Commit | Line | Data |
---|---|---|
1bac2ebb | 1 | GNU Project Electronic Mailing Lists and gnUSENET Newsgroups |
b727702b | 2 | Last Updated 2006-06-03 |
1bac2ebb DL |
3 | |
4 | Please report improvements to: gnu@gnu.org | |
5 | ||
b727702b EZ |
6 | See the end of this file for copyright notice and copying conditions |
7 | ||
1bac2ebb DL |
8 | * Mailing list archives |
9 | ||
6a6cc11c RS |
10 | The GNU mailing lists are archived at http://lists.gnu.org. |
11 | ||
12 | * Some GNU mailing lists are also distributed as USENET news groups | |
13 | ||
14 | Certain GNU mailing lists are gated both ways with the gnu.all | |
15 | newsgroups at uunet. You can tell which they are, because the names | |
16 | correspond. For instance, bug-gnu-emacs corresponds to gnu.emacs.bug; | |
17 | info-gnu-emacs, to gnu.emacs.announce; help-gnu-emacs, to | |
18 | gnu.emacs.help; gnu-emacs-sources, to gnu.emacs.sources. Replacing | |
19 | `emacs' with some other program in those four examples shows you | |
20 | the whole pattern. | |
21 | ||
1bac2ebb DL |
22 | * How to subscribe to and report bugs in mailing lists |
23 | ||
24 | Send requests to be added or removed, to help-gnu-emacs-request (or | |
25 | info-gnu-request, bug-gdb-request, etc.), NOT to info-gnu-emacs (or | |
26 | info-gnu, etc.). Most <LIST_NAME>-request addresses are now handled | |
6a6cc11c | 27 | automagically by GNU Mailman. |
1bac2ebb DL |
28 | |
29 | If you need to report problems to a human, send mail to gnu@gnu.org | |
30 | explaining the problem. | |
31 | ||
32 | Many of the GNU mailing lists are very large and are received by many | |
0ede4df3 | 33 | people. |
1bac2ebb DL |
34 | |
35 | If a message you mail to a list is returned from a MAILER-DAEMON (often | |
36 | with the line: | |
37 | ----- Transcript of session follows ----- | |
38 | don't resend the message to the list. All this return means is that | |
39 | your original message failed to reach a few addresses on the list. Such | |
40 | messages are NEVER a reason to resend a piece of mail a 2nd time. This | |
41 | just bothers all (less the few delivery failures (which will probably | |
42 | just fail again!)) of the readers of the list with a message they have | |
43 | already seen. It also wastes computer and network resources. | |
44 | ||
45 | It is appropriate to send these to the -request address for a list, and | |
46 | ask them to check the problem out. | |
47 | ||
48 | * Send Specific Requests for Information to: gnu@gnu.org | |
49 | ||
50 | Specific requests for information about obtaining GNU software, or GNU | |
51 | activities in Cambridge and elsewhere can be directed to: | |
52 | gnu@gnu.org | |
53 | ||
54 | * General Information about all lists | |
55 | ||
0ede4df3 GM |
56 | Do not send very large files to mailing lists; instead put then on a web |
57 | page and announce the URL. Good bug reports are short. | |
6a6cc11c RS |
58 | See section '* General Information about bug-* lists and ...' for |
59 | further details. | |
1bac2ebb | 60 | |
1bac2ebb DL |
61 | The GNU mailing lists and newsgroups, like the GNU project itself, exist |
62 | to promote the freedom to share software. So don't use these lists to | |
63 | promote or recommend non-free software or documentation, like | |
64 | proprietary books on GNU software. (Using them to post ordering | |
65 | information is the ultimate faux pas.) If there is no free program to | |
66 | do a certain task, then somebody should write one! Similarly, free | |
67 | documentation that is inadequate should be improved--a way in which | |
68 | non-programmers can make a valuable contribution. See also the article | |
69 | at <URL:http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-doc.html>. | |
70 | ||
71 | * General Information about info-* lists | |
72 | ||
73 | These lists and their newsgroups are meant for important announcements. | |
74 | Since the GNU project uses software development as a means for social | |
75 | change, the announcements may be technical or political. | |
76 | ||
77 | Most GNU projects info-* lists (and their corresponding gnu.*.announce | |
78 | newsgroups) are moderated to keep their content significant and | |
79 | relevant. If you have a bug to report, send it to the bug-* list. If | |
80 | you need help on something else and the help-* list exists, ask it. | |
81 | ||
82 | See section '* General Information about all lists'. | |
83 | ||
84 | * General Information about help-* lists | |
85 | ||
86 | These lists (and their newsgroups) exist for anyone to ask questions | |
87 | about the GNU software that the list deals with. The lists are read by | |
88 | people who are willing to take the time to help other users. | |
89 | ||
90 | When you answer the questions that people ask on the help-* lists, keep | |
91 | in mind that you shouldn't answer by promoting a proprietary program as | |
92 | a solution. The only real solutions are the ones all the readers can | |
