#rtfm — Public Fediverse posts

Most teams don’t lack documentation tools—they lack usable content. Wikis become clutter. Issue trackers turn into chat logs. Docs get outdated, too long, or miss key info—blocking onboarding and decisions.

@ElmarDott breaks down how to fix that: https://javapro.io/2026/05/05/rtfm-usable-documentation/

#RTFM

Most teams don’t lack documentation tools—they lack usable content. Wikis become clutter. Issue trackers turn into chat logs. Docs get outdated, too long, or miss key info—blocking onboarding and decisions.

@ElmarDott breaks down how to fix that: https://javapro.io/2026/05/05/rtfm-usable-documentation/

#RTFM

I burned the last 2 days trying to get some tools up and running, entirely because I was relying on either Copilot or Gemini to tell me what steps to take. Both kept sending me in circles and giving me the wrong instructions. I finally came to my senses decided to look up the documentation instead. I got everything working on my lunch break.

Moral of the story, #rtfm and #fuckai

I burned the last 2 days trying to get some tools up and running, entirely because I was relying on either Copilot or Gemini to tell me what steps to take. Both kept sending me in circles and giving me the wrong instructions. I finally came to my senses decided to look up the documentation instead. I got everything working on my lunch break.

Moral of the story, #rtfm and #fuckai

As a young man I had something upside down on the workbench and was taking it apart. Removing a large part revealed a sticker that said
"IF ALL ELSE FAILS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS"
It was in a place you wouldn't see it unless you were taking it apart. I took it as a life lesson and it has served me well.
#RTFM

As a young man I had something upside down on the workbench and was taking it apart. Removing a large part revealed a sticker that said
"IF ALL ELSE FAILS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS"
It was in a place you wouldn't see it unless you were taking it apart. I took it as a life lesson and it has served me well.
#RTFM

📚 there are docs and guides around (for the HW anything meshtastic-related should do as it's the same boards!)

- should look deeper in bookmarks/notes, but already:

#Reticulum Community Wiki: https://reticulum.miraheze.org/wiki/Welcome

RNS recipe forum: https://rns.recipes/forum/ (also be accessible via the nomad network, but failed when i tried... ;) )

the full RNS doc for those who need exhaustivity: https://reticulum.network/manual/

- there is also definitely a need for more doc/guides/etc..

#RTFM💗 (as in "consider reading the friendly manual"...)

9/9

📚 there are docs and guides around (for the HW anything meshtastic-related should do as it's the same boards!)

- should look deeper in bookmarks/notes, but already:

#Reticulum Community Wiki: https://reticulum.miraheze.org/wiki/Welcome

RNS recipe forum: https://rns.recipes/forum/ (also be accessible via the nomad network, but failed when i tried... ;) )

the full RNS doc for those who need exhaustivity: https://reticulum.network/manual/

- there is also definitely a need for more doc/guides/etc..

#RTFM💗 (as in "consider reading the friendly manual"...)

9/9

@McNeely wasn't there a whole movement around that? #rtfm

@McNeely wasn't there a whole movement around that? #rtfm

#C64 #C64mini #ManiacMansion
#Mouse #Trakball 🖱🖲

There is a version with mouse support for joystickport 2 in the internet.
Give it the name "maniac_P2.crt" and you can play it with a modern Trakball, having savestates for quick reload, as the save in the crt will only work on a real machine. The mini treats them as Read Only.
In the game you have to press "m" to toggle mouse support to "on".
Without the _P2 extension it will put the usb mouse into port 1 but the game expects it in port 2.
Fun fact: The extension _M2 did enable the mouse but the buttons did not work...
You also should better connect the usb receiver or mouse before power on.

