Frequently Asked Questions About The FreeBSD Mailing Lists

The FreeBSD Documentation Project

$FreeBSD: head/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/mailing-list-faq/article.xml 39632 2012-10-01 11:56:00Z gabor $

This is the FAQ for the FreeBSD mailing lists. If you are interested in helping with this project, send email to the FreeBSD documentation project mailing list. The latest version of this document is always available from the FreeBSD World Wide Web server. It may also be downloaded as one large HTML file with HTTP or as plain text, PostScript, PDF, etc. from the FreeBSD FTP server. You may also want to Search the FAQ.

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Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Mailing List Etiquette
3 Recurring Topics On The Mailing Lists
4 What Is A "Bikeshed"?
5 Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

As is usual with FAQs, this document aims to cover the most frequently asked questions concerning the FreeBSD mailing lists (and of course answer them!). Although originally intended to reduce bandwidth and avoid the same old questions being asked over and over again, FAQs have become recognized as valuable information resources.

This document attempts to represent a community consensus, and as such it can never really be authoritative. However, if you find technical errors within this document, or have suggestions about items that should be added, please either submit a PR, or email the FreeBSD documentation project mailing list. Thanks.

1.1. What is the purpose of the FreeBSD mailing lists?
1.2. Who is the audience for the FreeBSD mailing lists?
1.3. Are the FreeBSD mailing lists open for anyone to participate?
1.4. How can I subscribe?
1.5. How can I unsubscribe?
1.6. Are archives available?
1.7. Are mailing lists available in a digest format?

1.1. What is the purpose of the FreeBSD mailing lists?

The FreeBSD mailing lists serve as the primary communication channels for the FreeBSD community, covering many different topic areas and communities of interest.

1.2. Who is the audience for the FreeBSD mailing lists?

This depends on charter of each individual list. Some lists are more oriented to developers; some are more oriented towards the FreeBSD community as a whole. Please see this list for the current summary.

1.3. Are the FreeBSD mailing lists open for anyone to participate?

Again, this depends on charter of each individual list. Please read the charter of a mailing list before you post to it, and respect it when you post. This will help everyone to have a better experience with the lists.

If after reading the above lists, you still do not know which mailing list to post a question to, you will probably want to post to freebsd-questions (but see below, first).

Also note that the mailing lists have traditionally been open to postings from non-subscribers. This has been a deliberate choice, to help make joining the FreeBSD community an easier process, and to encourage open sharing of ideas. However, due to past abuse by some individuals, certain lists now have a policy where postings from non-subscribers must be manually screened to ensure that they are appropriate.

1.4. How can I subscribe?

You can use the Mailman web interface to subscribe to any of the public lists.

1.5. How can I unsubscribe?

You can use the same interface as above; or, you can follow the instructions that are at the bottom of every mailing list message that is sent.

Please do not send unsubscribe messages directly to the public lists themselves. First, this will not accomplish your goal, and second, it will irritate the existing subscribers, and you will probably get flamed. This is a classical mistake when using mailing lists; please try to avoid it.

1.6. Are archives available?

Yes. Threaded archives are available here.

1.7. Are mailing lists available in a digest format?

Yes. See the Mailman web interface.

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