93 | share. | |
94 | ||
95 | If a program crashes, or if you build it following the standard | |
96 | procedure on a system on which it is supposed to work and it does not | |
97 | work at all, or if an command does not behave as it is documented to | |
98 | behave, this is a bug. Don't send bug reports to a help-* list; mail | |
99 | them to the bug-* list instead. | |
100 | ||
101 | See section '* General Information about all lists'. | |
102 | ||
103 | * General Information about bug-* lists and reporting program bugs | |
104 | ||
105 | If you think something is a bug in a program, it might be one; or, it | |
106 | might be a misunderstanding or even a feature. Before beginning to | |
0ede4df3 GM |
107 | report bugs, please read the section ``Reporting Bugs'' in |
108 | the GNU Emacs reference manual (or node Bugs in Emacs's | |
1bac2ebb DL |
109 | built-in Info system) for a discussion of how and when to send in bug |
110 | reports. For GNU programs other than GNU Emacs, also consult their | |
111 | documentation for their bug reporting procedures. Always include the | |
112 | version number of the GNU program, as well as the operating system and | |
113 | machine the program was ran on (if the program doesn't have a version | |
114 | number, send the date of the latest entry in the file ChangeLog). For | |
115 | GNU Emacs bugs, type "M-x emacs-version". A debugger backtrace of any | |
116 | core dump can also be useful. Be careful to separate out hypothesis | |
117 | from fact! For bugs in GNU Emacs lisp, set variable debug-on-error to | |
118 | t, and re-enter the command(s) that cause the error message; Emacs will | |
119 | pop up a debug buffer if something is wrong; please include a copy of | |
120 | the buffer in your bug report. Please also try to make your bug report | |
121 | as short as possible; distill the problem to as few lines of code and/or | |
122 | input as possible. GNU maintainers give priority to the shortest, high | |
123 | quality bug reports. | |
124 | ||
125 | Please don't send in a patch without a test case to illustrate the | |
126 | problem the patch is supposed to fix. Sometimes the patches aren't | |
127 | correct or aren't the best way to do the job, and without a test case | |
128 | there is no way to debug an alternate fix. | |
129 | ||
130 | The purpose of reporting a bug is to enable the bug to be fixed for the | |
131 | sake of the whole community of users. You may or may not receive a | |
132 | response; the maintainers will send one if that helps them find or | |
133 | verify a fix. Most GNU maintainers are volunteers and all are | |
134 | overworked; they don't have time to help individuals and still fix the | |
135 | bugs and make the improvements that everyone wants. If you want help | |
136 | for yourself in particular, you may have to hire someone. The GNU | |
137 | project maintains a list of people providing such services. It is | |
0ede4df3 | 138 | found at <URL:http://www.fsf.org/resources/service>. |
1bac2ebb | 139 | |
0b381c7e | 140 | Anything addressed to the implementers and maintainers of a GNU program |
1bac2ebb DL |
141 | via a bug-* list, should NOT be sent to the corresponding info-* or |
142 | help-* list. | |
143 | ||
144 | Please DON'T post your bug reports on the gnu.*.bug newsgroups! Mail | |
145 | them to bug-*@gnu.org instead! At first sight, it seems to make no | |
146 | difference: anything sent to one will be propagated to the other; but: | |
147 | - if you post on the newsgroup, the information about how to | |
148 | reach you is lost in the message that goes on the mailing list. It | |
149 | can be very important to know how to reach you, if there is anything | |
150 | in the bug report that we don't understand; | |
151 | - bug reports reach the GNU maintainers quickest when they are | |
152 | sent to the bug-* mailing list submittal address; | |
153 | - mail is much more reliable then netnews; and | |
154 | - if the internet mailers can't get your bug report delivered, | |
155 | they almost always send you an error message, so you can find another | |
156 | way to get the bug report in. When netnews fails to get your message | |
157 | delivered to the maintainers, you'll never know about it and the | |
158 | maintainers will never see the bug report. | |
159 | ||
160 | And please DON'T post your GNU bug reports to comp.* or other gnu.* | |
161 | newsgroups, they never make it to the GNU maintainers at all. Please | |
162 | mail them to bug-*@gnu.org instead! | |
163 | ||
6a6cc11c RS |
164 | * Some special lists that don't fit the usual patterns of help-, bug- and info- |
165 | ||
166 | ** info-gnu-request@gnu.org to subscribe to info-gnu | |
1bac2ebb | 167 | |
6a6cc11c RS |
168 | gnUSENET newsgroup: gnu.announce |
169 | Send announcements to: info-gnu@gnu.org | |
1bac2ebb DL |
170 | |
171 | This list distributes progress reports on the GNU Project. It is also | |