#RTFM 🥸

#C64 #C64mini #ManiacMansion
#Mouse #Trakball 🖱🖲

There is a version with mouse support for joystickport 2 in the internet.
Give it the name "maniac_P2.crt" and you can play it with a modern Trakball, having savestates for quick reload, as the save in the crt will only work on a real machine. The mini treats them as Read Only.
In the game you have to press "m" to toggle mouse support to "on".
Without the _P2 extension it will put the usb mouse into port 1 but the game expects it in port 2.
Fun fact: The extension _M2 did enable the mouse but the buttons did not work...
You also should better connect the usb receiver or mouse before power on.

#RTFM 🥸

@jalefkowit
I had a similar experience. Early in my career, I asked colleagues questions about the technologies we were using. At first, they'd answer me. After a while, they only said #RTFM. It was a wake up call. It was good advice.

@jalefkowit
I had a similar experience. Early in my career, I asked colleagues questions about the technologies we were using. At first, they'd answer me. After a while, they only said #RTFM. It was a wake up call. It was good advice.

Turns out I didn't enable "Match posts by default" option in my relay subscription settings 🙃 And I was wondering why does my timeline looks like it was before the update! Silly me.

#gotosocial #rtfm

Turns out I didn't enable "Match posts by default" option in my relay subscription settings 🙃 And I was wondering why does my timeline looks like it was before the update! Silly me.

#gotosocial #rtfm

@mpblkclp

#rtfm

@mpblkclp

#rtfm

@osslate hi fionn.

The link is a 404? Sounds interesting though.

I've launched an open-source project called:

https://handihomepage.com

...from the Rebel city (shur why not?). It's still in BETA.

I haven't really put much thought into the docs or technical writing. I'd love to get your opinion?

#foss #opensource #rtfm

@osslate hi fionn.

The link is a 404? Sounds interesting though.

I've launched an open-source project called:

https://handihomepage.com

...from the Rebel city (shur why not?). It's still in BETA.

I haven't really put much thought into the docs or technical writing. I'd love to get your opinion?

#foss #opensource #rtfm

Excelsior:~$ manlength remind
   Pages   Lines   Words   Chars
   115.5   5543   36943  270815
Excelsior:~$ manlength mksh
   Pages   Lines   Words   Chars
    74.5   3578   25623  195431

Dear God, what have you done to me, @gumnos???

The man page for #remind is longer than a programming language (#mksh)!!! 🤣

#RTFM #GitErDone #NoNotThatGit #IWasSpeakingTexan

— sent from ed ;)

Also, in case anyone's curious:

function manlength {    # Prints the length of manpages in pages, lines, words, chars
    local output lines pages
    #Depending how you count it, it can be anywhere from 44 to 66.
    # Abiword gave me 48 lines on a default page layout, and that seems
    # reasonable when compared to the results I got when converting
    # manpages to PDFs
    local linesperpage=48
    output=$(man "$@" 2>/dev/null |wc)
    echo "   Pages   Lines   Words   Chars"
    lines=$(echo "$output" |awk '{print $1}')
    pages=$(echo "$lines/$linesperpage" |bc -l)
    printf "%8.1f%s\n" "$pages" "$output"
}

Excelsior:~$ manlength remind
   Pages   Lines   Words   Chars
   115.5   5543   36943  270815
Excelsior:~$ manlength mksh
   Pages   Lines   Words   Chars
    74.5   3578   25623  195431

Dear God, what have you done to me, @gumnos???

The man page for #remind is longer than a programming language (#mksh)!!! 🤣

#RTFM #GitErDone #NoNotThatGit #IWasSpeakingTexan

— sent from ed ;)

Also, in case anyone's curious:

function manlength {    # Prints the length of manpages in pages, lines, words, chars
    local output lines pages
    #Depending how you count it, it can be anywhere from 44 to 66.
    # Abiword gave me 48 lines on a default page layout, and that seems
    # reasonable when compared to the results I got when converting
    # manpages to PDFs
    local linesperpage=48
    output=$(man "$@" 2>/dev/null |wc)
    echo "   Pages   Lines   Words   Chars"
    lines=$(echo "$output" |awk '{print $1}')
    pages=$(echo "$lines/$linesperpage" |bc -l)
    printf "%8.1f%s\n" "$pages" "$output"
}

