In the early days when the internet was mostly email lists and Usenet groups there was a common response to a painfully obvious question already covered well elsewhere:
RTFM – Read The Fucking Manual
The trouble was in those days the manuals were not found in obvious places and were often written by authors who assumed a readership well versed in the subject. In other words, if you could find, understand and use the manual, you didn’t need the manual.
Well, these days there is a better manual. It is called Google.
You may not get the right answer, but you often will if you simply type your question into it. It is amazing.
You will also get your answers far more quickly than if you post your question to an email list, a Usenet group ( still around ) or a web forum. I think people are just in the habit of not thinking to go to Google first.
Well, now there is a — dare I say, “gentle” and funny way of RTFMing….someone, now called
LMGTFY – Let Me Google That For You
- Go to lmgtfy.com
- Type the question into the box
- Press the search button
- Move your mouse pointer over the URL
- Press the “go” button for the hilarious……and useful result
You can copy and paste that URL into an email or a web post
