source: introduction/welcome/askhelp.xml@ cacf29f

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<sect1 id="intro-welcome-askhelp">
<sect1info>
<othername>$LastChangedBy$</othername>
<date>$Date$</date>
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<?dbhtml filename="askhelp.html"?>
<title>Asking for help and the <acronym>FAQ</acronym></title>

<para>If you encounter a problem while using this book, and your problem
is not listed in the <acronym>FAQ</acronym> (<ulink
url="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/faq"/>), you will find that most of the 
people on Internet Relay Chat (<acronym>IRC</acronym>) and on the mailing lists 
are willing to help you. An overview of the <acronym>LFS</acronym> mailing 
lists can be found in <xref linkend="intro-welcome-maillists"/>. To assist us 
in diagnosing and solving your problem, include as much relevant information as 
possible in your request for help.</para>

<sect2>
<title>Things to check prior to asking</title>

<para>Before asking for help, you should review the following
items:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>Is the hardware support compiled into the kernel or
available as a module to the kernel?  If it is a module, is it configured
properly in <filename>modules.conf</filename> and has it been loaded?  You
should use <command>lsmod</command> as root to see if it's loaded. Check the
<filename>sys.log</filename> or run <command>modprobe &lt;driver&gt;
</command> to review any error message.  If it loads properly, you may need 
to add the <command>modprobe</command> to your boot scripts.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para>Are your permissions properly set, especially for
devices? <acronym>LFS</acronym> uses groups to make these settings easier, but 
it also adds the step of adding users to groups to allow access. A simple
<command>moduser -G audio &lt;user&gt;</command> may be all that's necessary 
for that user to have access to the sound system.  Any question that starts 
out with "It works as root, but not as ..." requires a thorough review
of permissions prior to asking.</para></listitem>

<listitem><para><acronym>BLFS</acronym> liberally uses <filename>
/opt/&lt;package&gt;</filename>. The main objection to this centers around the 
need to expand your environment variables for each package placed there (e.g.,
PATH=$PATH:/opt/kde/bin).  In some cases, the package will walk you
through the changes, but some will not.  The section called "<ulink
url="beyond.html">Going Beyond BLFS</ulink>" is available to help you check.</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist></sect2>

<sect2>
<title>Things to mention</title>

<para>Apart from a brief explanation of the problem you're having, the
essential things to include in your request are:</para>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>the version of the book you are using (being
&version;),</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>the package or section giving you
problems,</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>the exact error message or symptom you are
receiving,</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>whether you have deviated from the book or
<acronym>LFS</acronym> at all.</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>

<para>(Note that saying that you've deviated from the book doesn't mean
that we won't help you. It'll just help us to see other possible causes of your problem.)</para>

<para>Expect guidance instead of specific instructions. If you are
instructed to read something, please do so. It generally implies that
the answer was way too obvious and that the question would not have been asked 
if a little research was done prior to asking. The volunteers in the mailing 
list prefer not to be used as an alternative to doing reasonable research on
your end.  In addition, the quality of your experience with <acronym>BLFS
</acronym> is also greatly enhanced by this research, and the quality of 
volunteers is enhanced because they don't feel that their time has been abused, 
so they are far more likely to participate.</para>

<para>An excellent article on asking for help on the Internet in general
has been written by Eric S. Raymond. It is available online at <ulink
url="http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html"/>.
Read and follow the hints in that document and you are much more likely
to get a response to start with and also to get the help you actually
need.</para>
</sect2>

</sect1>