
It’s Time to Retire “RTFM” - ingve
https://medium.com/compassionate-coding/its-time-to-retire-rtfm-31acdfef654f
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phnofive
> When you use RTFM, you’re saying, “Not only am I not going to help you, but
> I also want to make sure that you feel ashamed about your inability to help
> yourself.”

Maybe. Or perhaps I’m saying “You don’t need me or anyone to give you answers;
be empowered to find them on your own.”

Or “This question is disrespectful as I know that that if you put forth a
little effort in seeking an answer, you’d find one; therefore, you assume your
time is more valuable than mine.”

Or...

~~~
crispyambulance
Well, going along with that line of thought, if "RTFM" can have such wildly
different interpretations then perhaps IT SUCKS as a way of communicating
whatever it is you want to communicate with it?

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CodinM
No. RTFM and stop complaining.

Also, how the fuck does a junior developer not know what a web scraper is,
what's your inept definition of a junior developer? A person who hasn't ever
used a PC before?

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heroprotagonist
I agree that there are more polite ways to respond to questions than to simply
say "RTFM". Some of the other arguments don't resonate well with me, though,
such as discouraging words like "should" and "ought".

These are often appropriate words. It's true that they can subconsciously
apply some form of judgement, especially if applied with a particularly
negative tone as context. But the imagined tone doesn't change the word
itself. Even the author uses the concept of "should" in a less direct form.
Whether you say "It's time to retire RTFM" or "You should stop telling people
to RTFM", you're still suggesting a preferred behavior.

If we stop using words because we're afraid of an edge case where someone may
assume negativity, it lends power to that interpretation. When enough people
have the same interpretation, the definition becomes the reality. Curse words
only have their power because people avoid them or use them as curses.

Perhaps better advice would be to make conscious effort to convey positive
tone, rather than avoiding relatively neutral words that are heavily
influenced by tone.

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metabagel
This is a really well written article, and I especially like that it
references Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which is
an excellent book for anyone trying to organize a cluttered home.

Even when the person asking the question is abusing the system (i.e., to get
others to complete a homework assignment for them), there are kinder ways of
responding than RTFM.

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Overtonwindow
They say this in my wife’s office, but they always do it with a wink and a
smile. I think it’s a way of helping one another, less in what you’re saying,
and more in how you’re delivering it.

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minikomi
RTFM where T means "the" can be mean. RTFM where T means "this" is kind and
helpful.

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JeanMarcS
Not related, but I remember in the 90´s friends of mine made a sound tracker
on PC named ARTFM. For After Reading The F Manual, which happened to be a
Sound Blaster manual.

