I'm not going to repeat what's been repeated.
The latest iteration of the sticky we wanted to put up got to this:
1) Topics should be clear and concise from the first post. Post titles about
problems should follow the convention of "OBJECT - DIVERSION", where OBJECT
describes the software or hardware that is in question, and DIVERSION describes
how it is behaving differently than expected. You are only given 35 characters
to make a good impression and to properly represent your thread, so use that
space wisely.
BAD EXAMPLES:
"my laptop keeps crashing!!!"
"why won't this thing work?"
"help!"
GOOD EXAMPLES:
"C Pointers - Causing Segmentation Fault"
"PHP - Fatal Error on mysql_connect"
"Dell Inspiron E1705 with Vista crashing"
"Photoshop CS3 - Virtual Memory error"
"Ubuntu 7.10 - GRUB won't install"
2) Keep posts on-topic. There are many other forums on the NG BBS, and they
cater to many different types of discussion. The Programming forum is for
Programming, and, as such, should remain Programming-related. The NG BBS is a
private community, and new posters should read the rules.
3) This is not, nor has it ever been, the place for ActionScript-related posts.
Not only is that addressed in the forum description, but also by common sense.
Those most well-equipped to answer a question about Adobe Flash are going to be
those users in the Flash Forum.
4) Before asking questions related to any common topics (Javascript, Java, C++,
PHP, etc.), use the search bar. Many questions have already been addressed. If
there is not already a thread about your question, check Google. They have
indexed billions of sites, and more than 300 million results are returned from
the term "Programming" alone. More likely than not, your question has been
addressed on at least one of those 300 million sites.
4a) If your question relates to one of the more common programming languages
(PHP, C++, and Java, to be specific), look for PHP: Main, C++: Main, or Java:
Main, respectively. The members of the Newgrounds community have already
graciously compiled tutorials, as well as lists of references to make learning
these languages easier. If your question is not covered in these topics,
consider asking your question only AFTER you've searched Google and checked any
and ALL relevant resources.
4b) If you only barely understand a topic, please do NOT feel that you should
contribute to one of these Main threads. Firstly, the chances that you can
explain the subject better than the 300 million sites on the web are very
small. Secondly, and most importantly, you will most likely misrepresent
information if you barely understand it yourself, and fighting misinformation
is one of the most difficult aspects of teaching others.
5) If your research has returned nothing useful, and you feel that you are
prepared to ask your question on the NG BBS, please provide information about
your problem, the parameters (your hardware, OS, etc.), and describe ANY
research you've done. Not only does this assure others that you have already
attempted to find the answer yourself, but it helps others by pointing out
which search terms will be unhelpful. No one wants to help someone who is
unable to help themselves, so show some initiative, and your questions will be
answered much more readily.
6) The NG BBS rules apply to each of its forums, and the Programming section is
no exception. Questions or comments about web design are permissible, but
please do not ask or beg others to see, become members of, or critique a
personal new website (especially not if it is a Newgrounds clone. People like
it on the NG BBS, and they are not leaving.).
7) Posting job offers is encouraged and allowed, but remember to post all
relevant information: language required/requested, FULL job description (this
includes a list of things to accomplish, a list of things that are optional,
and the timeframe expected), and the amount the job pays. Qualified,
professional programmers do not operate as a charity, and therefore will not be
doing any work "pro bono publico".
7a) Likewise, administrative status in a new forum/website, prospective ad
revenue, and/or free space on a personal site are not job incentives, and will
not work (under any conditions) in lieu of physical currency. If an amount that
is to be paid is not already in mind, do not offer the job on the NG BBS.
7b) Do not ask for others to produce an application for you (game, or
otherwise). Similarly, the leader or initiator of a project should be prepared
to do a large portion of the work (proportionally larger than the rest of the
team combined). There is no room for "Project Manager" on any team that hopes
to accomplish anything symbiotically.
8) Do not ask for specific code snippets. Questions which require specific code
to solve should be supplemented with specific examples or attempts. This will
demonstrate that there is a basic understanding of the problem at hand, as well
as show that there was an attempt to find a solution. Specific errors will be
more easily addressed this way, which will lead to a much more productive
learning experience.
8a) Solutions for homework assignments will not be given. Help with
understanding a concept or assistance with debugging code related to an
assignment is acceptable, but requests for whole solutions to assignments
posted verbatim will not be taken seriously.
Personally I think this is a pretty fine revision and accurately reflects what we need to convey in such a topic.
Because of that, if nobody has objections to what's contained in the above, it will basically be under a short grammatical review before I PM it to liljim and tell him to put it up here as the real deal. The reason being we've been through this four times already and I think we need to put the damn thing up already.
That said, anybody is free to add/change something, but just to make this go quickly I'm going to filter this input. If I get nothing but bullshit requests from you guys, it'll go up as is. There shouldn't be much that really needs tweaking, so if you have something to say, make it good before I PM this to 'jim.