issue: Didn't even bother to read the topic. Really, there is no such thing as custom-building a laptop unless you're willing to build it entirely yourself FROM THE CORE. As in, make your own case and try to fit hardware in it. Eventually you end up paying more for less.
HOW IT SHOULD'VE BEEN:
Quote from LORD FON STRUDELF »
Hey, I just looked through some models and [insert link here] and [insert link here] might fit your needs. Basically, what you're looking for is yadda yadda, because you really don't want to end up with yadda yadda. See if you can get some yadda yadda so you don't end up wasting your money on some brick.
Suggest a model or two, do a tiny bit of research and warn the OP of the stuff he shouldn't get. (for example, intel gpu's) It's not that hard, really.
EXAMPLE #2 - ANTI-VIRUS
This is a pretty recent one, and the topic in question ended up as a pointless discussion involving some fight between linux and linux.... yep.
Quote from Bill »
Hi, my copy of ANTICREEPER ANTIVIRUS is about to expire in a week or so and I can't be arsed to buy a new license so does anybody know a good, free alternative? Running Windows 7 here. Thanks!
Quote from Tux »
SOLUTION: INSTALL LINUX
Issue: This isn't even near a good solution. If you suggest replacing windows with mac/linux because they have little to no viruses, you are posting a completely deceitful suggestion and it's not only arrogant, but it also doesn't help the OP at all. Its like suggesting the owner of a Delorean to buy a Yamaha bike after one of the car's tires burst.
HOW IT SHOULD'VE BEEN:
Quote from BEASTMAN »
I've been using ANTI-ZOMBIE for a while and its pretty good, haven't had any problems with it so far. Here's a link to its , see if its any good for you.
Suggesting the software you are using yourself and are happy with is always a good idea. This answer provides the OP with a possible solution to his problem and is fuel for a worthy discussion; Other posters might have better suggestions as well as feedback on mentioned answers. I mean, for all we know anti-zombie is a bad craftsmanship, and skelet-on might be a much better choice.
EXAMPLE #3 - OPERATING SYSTEMS
Pretty much stating the obvious here. Note the often-used word; "OS WARS". Fighting about operating systems is just silly, because everyone has its own taste and everyone uses different versions. What may be amazing to one poster might be horrible for the other. Besides, all operating systems have its good sides and its bad sides. There is no such "thing" as a perfect OS, because they all update and change every day.
However, if one were to ask something like
Quote from GRANDPAAA »
Hey guys, I just upgraded to a pentium II rig and I don't feel like throwing Windows 98 or whatever on it. Got any suggestions? Oh and its got 64MB of RAM. Thats pretty hilarious because thats the amount of years I've been alive.
then people could perfectly suggest systems that fit to these specs. Same goes for new releases, people can easily express their opinions about the new versions, explain new features and trade tweaks.
Discussing OS's is completely cool. Fighting about them because you're a fanboy is not a viable reason, and you should be ashamed if you show this kind of attitude.
Note: This also applies to browsers and consoles. They are all awesome and they all suck - there is no king of the kings.
EXAMPLE #4 - P2P, BITTORRENT, ETC.
As you may imagine, discussing p2p, torrents, usenet and such is quite the risky topic. However, if done correctly, then there should be no harm done at all. Tools of the trade:
Don't post a link to the torrent, unless the content is legal to distribute freely. Linux iso's fall under this, for example.
Are you unsure if its okay to post? Then its probably not okay.
If your post somehow contributes to piracy, you really just shouldn't post it.
Discussing piracy on its own is cool, as long as you keep it civil (this just in: keep it civil everywhere) and back your arguments up with facts and reason. This post for example, is fully acceptable:
Quote from NEWBOY »
Hey guys, can anyone explain what DHT means? I see it all the time in uTorrent but I have no idea what it means!
but a post like this...
Quote from MARIO SUPER »
Hey guys I'm trying to download torrent off THE NINJA TEMPLE but I can't get enough seeds how do I increase the seeds so I can get my illegal content quicker???????
Is, quite obviously, not a good post.
EXAMPLE #5 - LAZYNESS
A lot of questions are actually really easy to solve by yourself. The best example for this is the magic that's called Google. A person looking for newer versions of the catalyst driver would enter something like this
amd catalyst driver download
and he'd get the right result straight away. Googling isn't hard at all! And when you need specific stuff? Add quotes! The query
"Super Mario World" spritesheet
would give a lot more accurate results than
super mario world spritesheet
simply because it'll treat the words between the quotation marks as one word.