172 | used by the GNU Project to ask people for various kinds of help. It is | |
6a6cc11c | 173 | moderated and NOT for general discussion. |
1bac2ebb | 174 | |
6a6cc11c | 175 | ** gnu-misc-discuss-request@gnu.org to subscribe to gnu-misc-discuss |
1bac2ebb | 176 | |
6a6cc11c RS |
177 | gnUSENET newsgroup: gnu.misc.discuss |
178 | Send contributions to: gnu-misc-discuss@gnu.org | |
1bac2ebb | 179 | |
6a6cc11c | 180 | This list is for serious discussion of free software, the GNU Project, |
1bac2ebb DL |
181 | the GNU Manifesto, and their implications. It's THE place for |
182 | discussion that is not appropriate in the other GNU mailing lists and | |
183 | gnUSENET newsgroups. | |
184 | ||
185 | Flaming is out of place. Tit-for-tat is not welcome. Repetition | |
186 | should not occur. | |
187 | ||
188 | Good READING and writing are expected. Before posting, wait a while, | |
189 | cool off, and think. | |
190 | ||
191 | Don't use this group for complaints and bug reports about GNU software! | |
6a6cc11c RS |
192 | The maintainers of the package you are using probably don't read this |
193 | group; they won't see your complaint. Use the appropriate bug-reporting | |
194 | mailing list instead, so that people who can do something about the | |
195 | problem will see it. Likewise, use the help- list for technical | |
196 | questions. | |
1bac2ebb DL |
197 | |
198 | Don't trust pronouncements made on gnu-misc-discuss about what GNU is, | |
199 | what FSF position is, what the GNU General Public License is, etc., | |
200 | unless they are made by someone you know is well connected with GNU and | |
201 | are sure the message is not forged. | |
202 | ||
203 | USENET and gnUSENET readers are expected to have read ALL the articles | |
0ede4df3 | 204 | in news.announce.newusers before posting. |
1bac2ebb | 205 | |
1bac2ebb DL |
206 | Remember, "GNUs Not Unix" and "gnUSENET is Not USENET". We have |
207 | higher standards! | |
208 | ||
6a6cc11c | 209 | ** gnu-emacs-sources-request@gnu.org to subscribe to gnu-emacs-sources |
1bac2ebb | 210 | |
6a6cc11c RS |
211 | gnUSENET newsgroup: gnu.emacs.sources |
212 | GNU Emacs source code to: gnu-emacs-sources@gnu.org | |
1bac2ebb DL |
213 | |
214 | This list/newsgroup will be for the posting, by their authors, of Emacs | |
215 | Lisp and C sources and patches that improve GNU Emacs. Its contents | |
216 | will be reviewed by the FSF for inclusion in future releases of GNU | |
217 | Emacs. | |
218 | ||
219 | Please do NOT discuss or request source code here. Use | |
220 | help-gnu-emacs/gnu.emacs.help for those purposes. This allows the | |
221 | automatic archiving of sources posted to this list/newsgroup. | |
222 | ||
223 | Please do NOT post such sources to any other GNU mailing list (e.g | |
224 | help-gnu-emacs) or gnUSENET newsgroups (e.g. gnu.emacs.help). It's up | |
225 | to each poster to decide whether to cross-post to any non-gnUSENET | |
0ede4df3 | 226 | newsgroup (e.g. comp.emacs). |
1bac2ebb DL |
227 | |
228 | Please do NOT announce that you have posted source code to | |
229 | gnu.emacs.sources to any other GNU mailing list (e.g. help-gnu-emacs) or | |
230 | gnUSENET newsgroups (e.g. gnu.emacs.help). People who want to keep up | |
231 | with sources will read this list/newsgroup. It's up to each poster to | |
232 | decide whether to announce a gnu.emacs.sources article in any | |
0ede4df3 | 233 | non-gnUSENET newsgroup (e.g. comp.emacs). |
1bac2ebb DL |
234 | |
235 | If source or patches that were previously posted or a simple fix is | |
236 | requested in help-gnu-emacs, please mail it to the requester. Do NOT | |
237 | repost it. If you also want something that is requested, send mail to | |
238 | the requester asking him to forward it to you. This kind of traffic is | |
239 | best handled by e-mail, not by a broadcast medium that reaches millions | |
240 | of sites. | |
241 | ||
0ede4df3 | 242 | If the requested source is very long, send mail offering to |
1bac2ebb DL |
243 | send it. This prevents the requester from getting many redundant copies |
244 | and saves network bandwidth. | |
245 | ||
1bac2ebb DL |
246 | Local variables: |
247 | mode: outline | |
248 | fill-column: 72 | |
249 | End: | |
ab5796a9 | 250 | |
ba318903 | 251 | Copyright (C) 1999, 2001-2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
b727702b EZ |
252 | |
253 | Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining | |
254 | a copy of this file, to deal in the file without restriction, including | |
255 | without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, | |
256 | distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the file, and to | |
257 | permit persons to whom the file is furnished to do so, subject to | |
258 | the following condition: | |
259 | ||
260 | The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be | |
261 | included in all copies or substantial portions of the file. |