this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2025
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I take RTFM more broadly to mean that I at least put in some effort to solve the problem myself. I googled, checked forum posts, read the man page, opened a config file or two and read some comments, etc. So I get offended when I get RTFM'd.
If you can't reply without being a dick, then keep scrolling! Why participate in a forum where people with less experiece ask questions in the first place? That time could be better spent reading your shop vac manual or figuring out who you need to blow to save $700 on a dishwasher repair.
Yup.
What even is your problem that you'll get worked up enough to spend energy spreading misery over some tiny annoyance from some internet stranger? Do you get pleasure out of that? If so, for shame.
When I get annoyed by some internet stranger's conduct online, I don't engage. I disengage. Life's too short to get worked up over the little things I find, and we'll all feel better when we don't engage in that negativity.
Yes, I've blocked people without ever saying a single word. Sometimes while lurking, I'll find some conduct (not beliefs, conduct) that I disagree with. I don't then go on and admonish them, I make them "disappear" from my life, then go on thinking about what I should eat for dinner.
I don't understand why some internet users are like this. Like it costs literally nothing to be nice. The only people who spread hate and insults online are those who have a miserable real life, so not worth engaging with.
Let me firstly say that I 100% agree with all of the above. And secondly, I don't work in tech.
But I think most of the frustration from the grey beards is possibly because they're burnt out. They've probably been answering the same questions their entire life. And there comes a point when the actual answer becomes, RTFM.
I don't agree it's an appropriate response. The mere fact that the acronym has profanity in it suggests it's an aggressive response.
I've been on forums before where, instead of saying "RTFM", someone had just linked me to the appropriate man page... Essentially the same message, but far more helpful and a much less insulting.
In my opinion it's not wrong to tell someone to read the manual, especially if the answer is in it, but it's how you say it that matters.
Well said!