[10] WHAT IS COMMON SENSE AND HOW DO I USE IT?
People tend to be more abusive or defensive while typing away on a
computer keyboard. People are also more apt to being gulliable
or confused by the text of others displayed on their screen.
It is very important when you feel these exaggerated emotions to take
a deep breath and think. Here are a list of 'common sense' notions
that you should keep in mind when using SDF.
1. Don't tell your password to anyone. NO ONE, not even your god
should know your password let alone ask you for it.
2. Check email headers if you get a slightly strange (or obviously
strange) email from someone saying they are an 'admin' or 'info'
or 'sysop' or 'support' or 'help'. In 100% of the cases you will
find that these do not actually originate on SDF and most likely
contain a malicious Microsoft virus. Delete these and do not
forward them to anyone.
3. DON'T PANIC - If something goes wrong such as your URL disappears
or your session 'freezes' or you get a strange error, be patient
and wait .. if you just wait 5 minutes, the problem will have
'fixed itself' or disappeared. Also, check bboard:<ANNOUNCE> for
system notices, maintenance schedules and resolved issues.
4. Becareful with emotions. Sometimes users can provoke each other
to get a reaction, embarrass or hurt one another's feelings. The
best medicine if you are being flamed or trolled is to 'walk away'.
Also, if you meet someone on SDF and decide to meet in person,
please use caution and follow these simple guidelines:
a. Arrange a meeting in a public place. Don't invite someone
to your home and don't go to a stranger's home.
b. Meet in groups. Avoid meeting one on one with a stranger.
c. If you are going to fall in love, please do so AFTER you
have met. If the feeling isn't mutual, do not persist.
d. Don't let your failed relationship affect your desire to
be a part of SDF.
5. Don't compromise membership priviledges. If you are an ARPA member
don't compile or install programs in /tmp or your home directory
that would otherwise only be available to ARPA members. Most notably
are programs that allocate sockets or allow a user to gain access to
other ARPA only utilities.
6. Use /tmp for temporary storage, but be aware. Each client system
has roughly 2GB of 'temporary' space available to all users. You
may use this space, but use 'df /tmp' to check that you are not
going to cause other users problems. Note, files in /tmp expire
at around 60 days.
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