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SubjectRe: A new FAQ for the Linux kernel mailing list
Date
Hi Pavel,

On Sat, 18 Jul 1998, Pavel Machek wrote:
....
>You actually added line to every mail, which is adding noise in my
>eyes. (Well, not actually you, but someone did.) Could you take them
>back? Or replace whole

Wow, a meta-FAQ question!

We (meaning the FAQ contributors) thought long and hard before asking Aaron
Porter (the Majordomo owner for the linux kernel mailing list) to add this
single, short phrase to the standard footer of the lkml posts.

It is a trade-off, but we understand that without this reminder, the FAQ would
be ignored by most newcomers and by the totality of people who search the
archives using Altavista or Dejanews.

>
>To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
>the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
>Please read the FAQ at http://www.altern.org/andrebalsa/doc/lkml-faq.html
>
>With
>
>Read FAQ at http://.... .
>
>And having the first question 'how to unsubcsribe?'.

The Q/A "How do I unsubscribe from the linux kernel mailing list?" is already
in the FAQ. It is Q/A 3.2 in the "Mailing List Questions" section.

But again, removing the single-line instruction on how to unsubscribe at the
footer of the lkml posts involves a trade-off. I think it's a consensus that
without this short reminder, many people would stay on the list without _really_
needing to. People _are_ lazy, you know... The problem is that, with thousands
of lazy people, vger would quickly grind to a halt...

GNU/Linux is becoming so widespread, and the kernel list has gained so much
visibility, that there is now a price to pay for this increased exposure: the
list must become more friendly to newcomers and GNU/Linux beginners.

It's like writing kernel documentation: "die-hard" kernel hackers may do without
it, but the vast majority of GNU/Linux users _need_ it. So I invite you to
contribute to the FAQ with a Q/A or "primer" document in your specific area(s)
of competence. It will be most welcome. :-)

Thanks for giving us a chance to justify the added line in the footer of the
lkml posts. I hope you find the line more acceptable now.

Cheers,
---------------------
Andrew D. Balsa
andrebalsa@altern.org


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