Re: No such file or directory

On Sat, Nov 15, 2003 at 04:48:40PM +0100, Rafael Osuna wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> I am an inexpert user of XFree86 running in a Debian testing/unstable 
> computer.
> 
> I have some problems displaying several characters and, in order to trace the 
> problem, I have run "strace konqueror".

[This is a form letter. I would ask on the [email protected]
mailing list for help, or maybe at [email protected], but
knowing branden, make sure you read the attached stuff before you do
so.]

Hello,

First, this mailing list is not the right place for asking such
questions, the [email protected] is a place for discussion of the future
of XFree86, both on the political and techological levels. The correct
place for such a question would be the Xfree86 support mailing list :
[email protected] or even better yet your distribution vendor XFree86
support mailing list, in this case Debian.

I hope that you will find adequate response on those lists, but since
you did write to the [email protected] mailing list, i hope you can find
the time to participate in an ongoing inquiry whose aim is to help
better the xfree86 web pages and such to better guide our users to the
correct ressources.

As such, i would like to know from you where you found the
[email protected] mailing list, what decided you this was the right
mailing list to ask these questions, and if you have any idea or critic
for us to better the web pages.

Thanks for your help,

Sven Luther

Debian : [email protected]

Follows Branden's response ot user X questions on debian-x :

[The following is a form letter.]

Hello,

You recently sent an off-charter message to the debian-x mailing list.
First, I will offer an explanation of what this mailing list's purpose is;
I will then suggest some alternative forums for your message or concern.

The full charter of the mailing list follows.

  This list is for the discussion and support of the X Window System within
  Debian.  Issues of maintenance and porting of Debian's XFree86 packages are
  germane here, as are discussions of possible Debian policy mechanisms for
  ensuring the smooth interoperation of packages that use the X Window
  System, particularly widget sets, desktop environments, window managers,
  display managers, and packages that provide fonts for the X Window System.
  In particular, individuals involved with building official Debian XFree86
  packages for any architecture are invited to join, as are those with
  various graphics hardware who seek to reproduce and/or fix bugs in the X
  server.  This is not a user support list; this list is intended for those
  who deal with the source code of any of the X Window System components
  mentioned above.

If you are experiencing a problem, the first thing to check is the Debian X
FAQ.  This FAQ is available on the World Wide Web:

  http://people.debian.org/~branden/xsf/FAQ

The FAQ is also available on any Debian system that has the
"xfree86-common" package installed.

You can use the command "dpkg --status xfree86-common" at a shell prompt to
determine whether you have the xfree86-common package installed (this
technique works with any other package name as well).  For instance, when I
run this command I see the following:

  $ dpkg --status xfree86-common
  Package: xfree86-common
  Status: install ok installed

(followed by additional information about the package)

If xfree86-common is installed, you can view the Debian X FAQ in a variety of
ways, since it is a gzipped (compressed) text file.  The path to the FAQ is
/usr/share/doc/xfree86-common/FAQ.gz.  Here's one method for viewing it:

  $ zmore /usr/share/doc/xfree86-common/FAQ.gz
  Debian X Window System Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) List

  Copyright 1998-2002 Branden Robinson.  This document is licensed under the
  GNU General Public License, version 2 (see /usr/share/common-licenses/GPL).

  By its nature, this document is not complete.  If your question is not
  answered here, try /usr/share/doc/<packagename>/README.Debian (and other files
  in the package's doc directory), manual pages, and the debian-user mailing
  list.  See http://www.debian.org/ for more information about the Debian
  mailing lists.

(followed by the rest of the FAQ)

If the FAQ does not satisfactorily answer your question, the primary Debian
users' support forum is the debian-user mailing list.  You can learn more about
this list at:

  http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/

If you have already tried that mailing list, and/or your machine does *NOT*
use an Intel-x86 compatible CPU (such as a Pentium or AMD Athlon chip), you
may also want to peruse one of Debian's architecture-specific mailing
lists:

  http://lists.debian.org/debian-alpha/
  http://lists.debian.org/debian-arm/
  http://lists.debian.org/debian-hppa/
  http://lists.debian.org/debian-ia64/
  http://lists.debian.org/debian-m68k/
  http://lists.debian.org/debian-mips/
  http://lists.debian.org/debian-powerpc/
  http://lists.debian.org/debian-sparc/
  http://lists.debian.org/debian-superh/

Before sending a message to one of the mailing lists, it's wise to try
using the search interface; in many cases, your problem has been
experienced before by other people, and a solution, workaround, or
explanation may already be available!

  http://lists.debian.org/search.html

If the search engine turns up nothing, you should know whether or not
you're subscribed to a mailing list before sending a message to it.  If you
are not subscribed, make *certain* that you ask for private copies of
replies to your message.  Debian's standard practice is to reply only to
mailing lists (this cuts down on Internet traffic and annoying bounce
messages).  If you want people to deviate from this standard practice you
should ask them to do so.  (Advanced mail users should set a
Mail-Followup-To header that includes both the list address and their own
address.)

Finally, if you have found a problem in Debian's XFree86 packages (and
especially if Debian experts on one or more of the above mailing lists
agree), you should file a bug report with the Debian Bug Tracking System.
One of the best ways to do this is with the "reportbug" package and command
of the same name.  One way to install reportbug is with "apt-get"; for
example:

  # apt-get install reportbug

The "reportbug" command has a few different modes that cater to different
levels of user expertise.  If this message has contained a lot of jargon
that is unfamiliar to you, you likely want to use reportbug's "novice"
mode; here's one way to do that.

  $ reportbug --mode=novice
  Please enter the name of the package in which you have found a problem,
  or type 'other' to report a more general problem.
  >

If you're more sophisticated, or if you are not using the released version
of Debian ("stable"), but instead Debian "testing" or "unstable", you
should use reportbug's standard mode.

  $ reportbug
  Please enter the name of the package in which you have found a problem,
  or type 'other' to report a more general problem.
  >

The reportbug command is extensively documented in its usage message and
manual page.  Commands to view these pieces of documentation are:

  $ reportbug --help | more
  $ man reportbug

(The output of the above commands has been omitted from this message.)

Please do *not* send private messages to Debian developers (including me)
asking for help; Debian developers are volunteers, and often busy ones.
Additionally, you're more likely to get a rapid reply if you mail one of
the support lists enumerated above, because that way many people can see
your message instead of just one.

Thanks for using the Debian system!

-- 
G. Branden Robinson                |    Men use thought only to justify
Debian GNU/Linux                   |    their wrong doings, and speech only
[email protected]                 |    to conceal their thoughts.
http://people.debian.org/~branden/ |    -- Voltaire