Mailing List

Scribus User Mailing List

The Scribus User mailing list is the main interactive Scribus forum for users and developers to disscuss DTP and Scribus issues.

Etiquette

The mailing list's primary purpose is discussing Scribus and desktop publishing. For many, this may involve questions about program usage or location of various Scribus help resources. Moreover, we acknowledge that the program could be improved in various ways, which is why it continues to be developed. Software of this type also has a longer learning curve then many other types of programs. Venting anger on the mailing list because of a bug or a wart in Scribus or a difficulty in mastering a certain desktop publishing technique may feel good at the moment, but will not serve any useful purpose, and may cause those who could best help you to ignore your email.

If you expect to get help start by helping us understand the challenges you face by letting us know which Scribus version you are using or attempting to use, which OS (Operating System) such as Linux, MacOS, or Windows, and which distribution, release or version you have such as Linux/SUSE, WindowsXP, or MacOSX. Try to state the problem as you best understand it. Reproduce the steps leading to the problem, what you did to try to figure the problem out, whether it is reproducible, and what resources you checked, such as the official docs, the wiki, and so forth. This benefits you by avoiding getting suggestions for corrective actions you might have already tried and have failed.

Language

The main language you will see used on the mailing list is English, and generally this will be understood by the largest number of subscribers, even though it must be mentioned that English is not the first language for the majority of the Scribus team members. If you struggle with English, feel free to submit questions in your primary language – we should be able to manage most European languages fairly easily. You may also notice that even though you submit a question in your language, one or more responses come in English. Some of us may understand other languages better than we can speak or write them.

Suggestions

• Send messages in plain text. First of all, HTML will be scrubbed from your message, and if that's all there is, your message will only be located in the mailing list archives and won't actually make it to the list's recipients. HTML adds a lot of markup garbage to the message, and believe it or not, some still use text-based email clients, so the html messages can be very difficult to read.
• When you reply, please bottom post. This is our decision as to what makes the most sense to us, the main reason being is that reading parts of messages in sequence makes more sense this way. In some cases, you might break up the original message at points, with replies just after the part you wish to respond to. If you do this excessively however, it can be hard to tell who said what.
• Trim out the fat. Try not to let the size of messages get out of hand. Get rid of parts you are not addressing by editing before you send your reply.
• As far as signatures at the bottom of your submission, consider the propriety of your message for the mailing list audience. Promotional, political, and derogatory or profane comments are inappropriate and you can expect at best some negative feedback on these issues. In general, we have enjoyed (justifiably, we think) a reputation for our responsiveness and other evidence that we do try to help those who are in need of help. Please don't take us for granted – we seem to live in a world of diminishing civility.

Before you click Send

• Take a look at the Subject line to see that it applies to your email. Threads can sometimes take on a life of their own and drift off in odd directions. Having a Subject that reflects the contents of the message helps you and others find a particular topic or problem later.
• Once again, check the tone of your message and the words you choose, realizing that inflammatory phrases and unusual idioms may be misunderstood. If all you want to do is express displeasure, please keep your thoughts to yourself.