An other source of getting help with, for example, windows features is using (you guess it) the help function. It updates itself every once in a while and when using simple terms you can find the stuff you need. If you're a twitter user, you can also contact @MicrosoftHelps, who help windows users for free. (for xbox help, use @xboxsupport)
EXAMPLE #6 - I AM A GAME DEVELOPER
Alright kids, I'll be honest with you: You're not going to develop a game with less than a week of coding experience. And no, creating an HTML site doesn't count. (and neither does RPG maker, damnit)
You see, when you come into this forum and post something like this:
Quote from Schweinhund »
Hey guys whats a good language to write a game pls help
The majority of users here will just slam their face on their desk. The reality is that you don't go straight into game development, but do some basic programs first. I'm learning C# myself for months now and I only just made a small blackjack game. Before doing this, I first made some simple console apps, a calculator, hangman, and some other basic things.
Don't jump right in, learn the basics first and when you're experienced enough you go and try something 2D.
EXAMPLE #7 - MY HARDWARE IS BETTER THAN YOUR HARDWARE
It's similar to the OS wars I guess. Basically it goes like this:
Quote from Steve-o »
Hey guys, for some reason my iMac [model name here] keeps turning itself off after a few minutes, especially when I'm playing some games like TF2 or HL2. Does anybody know whats wrong? I'm not really good at hardware stuff so I really have no idea at all. Thanks!
After which a guy stumbles in and posts this:
Quote from Billy »
LOL ITS BECAUSE YOU'RE USING A MAC USE PC INSTEAD
Issue: Now, it might be quite obvious what the issue here is. "PC" is an acronym for "Personal Computer". Now as far as I know, Macintosh machines are personal computers. Try to prove me wrong buddy, its not going to work.
But lets get serious here; Seriously? In this topic, the poster is requesting help with an issue on his Mac computer. The problem here is that little Billy feels the need of posting in a topic in such a non-contributing way that it'll only lead to a fight, delaying the actual answer. Not cool, bro!
How it should go instead:
Quote from Billmo »
I don't use Mac PC's, but this sounds like a regular overheating problem. Get some compressed air and blow the out of your machine, get the dust out of there and see if it made any changes. If not, or you don't feel comfortable doing that, doesn't Apple provide some service called applecare or whatever? See if they can help.
This user approaches the poster in a much friendlier way and actually provides help. Sure, he may not use Mac on his PC, but the problem sounds familiar and the user suggests some things to do that usually help. Since the problem does sound like an overheating issue, cleaning out the machine may very well help it. If it doesn't, the poster should consider Apple's support service and see if they can help. Everyone's happy.
This example can also be applied to people having problems with their Linux, Windows, DOS, etc. machines. Don't tell the posters to off and use a different OS, but approach the problem in way that may also apply to your own OS. If you can't help at all and can't suggest possible sources for help, then don't post at all. It's really not that hard.
TRIVIA
HEY GUYS HOW DO I START THE MINECRAFT SERV-NO. This forum is for tech discussion only. While servers fit to this requirement, Minecraft servers do not. They go into the Minecraft Server forum. Yeah, its that easy.
-----
I will add more examples later on. Remember guys, read this and take note to not post like you'd be ignorant and unfriendly, and you, too, will be a boss at posting.
Add this:
ONLY POST ABOUT COMPUTERS, TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE!
Oh wait... This thread isn't about computers, technology and science - it is about posting!
P.S. Your analogy of the delorean to yamaha isn't correct; that case is a little different:
the person has a zaporozhets(a highly unstable car), we all know it is going to break. Why not get a newer car if it is cheaper than getting a new zaporozhets or repairing the old one? Also note that I specifically waited until all the notable free anti-viruses for Windows were posted.
EDIT - Same as ertyuiop99, I give out info, but people need to use google. If they can type in a forum, they can type a question on google and use their mouse a few times.
"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. The loss of Liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad." - James Madison
Eeeh, I have a problem - Java applets won't run for me, I tried Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari and even Internet Explorer... Java is up to date, I restarted, scanned for viruses... Any suggestions?
Quote from »
Have you tried updating your Java, restarting and scanning for viruses? Have you tried a different browser? Should fix the problem!
(mac)so just to confirm, would asking how to get the i apps like iphoto and a long list of the others that were misplaced(hacked by an asshole) out of my computer be an appropriate topic for this forum, i want to ask now before i get some wild pack of trolls sent after me
HOW TO POST IN THIS FORUM
I've been noticing bogus topics and answers more and more lately, causing threads to de-rail and leaving support for the people asking for help. Therefore, I'm writing a simple guide on how to post in this forum. After all, I had this forum made so that people could discuss tech in a pro way along with receiving good support from knowledgeable members, and it'd help to have the people here listen to this a bit.
I'll make a few examples, after which I explain whats wrong and whats good. Should be easy enough to follow, right?
Issue: Didn't even bother to read the topic. Really, there is no such thing as custom-building a laptop unless you're willing to build it entirely yourself FROM THE CORE. As in, make your own case and try to fit hardware in it. Eventually you end up paying more for less.
HOW IT SHOULD'VE BEEN:
Suggest a model or two, do a tiny bit of research and warn the OP of the stuff he shouldn't get. (for example, intel gpu's) It's not that hard, really.
