RULES FOR THE PASCAL ECHO - THE DETAILS (updated April 1, 2011)
The Pascal echo is an internationally distributed FidoNet echo devoted
to the discussion and promotion of the Pascal programming language in
all its variations.
MODERATOR.
The current moderator is Gert Koefoed Andersen. I can be reached by Netmail
at 2:236/150 or by email at gert@kofo.org - Gert_k@andersen.tdcadsl.dk.
RULES
1. Leave moderation to the moderator. Self appointed "echo policemen"
only waste echo space and create ill-feeling.
2. NO FLAMING. If you feel that you have been insulted in some way by
somebody, you have three options.
(a) Complain by netmail to the person concerned.
(b) Bring the matter to the moderator's notice - again by netmail.
(c) Ignore it. (the preferred option!)
3. Person-person messages that are not of general interest to other
users are STRICTLY not permitted. Netmail these types of messages.
4. When replying to messages try to do so "off-line" and quote some of
the message being replied to, but don't go overboard with quoting.
Quote just enough to enable the context of the reply to be fully
understood and in particular DO NOT INCLUDE PARTS OF THE TEAR AND
ORIGIN LINES.
Try reading over your reply before you commit yourself to sending
it. Try to anticipate the first question readers will ask, and add
the answer to your message.
5. When replying to questions with code examples, test them where
possible by compiling and running them (or state that you have not
done this). If possible always quote manual references, text
references etc.
6. If replying to a question where you are disagreeing with the other
person's code or statements, support your viewpoint with working
code examples or valid text references. This will be more
productive than unsupported statements. If you are not prepared to
do this then don't reply in the first place!
7. Do not ENTER or REPLY TO off-topic messages. The subject matter is
Pascal. Discussions on religion, politics, copyright, language
wars and personal messages are OFF-TOPIC. Any subject that is
illegal or undesirable in a responsible conference - eg discussion
or tips on producing viruses or how to illegally obtain access to
information that the user is unauthorised to obtain, is off-topic.
Sometimes messages from other conferences become linked into
another conference due to faulty software. Replying to, or
commenting on, such messages is off-topic.
The main point is to use common sense. Some light hearted banter
can relieve the formality and brighten up one's day but do not
carry this to the length where it becomes an extended thread. The
object of the echo is to help, get help and enjoy communicating
with like-minded people.
8. No "thank-you" or "no content" or "rubbish" messages. Sysops spend
a great deal of time and money to enable the distribution of echoes
such as this. Please respect this and avoid messages such as "Thank
you. Just what I needed" or "I agree" etc. By observing this
etiquette you will be helping to ensure greater participation in
the future. If you miss a message or code for some reason, make
your own private arrangements to get it. Repeated postings of code
are expensive and unnecessary.
9. All messages are to be in the English language and must be in PLAIN
TEXT. No encoding of any kind is permissible. As the aim of the
conference is to help, discuss and demonstrate the Pascal language,
no .OBJ, .EXE or .COM files of any description are permitted
REGARDLESS of how they be constructed. The echo is NOT to be
regarded as a file transfer or exchange channel.
10. Limited, low key, on-topic advertising is permitted, provided that
it is authorised by the sysop of the originating BBS and by the
Moderator BEFORE it is posted here.
11. When seeking assistance -
a) If Turbo Pascal is your language, place the cursor on the key
word and call the on-line help (Ctrl-F1 in the IDE) to see if
the answer may be there.
b) Double check the manual to see if the answer is there.
c) When writing the message include enough code to allow would-be
helpers to have a chance to determine what the problem might
be. If possible condense the problem into a tiny working
example and post that.
d) This is a high volume echo so use a subject line in the message
that is likely to gain attention from the experts who are often
too busy to read every message. "Help wanted" or similar is a
good way to be ignored. Something like "Exec procedure not
working" is better.
e) Remember that a reply of "RTFM" is not considered or meant as
an insult. In fact it is considered a polite (in spite of the
connotations) way of reminding someone that the answer they
seek is in the manual.
f) Remember also that your reply may come from anyone, of possibly
unknown skill level. Don't be too upset if misled as it is
probably unintentional and will almost certainly be corrected
by another reader.
g) Many BBSs carry a file - FAQ.TXT (or similar) - which contains
the answers to frequently asked questions.
h) Via Pascal-Net the SWAG files get distributed every 3 months.
Most sources placed in this area, will make it to that
collection. Check this file if it already has your answer in
it, as most questions have been asked and aswered before.
12. When offering advice or help -
a) Do so in a helpful, polite manner. Don't be condescending -
not everybody may have your experience or skills.
b) Refer to the page in the manual where the answer is if your
answer is "RTFM"! Better still, avoid using "RTFM" at all.
13. Messages should comply with the FidoNet message requirements.
Origin lines should not exceed 79 characters, tear lines must not
exceed 25 characters and messages should not contain extended
"internet" style signatures. No encoded text is permitted. Messages
must be less than 200 lines, and less than 16K.
14. Code posted should be in the public domain. No copyrighted code
may be posted unless the copyright owner included permission for
non-profit reproduction and use in the original code. Code posted
without copyright claim will be regarded as in the Public Domain.
15. Election of Moderator. Under a normal situation, if the moderator
wishes to step aside, s/he will appoint a new moderator taking into
account the wishes of the regular users where possible. In the
event of a moderator ceasing to participate in the echo for a
period of three months without prior notice being given of the
absence, for whatever reason, then the ZEC (1:1/201) will conduct,
or nominate a regular and senior echo participant to conduct an
election for a new moderator.
With kind regards,
Gert Koefoed Andersen
binkp.kofobbs.dk
Moderator PASCAL
Pascal-Net IC 115:115/0
--- Posted by The Pascal Moderator
* Origin: The given word from The Pascal-Net IC (1:230/150)
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