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 <chapter xml:id="faq.mailinglist" xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
  <title>Mailing lists</title>
  <titleabbrev>Mailing lists</titleabbrev>

   <para>
    This section holds questions about how to get in touch with
    the PHP community. The best way is the mailing lists. 
   </para>

  <qandaset>
   <qandaentry xml:id="faq.mailinglist.isthere">
    <question>
     <para>Are there any PHP mailing lists?</para>
    </question>
    <answer>
     <para>
      Of course! There are many mailing lists for several subjects.
      The most common community mailing lists can be found on our
      <link xlink:href="&url.php.mailing-lists;">mailing list</link> page.
     </para>
     <para>
      The most general mailing list is <literal>php-general</literal>.
      To subscribe, send a blank email message to
      <link xlink:href="mailto:&url.ml.general.subscribe;">&url.ml.general.subscribe;</link>.
      To unsubscribe, send a blank email to <link xlink:href="mailto:&url.ml.general.unsubscribe;">&url.ml.general.unsubscribe;</link>.
     </para>
     <para>
      You can also subscribe and unsubscribe using the web
      interface on our <link xlink:href="&url.php.mailing-lists;">mailing list</link>
      page, and unsubscribe instructions are included in the footer of
      every mailing list message.
     </para>
    </answer>
   </qandaentry>

   <qandaentry xml:id="faq.mailinglist.others">
    <question>
     <para>Are there any other communities?</para>
    </question>
    <answer>
     <para>
      There are countless PHP-centric communities around the world, and we have
      links to some of these resources (and information on how to learn more)
      on our <link xlink:href="&url.php.support;">Support</link> page.
     </para>
    </answer>
   </qandaentry>

   <qandaentry xml:id="faq.mailinglist.myown">
    <question>
     <para>Can I start my own PHP mailing list?</para>
    </question>
    <answer>
     <para>
      Absolutely! In fact, we not only freely allow it, we encourage it!
      Helping others by sharing your knowledge and experience with PHP
      helps to foster the growth and development of the global PHP
      community and the language itself.
     </para>
    </answer>
   </qandaentry>

   <qandaentry xml:id="faq.mailinglist.subscribing">
    <question>
     <para>
      Help! I can't seem to subscribe to/unsubscribe from
      one of the mailing lists!
     </para>
    </question>
    <answer>
     <para>
      If you have problems subscribing to or unsubscribing from a mailing
      list, it may be because the mailing list software can't figure out
      the correct mailing address to use. If your email address is
      <literal>joeblow@example.com</literal>, and you are trying to
      subscribe to php-general, you can send your subscription request to
      <literal>php-general-subscribe-joeblow=example.com@lists.php.net</literal>,
      or your unsubscription request to
      <literal>php-general-unsubscribe-joeblow=example.com@lists.php.net</literal>.
      Use similar addresses for the other mailing lists.
     </para>
     <para>
      The most common reason folks have a hard time unsubscribing from our
      mailing lists is due to the use of mail forwarders.  For example,
      if your email address is danbrown@example.com, but you subscribed to
      the mailing list with the forwarder php-lists@example.com and forward
      that to danbrown@example.com, attempting to unsubscribe
      danbrown@example.com will not work, as that address is not even known
      to our systems.  Instead, you will need to unsubscribe the address to
      which the mail is being sent - in this example, php-lists@example.com.
     </para>
    </answer>
   </qandaentry>

   <qandaentry xml:id="faq.mailinglist.archive">
    <question>
     <para>Is there an archive of the mailing lists anywhere?</para>
    </question>
    <answer>
     <para>
       Yes, you will find links to some of the archive sites on the 
       <link xlink:href="&url.php.mailing-lists;">mailing list</link> page.
       You will also find dozens of sites that archive and/or syndicate
       our mailing list content by using your favorite Internet search
       engine and searching for "php mailing list archives".
     </para>
     <para>
       All mailing list articles are also archived as news
       messages. You can access the news server at <link
       xlink:href="&url.php.news;">&url.php.news;</link>
       with a news client. There is also an experimental web
       interface for the news server at <link
       xlink:href="&url.php.newsweb;">&url.php.newsweb;</link>
     </para>
    </answer>
   </qandaentry>
  
   <qandaentry xml:id="faq.mailinglist.question">
    <question>
     <para>What can I ask the mailing list?</para>
    </question>
    <answer>
     <para>
      Since PHP is growing more and more popular by the day, the traffic 
      on the php-general mailing list can be very heavy, ranging from
      75 to 200 or more posts per day. Because of this, it is in everyone's
      interest that you use the list as a last resort, when you have
      exhausted all other avenues.
     </para>
     <para>
      Before you post to the list please have a look in this FAQ and the 
      manual to see if you can find the help there. If there is nothing 
      to be found there try out the mailing list archives (see above). 
      If you're having problem with installing or configuring PHP, please
      read through all included documentation and README's. If you still
      can't find any information that helps you out, you're more than 
      welcome to use the appropriate mailing list.
     </para>
     <para>
      To ensure that you receive the best responses (and to reduce the
      likelihood of frustrating your fellow developers), please be sure to
      post your question to the appropriate list.  For example, if you are
      having difficulties installing PHP, you should send your question to
      the <literal>php-install</literal> mailing list.  A caveat: some lists
      have similar names and completely different uses; a question regarding
      PHP scripts on Windows should be directed to the Windows PHP users
      list, <emphasis>not</emphasis> to the Windows Internals list.
     </para>
     <para>
      Before asking questions, you may want to read the paper on 
      <link xlink:href="&url.smart.questions;">How To Ask Questions The Smart
      Way</link> as this is a good idea for everyone.
     </para>
    </answer>
   </qandaentry>
   
   <qandaentry xml:id="faq.mailinglist.guideline">
    <question>
     <para>What information should I include when posting to the mailing list?</para>
    </question>
    <answer>
     <para>
      Posts like "I can't get PHP up and running! Help me! What is
      wrong?" are of absolutely no use to anyone. If you're having problems
      getting PHP up and running you must include the operating system being
      used, the version of PHP you're trying to use, how you got it
      (pre-compiled, Git, RPM, and so on), what you have done so far,
      and the exact error message or present result.
     </para>
     <para>
      This goes for any other problem as well: you must include an explanation
      of what you have done, what you're trying to do, and any error messages
      encountered in the process. If you're having problems with your source
      code, you should include the part of the code that isn't working,
      indicating which line is the problem by an appropriately-placed code
      comment. Do not include more code than necessary though!  It makes the
      post difficult to read, causing many to ignore your request. If you're
      unsure about how much information should be included, post what you
      believe is immediately relevant to your present issue, and be prepared
      to provide more information upon request.
     </para>
     <para>
      Another important thing to remember is to summarize your problem
      on the subject line. A subject like "HELP MEEEE!!!" or "What is the
      problem here?" will be ignored by the majority of the readers.
     </para>
     <para>
      And lastly, you're encouraged to read the paper on
      <link xlink:href="&url.smart.questions;">How To Ask Questions The 
      Smart Way</link> as this will be a great help for everyone, 
      especially yourself.
     </para>
    </answer>
   </qandaentry>
  </qandaset>
 </chapter>

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