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Read this before you write your questions to the public channels!
It's in your own interest to respect those to get the best results for you.
Ask smart questions to get fast and good answers.
The easier you make it for us, the readier we are to help you (and the more we will want to).

"before": help make docs more useful for you, your problem probably has been already solved!

• Check http://www.mutt.org/doc/manual/, MuttGuide, and MuttFaq before you ask:
  • use search instructions of MuttFaq if you don't know where to look.
• Search the ARCHIVES of all channels available: MuttLists and MuttChannel list these.
• Analyze yourself what you can per DebugConfig before you ask.
• If you've already found the answers on your own by now, then tell us which docs helped you (not?)!

Please search those before you repost what has been covered before! Save resources and time better spent dealing with new problems.

"while": Help us help you. We can help you only as much as you help us understand you: "it doesn't work" or "what I see" is not enough!!!

• Be supportive: tell us your operating environment and what made you think it should work as you expect?
  • What: is your technical context and setup?
    • • is your goal, - did you expect (why?), - was the result instead?
    • • are your used versions of: application, client, server, libs, external components, operating system, terminal?
  • How to reproduce: we can't read your mind nor see through your eyes: explain as if to a blind person.
    • Give exact details as you experience them (where you start, each single step: action + result), not your summaries!
    • Be most specific + clear + exact + concrete + complete with your statements.
    • Don't guess, verify! Get facts, exclude ambiguity + misunderstanding.
  • Why: the more you provide, the better we can help you, you decide how helpful you are to yourself.
    • For in depth reasons: "how to ask smart questions".
      • better read this! Complain about that text to MuttChannel, not the authors!.
• Show commitment: this is not a (paid) service hot-line, this is a do-it-yourself environment.
  • You are supposed to do the actual work, you get advice and pointers.
  • Look up references yourself, use existing docs, learn to help yourself.
• Be respectful + merciful (with yourself + fellows): answers are favours, not your right, and not all of us know everything, so beware of sub-optimal answers.
• Be patient: just wait, eventually someone will answer, don't count on instant reaction.
  • This is a global channel: people live in different timezones, more or better response might happen at other times.
  • See MuttMaps and WorldTimeZone or TimeAndDate or WorldClock

"after": be prepared to give back to others.

• When you've been helped, please stay longer to help others in the MuttChannel, MuttLists!

"technical": don't annoy bystanders!

• Every channel has its own additional specific technical clues to make all sides happier: the ones asking for help and those granting it.
• Please return to the referring page and read those, too, before you ask.