courtesy to current & future members

[ocicat]

We have had an influx of new members in the last several weeks, & this is great! This site attempts to help clear up misconceptions with the usage of the *BSD family.



Although a number of members participate in the current discussions, we find that most members, & a vast number of non-members, search through the archives for former discussions on specific topics. Those of us who help administer this site find a constant stream of old threads open at all hours of the day & night. Always.

So, to help facilitate searching by all, please limit discussion in threads to a single topic -- that started by the first post in the thread. Consider the thread to be "owned" by the original poster, & please respect the direction they are taking in shaping discussion. Digressions, side discussions, & overt hijacking obscures the progression & logical flow. Following such convolutions is not only difficult for those currently participating in the thread to follow, but also for future readers trying to find information on related subjects.

Note that this is not meant to hinder discussion. Side discussions are encouraged by starting new threads. Starting new threads is easy.

Also, consider that readers of this site span the world, & English may not be their first, native language. Discussions which meander may be incomprehensible to newcomers to English.

So, please respect our goal of instituting some discipline. We are aware that other sites don't follow this practice, but it helps everyone.

This practice is also covered in the forum rules.