@anatudor When 'I was younger, so much younger than toda'ay.. ' I would get angry at people's lack of awareness of their own, preferred, learning style and also at many people's inability to transfer skills. I grew up with Unix and the birth of Linux, and there was so much #rtfm (both the jokey and hostile type). I understand your reaction to the above. Nowadays I'm like WTaF. Don't be lazy! (Edit: typo)

@anatudor When 'I was younger, so much younger than toda'ay.. ' I would get angry at people's lack of awareness of their own, preferred, learning style and also at many people's inability to transfer skills. I grew up with Unix and the birth of Linux, and there was so much #rtfm (both the jokey and hostile type). I understand your reaction to the above. Nowadays I'm like WTaF. Don't be lazy! (Edit: typo)

@mf_newsdigest

#RTFM

"If the proposal were adopted, reaching the ​10 million mark would trigger a process that could make Switzerland scrap its free movement of labour agreement with ‌the EU, whose member states supply much of the Alpine country's workforce."

I often hear people in tech complaining that the industry is oversaturated and they can't find a job but let's be real about this:

The entry-level resume pile is oversaturated with people who have a theoretical degree or a paper cert but have never actually touched a terminal, built a home lab, or popped a box. HR departments are flooded with thousands of identical, low-effort applications.

There is a catastrophic shortage of people who have a deeply ingrained offensive mindset, who understand networking down to the packet level, and who can look at a custom enterprise system and figure out how it fails.

Regardless of whether you love or hate AI, we are in a high-stakes tech race where our adversaries are operating with zero ethical speed brakes, and Silicon Valley’s response is to gatekeep the very tools that could turn raw tech savvy students into elite defenders at scale.

You can't even ask AI how to tweak a simple reverse shell without it panicking and saying "I can't help you hack the mAiNfRaMe and destroy the entire grid." As if the feds wouldn't be at some script kiddies door within minutes if they dared touch critical infrastructure or as if enterprise environments don't have robust EDR and network segmentation in place. They really act like APTs are asking AI how to learn ethical hacking, treating a simple Python script that is less than 10 lines of code like a piece of precision-engineered, state-sponsored cyber-weaponry designed to spin centrifuges out of control (Stuxnet 2.0).

We're really shooting ourselves in the foot. Our adversaries aren't using Anthropic, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc. to learn how to make reverse shells or priv esc exploits for sandboxed CTFs to prepare for the field. They have AI pipelines that don't have guardrails and APTs that are already hacking into our telecom companies, healthcare networks, etc. Who is big tech really helping here? Certainly not us.

Look, I am not really even the biggest fan of AI (and obviously not a fan of big tech) but if I can crunch 8 hours of learning down into 1 hour, why wouldn't I? I'll still spend the 8 hours learning some new concept without the force multiplier because this is what I am passionate about and what I am studying for but the amount of security theater I see from big tech absolutely gets on my nerves. In fact, I think because I have learned so much about cybersecurity is exactly why it annoys me that much more. Watching a multi-billion dollar AI panic over a 10-line Python socket connection feels like being treated like a child by someone who doesn't even understand basic syntax.

#givemeabreak

#securitytheater

#CorporatePR

#CorporateNannyFilters

#bigtech is #shortsighted

I guess I'll have to just #RTFM so some skript kiddie doesn't cause a catastrophic blackout ... #sarcasm 🙄

Testing Github Pages. Took me a minute to figure out https because I don't do much domain configuration. Turns out reading the docs is actually a good idea.
#indieweb #rtfm

Testing Github Pages. Took me a minute to figure out https because I don't do much domain configuration. Turns out reading the docs is actually a good idea.
#indieweb #rtfm

@hunderoute hi :) im netz sollte sich ein manual für die maschine geben. vermute ablauf sieb, das normalerweise regelmäasig gereinigt werden sollte... vermute bedienungsanleituns muffel? ;)
da fällt mir nur #rtfm ein :)

Help even mee.

