.\" http://terri.zone12.com/other/manrtfm.txt
.TH RTFM 7 LinuxChix.org
.SH NAME
rtfm \- Acronym for Read The F*cking Manual

.SH USAGE
.B Person1: 
"How do I...?"

.B Person2: 
"RTFM" 

.B Person1: 
"huh?"

.SH DESCRIPTION
.B RTFM 
is often used as a response to technical questions. 
Unfortunately, many people don't even know how to 
.B *find* 
the manual, let alone understand it.

If someone tells you to RTFM, they could mean any of the 
following:		

.IP (1)	
The manual says it better than I do, please look there.
.IP (2)	
I'm too busy to answer you right now; try to find the answer 
yourself.
.IP (3)	
I don't know the answer to your question.
.IP (4)	
I've been asked this question too many times and I'm irritable. 
Find the answer yourself.

.SH OPTIONS
There are a number of options available when you have been told to 
RTFM:

.IP (1)	
Try the man pages.  (Or info, or \-\-help)
This is useful if you know the name of the command or 
application you are using.  Type "\fBman\fR" (without the quotes) 
followed by the name of the command.  For more information on 
man, (which is short for "manual") type "\fBman man\fR" (without the
quotes.)  

If you don't know the exact command you need, try using apropos
or man -k to get a list of commands that do have man pages 
available. (eg "\fBman \-k rename\fR")

Also, sometimes there is more than one man page with the same 
name that might be listed like this: "\fIhiccup(8)\fR" To get to that
particular page, use "\fBman 8 hiccup\fR".

Similarly, you can use the "\fBinfo\fR" command to get more 
information on some applications, (type "\fBinfo info\fR" to learn 
more about info) and you can often use the \fB\-\-help\fR or \fB\-h\fR flag 
(eg "\fBman \-\-help\fR") to get a quick summary of options.

.IP (2)	
Look for other documentation on your machine.  

Try looking in \fI/usr/doc\fR or \fI/usr/doc/HOWTO\fR or 
other documentation directories.  (The location of the 
documentation will vary depending on how your system is setup.)

.IP (3)	
Look at the Linux Documentation Project.

It can be found at \fIhttp://www.linuxdoc.org/\fR.  In fact, this is
probably easier than looking for documentation on your system.

.IP (4)	
Search the web.  

Try looking through archives to see if anyone else has asked 
the same question.  I suggest using Google (\fIhttp://www.google.com/\fR) 
for websearches or searching newsgroups using \fIhttp://groups.google.com\fR, 
but there are many other ways to do it.

If your queries are coming up with information that doesn't 
help you, try including the search terms like "HOWTO", "FAQ" or 
"Guide".  

If you're using a specific application, make sure to look up 
the webpage for that application.  And try to look at the 
homepage for your distribution (Eg: \fIhttp://www.debian.org, 
http://www.redhat.com, http://www.slackware.com, \fRetc.).  Often
they have search engines of their own.

.IP (5)	
Rephrase your query.

Maybe what you asked was too broad or wasn't well understood. 
Rather than just asking exactly the same thing again, try to 
explain yourself further, telling people what you've tried and
what documentation you've already read.  Ask if anyone knows 
of a good HOW-TO or can direct you to a webpage.  As a rule, 
the more information you give about your problem the more 
likely someone is to be able to help, and people are much more
willing to help you if you're showing that you're really 
interested in learning.

If you've posted on a public forum, often there are many people
listening to your query, so give them a chance to respond 
before giving up hope!

.IP (6)	
Ask a knowledgeable friend.

If you know someone, they're more likely to feel guilty about 
brushing you off and telling you to read the manual.  It's not
a bad idea to offer to make them dinner or do them a favour as
a thank you!  

.SH SEE ALSO
.B man, 
.B info, 
.B help, 
.B http://www.linuxdoc.org

