For the past couple of years I have been using Linux on and off for basic development and to get accustomed to Operating Systems other than Windows, something that anyone who is serious about development work should do.

Don’t get me wrong! Linux is a fantastic OS and the development that has gone into it is almost unrivalled by any other piece of software. However, despite all the claims that “Linux is ready for the desktop” or “This is the year of Linux”, if you are not comfortable with another OS then you will struggle somewhere along the line. Not everything can be accomplished without having to dive into the command line, and not everything works perfectly out of the box.

When you’re in trouble the best place to go is on the Internet, because there aren’t that many tech-support companies that’ll support you if you’re running Linux. The advantage of this is that it’s free, and the Linux Community can be very friendly when helping users that wish to stick with their favourite OS. From personal experience the best place to go for Linux help is the Ubuntu Forums or Linux Forums, although you’ll most likely be better off attempting a Google search for your problems first and picking up a forum that suits your needs.

That being said, as a regular on a number of forums there are certain rules that people need to abide by, and with the Linux Community this is no exception. Like any tech-oriented community many top users are very elitist, but will help those that need it, as long as they ask in the proper way. Here are a few pointers to help get the most out of your chosen Linux community.

Read the Manual!

I know that when you come across a problem it can seem as if the world is crashing around you, but the first point of call is ALWAYS to check any kind of documentation available to you. The easiest way to become public enemy number one on any forum is to ask a question that already has an answer. To remedy this situation read any desktop manual you have, and if that fails a simple Google search will find you many resources, including:

• Ubuntu Desktop Guide
• Ubuntu Server Guide
• Ubuntu Guide
• The Linux Documentation Project
• Agustin’s Linux Manual

Whilst these manuals are all very good, Linux has a reputation for not having a lot of top-quality documentation to boast. Whilst it’s getting pretty good now with community efforts you will often find a time when a certain problem is nowhere to be found.

Linux Forum Etiquette

If you cannot find advice on the Internet then you’re most likely going to have to use a forum to get your help. I recommend shopping around on Google first before you decide to join a forum, because the last thing you’ll want to do is to post on a forum that no one uses.

Once you’ve found the forum that you want to post to, the first thing you should do is read the rules of the forum. It’s an obvious mistake that most users make when posting on a forum for the first time, but it’s very important to forums like this that the rules are kept to. A lot of people around the world count on these forums and the moderators behind it work very hard on keeping them alive, so don’t give them any unnecessary work to do!

Once you can remember the rules off the top of your head then the next thing you should do before posting is to use the forums search page to search for your problem. Do a number of searches using loads of different quotes, parameters and words to try and find a similar problem.

Making your post

If you cannot find a similar problem then feel free to make a post on the forum detailing your problem. Ensure that you include as much information as you possibly can, such as:

• Logs. If they exist be sure to post any logs of what’s happened. If you’re posting anything long then be sure to host a text file or screenshot elsewhere with the problem instead of posting it on the forum. You don’t want to waste previous bandwidth! Pastebin is an extremely useful tool used on most Linux and general development forums.
• Exactly what you were doing once the error occurred, as well as what was running, your most recent installs, any upgrades you’ve added, and any hardware that has changed.
• The specifications of your computer, including what was once there and what you’re running on now.

If you have the need to post any code or terminal information (be sure to keep it short if putting it into a post) then you may want to use the code tags provided by most forum scripts. When posting code, do this.

[code]Insert your code or logs here![\code]

Aside from that, monitor what the most popular posts in the category have done. If users have asked for help in a certain way and loads of people have posted to help then perhaps their method is the best way to go about it.

Your thread title is probably the most important part of your post. Once creating a new thread be sure to include a good thread title that explains the situation, but doesn’t take up three lines of space, giving any error codes or file names priority.

Once your problem is solved

If your problem is solved by the community, congratulations!

Before you go off galavanting, never to be seen again until you have a problem, be sure that you add a final post, adding:

• A very sincere thank you to everyone that has helped you.
• What you had to do to fix the problem.

This is just common courtesy. If you were to spend your valuable time on this planet helping someone with their computer the least you’d expect is a thank you. Be sure you give it to them, perhaps even going further by sticking around on the forum and contributing some posts to help others.