Re: [csmith-dev] Mailing list questions guidance

[Eric Eide <eeide@cs.utah.edu>]

sameeran joshi <gsocsameeran@gmail.com> writes:

> Can anyone please clarify about the questions/doubts/help which should be and
> which should not be asked on mailing list.

Pretty much any question about Csmith is OK to ask here.  For example, people
often post question about compiling Csmith, or bugs that they think they have
found, or similar.

Here are four good rules to follow when asking a question or posting another
kind of message to this mailing list.

FIRST, be sure that the question is specific to the mailing list.  For example,
reporting that the `configure` script for Csmith doesn't run properly is a
good subject for a message to this list.  Asking how to run `configure` scripts
in general is not a good subject.

SECOND, be as precise as you can.  If you are reporting a bug, for example, you
should identify the specific version of Csmith that you are using; the OS and
compiler than you are using; the exact input that you give to Cmith; the exact
output that you are receiving; and so on.  These details are essential in order
for anybody to understand the bug/behavior you are reporting.

THIRD, do your homework.  When you ask a question, people will expect that you
have already tried hard to solve your problem yourself.  If it seems that you
have not already made a significant effort to figure out things yourself,
people will generally tell you to do your homework.  Again, in your email, it
is generally a good idea to explain how you tried to answer your own question
before you decided to ask the mailing list.

FOURTH, remember that the people on the mailing list may have limited time.
You should think of mailing lists as a "last resort" rather than a "first
resort."  A mailing list is not a good replacement for a professor or colleague
at your own insitution who can work with you on a day-to-day basis.

The following web page might give you more advice about how mailing lists for
open-source projects work.  The web page is particular to the mailing lists for
R, an open-source package for statisics, but the advice can be generally
applied to many projects, including Csmith:

  https://www.r-project.org/posting-guide.html

Welcome to Csmith, and happy hacking! ---

Eric.

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Eric Eide <eeide@cs.utah.edu>  .         University of Utah School of Computing
http://www.cs.utah.edu/~eeide/ . +1 (801) 585-5512 voice, +1 (801) 581-5843 FAX