This is a pretty recent one, and the topic in question ended up as a pointless discussion involving some fight between linux and linux.... yep.
Issue: This isn't even near a good solution. If you suggest replacing windows with mac/linux because they have little to no viruses, you are posting a completely deceitful suggestion and it's not only arrogant, but it also doesn't help the OP at all. Its like suggesting the owner of a Delorean to buy a Yamaha bike after one of the car's tires burst.
HOW IT SHOULD'VE BEEN:
Suggesting the software you are using yourself and are happy with is always a good idea. This answer provides the OP with a possible solution to his problem and is fuel for a worthy discussion; Other posters might have better suggestions as well as feedback on mentioned answers. I mean, for all we know anti-zombie is a bad craftsmanship, and skelet-on might be a much better choice.
Pretty much stating the obvious here. Note the often-used word; "OS WARS". Fighting about operating systems is just silly, because everyone has its own taste and everyone uses different versions. What may be amazing to one poster might be horrible for the other. Besides, all operating systems have its good sides and its bad sides. There is no such "thing" as a perfect OS, because they all update and change every day.
However, if one were to ask something like
then people could perfectly suggest systems that fit to these specs. Same goes for new releases, people can easily express their opinions about the new versions, explain new features and trade tweaks.
Discussing OS's is completely cool. Fighting about them because you're a fanboy is not a viable reason, and you should be ashamed if you show this kind of attitude.
Note: This also applies to browsers and consoles. They are all awesome and they all suck - there is no king of the kings.
but a post like this...
Is, quite obviously, not a good post.
and he'd get the right result straight away. Googling isn't hard at all! And when you need specific stuff? Add quotes! The query
would give a lot more accurate results than
simply because it'll treat the words between the quotation marks as one word.
An other source of getting help with, for example, windows features is using (you guess it) the help function. It updates itself every once in a while and when using simple terms you can find the stuff you need. If you're a twitter user, you can also contact @MicrosoftHelps, who help windows users for free. (for xbox help, use @xboxsupport)
You see, when you come into this forum and post something like this:
The majority of users here will just slam their face on their desk. The reality is that you don't go straight into game development, but do some basic programs first. I'm learning C# myself for months now and I only just made a small blackjack game. Before doing this, I first made some simple console apps, a calculator, hangman, and some other basic things.
Don't jump right in, learn the basics first and when you're experienced enough you go and try something 2D.
After which a guy stumbles in and posts this:
Issue: Now, it might be quite obvious what the issue here is. "PC" is an acronym for "Personal Computer". Now as far as I know, Macintosh machines are personal computers. Try to prove me wrong buddy, its not going to work.
But lets get serious here; Seriously? In this topic, the poster is requesting help with an issue on his Mac computer. The problem here is that little Billy feels the need of posting in a topic in such a non-contributing way that it'll only lead to a fight, delaying the actual answer. Not cool, bro!
How it should go instead:
This user approaches the poster in a much friendlier way and actually provides help. Sure, he may not use Mac on his PC, but the problem sounds familiar and the user suggests some things to do that usually help. Since the problem does sound like an overheating issue, cleaning out the machine may very well help it. If it doesn't, the poster should consider Apple's support service and see if they can help. Everyone's happy.
This example can also be applied to people having problems with their Linux, Windows, DOS, etc. machines. Don't tell the posters to off and use a different OS, but approach the problem in way that may also apply to your own OS. If you can't help at all and can't suggest possible sources for help, then don't post at all. It's really not that hard.
I will add more examples later on. Remember guys, read this and take note to not post like you'd be ignorant and unfriendly, and you, too, will be a boss at posting.
ONLY POST ABOUT COMPUTERS, TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE!
Oh wait... This thread isn't about computers, technology and science - it is about posting!
P.S. Your analogy of the delorean to yamaha isn't correct; that case is a little different:
the person has a zaporozhets(a highly unstable car), we all know it is going to break. Why not get a newer car if it is cheaper than getting a new zaporozhets or repairing the old one? Also note that I specifically waited until all the notable free anti-viruses for Windows were posted.
EDIT - Same as ertyuiop99, I give out info, but people need to use google. If they can type in a forum, they can type a question on google and use their mouse a few times.
edit: also, updated with the famous game developers.
doesn't that fall under the OS part? Also, jesus christ, what happened in that pic?
Nope, because we are talking about hardware and prices.
And I got that pic from googling "macbook on fire".
Ah, I see. I'll write something about it this evening. Thanks for the idea!
OT: Sticky this.
I only visit the tech and wiki board nowadays. Also, thanks for the sticky request.
-alleluia chorus comes down from sky-
Or you could trash it with various pictures. It's your choice.
Owait.
OT: Is this even necessary? I've never seen posts like this, most people in the Hardware/Technology section are smart enough to know this.
if you didn't notice i leik pokemon