[CentOS] OT: is parted reliable?

[MHR]

On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 1:36 PM, Bob Taylor <bob8221 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I've just installed CentOS. my X doesn't work. Now what do I do to fix
> it.
>
> A valid question needing a valid answer. List maintainers can do what I
> do. Skip the thread.
>

But asked in a totally inappropriate fashion.  The question should be posted as:

"I've just installed CentOS 5.2 32-bit on an XXX CPU machine with xxGB
of memory and xxGB of disk (in an LVM or whatever).  My X doesn't work
- when I try it I get this:

<disturbing problem output>

I've read the man pages and Googled for this, but nothing shows up
that explains it (or my search criteria <yadda yadda blah> weren't an
effective choice)."

Even moderately experienced Linux people like me need at least that
much information just to know if I know enough to answer, and
eventually this information should come out anyway.  Putting it up
front shows a) the user knows enough to ask a decent question and b)
more experienced users who might be able to answer should have enough
either to answer or ask more specific questions leading to an answer.

This is basic list etiquette, and in the last two weeks I've seen more
questions in the first form above (Bob's) that required digging in
toward the second form (my example) before anything was forthcoming.
That's a waste of the list's space and the user's time, if we read
them at all.

I've made noises about this from time to time, but now I just don't
care enough to answer them any more because, as little as I know from
my ten years with Linux, almost 2 with CentOS and not quite 29 with
computers in general, I'm not willing to waste my time or delve into
my experience to answer such illiterate questions.  If I did, the
answer would probably be RTFM, STFW or something like that (pretty
much what I've been told :-).

I'm beginning to understand why Vandaman was so stiff about his
responses, and the more BS we allow in, the more we'll get.

This is NOT to say that newbies and newcomers to the list should never
ask questions, but for heaven's sake - do some research FIRST, and
then provide as much useful information as you can when you DO ask.
You're supposed to read the list (or lurk, I suppose) for at least a
MONTH before asking a question, just so you can get a feel for what
works best and how people interact (read the list etiquette "rules"
linked at the page at the bottom of this, and every, post).

And, yes, Read The Flicking Manuals, Search The Frigging Web and THEN
ask if you don't have an answer.  And, yes, even I (sounds grandiose
but I don't mean it that way...) sometimes miss one of those, or ask
something dumb - it happens.

When you've shown that you know how to ask, preferably more often than
not, you get some courtesy from those who know because you have made
the effort.  Sometimes searching the web is trickier than it seems,
and one query might not give you everything if you don't ask quite
right.

</rant2>

mhr