Laat ik die stick uit de afvoer steken (zoals het plaatje aangeeft) of druk ik ‘m door (wat me logischer lijkt)?

#RTFM

Help even mee.

Laat ik die stick uit de afvoer steken (zoals het plaatje aangeeft) of druk ik ‘m door (wat me logischer lijkt)?

#RTFM

@FairB Beim Telefonat gestern mit dem Facharzt teilte er mir mit, dass der Arztbrief und die Untersuchungsergebnisse im meiner ePA hochgeladen worden sei.

Da ich ja diesem bullshit widersprochen hatte war ich doch etwas irritiert. Daher meine Frage hier nach Details. Aber Danke für den #RTFM Hinweis!

@FairB Beim Telefonat gestern mit dem Facharzt teilte er mir mit, dass der Arztbrief und die Untersuchungsergebnisse im meiner ePA hochgeladen worden sei.

Da ich ja diesem bullshit widersprochen hatte war ich doch etwas irritiert. Daher meine Frage hier nach Details. Aber Danke für den #RTFM Hinweis!

EVERYTHING is "broken" until you use it right.

This is a #RTFM toot.

Most teams don’t lack documentation tools—they lack usable content. Wikis become clutter. Issue trackers turn into chat logs. Docs get outdated, too long, or miss key info—blocking onboarding and decisions.

@ElmarDott breaks down how to fix that: https://javapro.io/2026/05/05/rtfm-usable-documentation/

#RTFM

Most teams don’t lack documentation tools—they lack usable content. Wikis become clutter. Issue trackers turn into chat logs. Docs get outdated, too long, or miss key info—blocking onboarding and decisions.

@ElmarDott breaks down how to fix that: https://javapro.io/2026/05/05/rtfm-usable-documentation/

#RTFM

Chat bots are ruining new #linux plus #gnu users chance to be told to #RTFM in a humiliating fashion.

📖 RTFM — et si c'était le meilleur conseil qu'on puisse donner ?
Nouveau billet de blog : pourquoi on fuit la documentation alors qu'elle contient presque toujours la réponse ? Comment la lire efficacement ? Et pourquoi documenter ses propres projets, c'est essentiel — pour soi, pour les autres, pour l'open source.
La réponse est dans la doc. Neuf fois sur dix.
🔗 https://sylvaindenis.ovh/blog/rtfm_pourquoi_la_doc_est_ton_meilleur_pote
#RTFM #Documentation #OpenSource #FabLab #Makers #LogicielsLibres #Autonomie

@passthejoe @raster @darth

Seems that way, yeah.

Fortunately, there's always #FreeBSD + #RTFM! 😄

@passthejoe @raster @darth

Seems that way, yeah.

Fortunately, there's always #FreeBSD + #RTFM! 😄

@electricarchaeo teachable moment. #RTFM :)

@electricarchaeo teachable moment. #RTFM :)

If you use #ai through your uni and there are usage limits asking a model will not explain what the limits are. But it will report confidently that some users believe they exist and they might be reset every month (in fact every four hours). #RTFM

This was not a student asking. We are so lost.

If you use #ai through your uni and there are usage limits asking a model will not explain what the limits are. But it will report confidently that some users believe they exist and they might be reset every month (in fact every four hours). #RTFM

This was not a student asking. We are so lost.

For the n-th time, every month...

"I shouldn't have to learn to use any tools!!! Every developer should just cater to me and make everything m04r iNtUItIvE!!"

TLDR
"waaaaah, this knife is broken, it doesn't work, and it hurts me"

#RTFM

So, I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so I missed my team’s retro. I caught up this morning asynchronously, and it’s amazing how much of the gripping was about things that they didn’t understand because they never #RTFM the process we all agreed to a month ago. #worklife