You might want to add a bullet point addressing folks adding "SOLVED" and similar to titles. Either allow it or forbid it. But write it down so everyone knows what the policy is.
I recommend the list forbid it. A mailing list is not a forum, like BB. Jeff On Sat, Mar 1, 2025 at 4:07 PM Andrew M.A. Cater <amaca...@einval.com> wrote: > > Debian-user is a mailing list provided for support for Debian users, > and to facilitate discussion on relevant topics. > > Codes of Conduct > ================ > > * The list is a Debian communication forum. As such, it is subject to both > the Debian mailing list Code of Conduct and the main Debian Code of Conduct > https://www.debian.org/MailingLists/#codeofconduct > https://www.debian.org/code_of_conduct > > Guidelines for this list > ======================== > Some guidelines which may help explain how the list should work: > > Language > ======== > > * The language on this mailing list is English. There may be other mailing > lists that are language-specific, for example, debian-user-french or > debian-user-catalan > > * It is common for users to be redirected here from other lists, for example, > from debian-project. It is also common for people to be posting here when > English is not their primary language. Please be considerate. > > Answering questions and contributing to discussions constructively > ================================================================== > > * This is a fairly busy mailing list but even so you may have to wait some > time for an answer - please be patient. > > * Help and advice on this list is provided by volunteers in their own time. > It is common for there to be different opinions or answers provided. > > * It is not necessary to answer every post on the mailing list. > > * Be constructive in your responses. It may be that somebody else answers > a question before you - if so, you should not reply simply in order to get > the last word in, only reply if you can add useful information. > > * Don't feed the trolls: it's not necessary to reply to every post. > > If someone is trolling/misbehaving - don't amplify it by commenting > on the list and giving them attention. Do report it to commun...@debian.org > > There is also the option to refer directly to listmas...@lists.debian.org > In both cases, do reference which post it is - user, date, mailing list and > topic. Multiple reports may add background detail to justify further action. > > * Auto-generated posts and posts from large language models (LLMs) > These are potentially not welcome. They have the potential to confuse > readers and the information may not be correct. If a writer is not > confident, they might be used to improve a draft of a post. If you > do use an LLM or auto-generation, please indicate that parts of your > mailing list message may have been assisted by auto-generation. > > Off-topic posts > =============== > > * Please try to stay on topic. > > * Off-topic posts will happen occasionally as threads wander. > Don't reply to them to make them carry on. > > * If you wish to introduce an off-topic subject that might be > of interest to the wider list, start a new thread and preface > the title with [OT]. > > * There is no debian-offtopic mailing list: please don't try > to start one. > > Partisan topics and political arguments > ======================================= > > * Arguments for the sake of it are not welcome here. > > * Partisan political / religious / cultural arguments do not belong here > either. > > Debian's community is world wide; do not assume others will agree with your > views or need to read them on a Debian list. > > This is a list discussing Debian and technical and wider issues concerning > Debian, not national politics, religious views and so on - the chances > are that your wider readership is just not interested in these things which > might be very important to you but irrelevant to the rest of the wider > world. > > Off-topic arguments also have a habit of derailing useful discussion. > > Editing and answering mailing list posts > ======================================== > > * It is helpful to write meaningful subject lines. If you change subject > or emphasis in mid-thread, please change the subject line on your email > accordingly so that this can be clearly seen. > > For example: New question [WAS Old topic] > > * It may also be useful for someone to post a summary email from time to > time to explain long threads. > > * Before posting, it may be useful to check your post for spelling mistakes > and scan it for redundancy, duplicate words and redundancy. > > * Clear replies and a short mailing list thread are much easier to > read and follow than long threads. > > * If you are replying to a post, please reply in-line if possible and > cut out extra text that is not relevant to your point. > > Private replies and responding to posts off-list > ================================================ > > * Please post answers back to the list so others can benefit: private > conversations don't benefit people who may only be following > along on the list or reading the archives later. > > * We're only human: you may want to respond to someone off-list > to make a point (or to wish them Happy Birthday / comment that you > haven't seen them for a long time). We're also a community and the > people you find on the list may become familiar friends > > BUT > > * Posting outside the list can be unhelpful: bad behaviour outside the lists > can't easily be dealt with and will be invisible. You may inadvertently leak > personal information by posting a private reply back to the list. > > If you *do* want to post outside the list - make it clear that you have done > so at the top of the message. If someone replies to you privately and you > think that this should go back to the list - ask them to post it to the list > - do not just do so on their behalf without checking. > > I can't see what I want here - help me! > ======================================= > > * It is often useful to look through the archives to see whether the issue > you wish to raise or a similar issue has been raised before by someone > else. The top level link to the archives of this list is at > https://lists.debian.org/debian-user/ organised by year, then month. > > * Although there are only twenty or thirty regular contributors, there may > be a couple of thousand readers in the background. Nobody is > a mind reader, nobody can sit beside you. Please help by providing > useful details if asked, especially which version of Debian you are > running. > > I'm not using Debian but ... > ============================ > > * Strictly, discussions of other distributions are off-topic here. > Please note: advice on Linux distributions other than Debian will be > only our best guess - other distributions may do things very differently. > > Any advice given accordingly may be inaccurate but is given in good faith. > Repeated requests for off-topic advice may lead to a ban. > > FAQ topics > ========== > > * There is an FAQ on the Debian wiki derived from some questions asked on this > list at https://wiki.debian.org/FAQsFromDebianUser > > This is a public list, archived in many places > ============================================== > > * One question that comes up on almost all Debian lists from time to time > is of the form: > > "I have done something wrong / included personal details in an email. > Could you please delete my name / details / remove the mail" > > Practically, this is impossible: the mailing lists are archived, potentially > cached by Google and so on. > > Unfortunately, there is nothing much we can do to ensure that all copies > anywhere on the Internet are deleted. Asking to do this may only serve to > draw further attention - the so-called "Streisand effect" > See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect > > Problems and inappropriate behaviour? > ===================================== > > Complaints about inappropriate behaviour should be referred to the > Debian Community Team <commun...@debian.org>. > > Inappropriate behaviour on the list may lead to warnings: repeated bad > behaviour may lead to temporary or permanent bans for offenders. >
