"Jim Davis" <address@hidden> wrote:
I was feeling a bit slapped, because tone does not transmit
via email.. only words. terse words are easily
misunderstood.
And thus, it is the reader's task to study those words carefully
and not simply latch on to the first interpretation that occurs
to him.
RTFM is not terse, its rude.
On the contrary, it is the standard reply to someone who has just
asked the number one FAQ. Many would claim that you were rude.
The traditional list / news group protocol is to lurk for a while
and read the FAQ's before asking silly questions. Keep in mind
that this is an all volunteer community list, not tech support
provided by paid staffers.
Telling you to RTFM is far more polite and helpful than what you
got from most of the rest of us. I, for example, read your
question, and simply ignored you.
You are right to suggest that some of us are
not as familiar with the territory as others, and some compassion would
go a long way.
Compassion is a good thing, in general. It is not the function of
this list, however.