mailing-list-faq.texi 13 KB

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  1. \input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
  2. @documentencoding UTF-8
  3. @settitle FFmpeg Mailing List FAQ
  4. @titlepage
  5. @center @titlefont{FFmpeg Mailing List FAQ}
  6. @end titlepage
  7. @top
  8. @contents
  9. @chapter General Questions
  10. @section What is a mailing list?
  11. A mailing list is not much different than emailing someone, but the
  12. main difference is that your message is received by everyone who
  13. subscribes to the list. It is somewhat like a forum but in email form.
  14. See the @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/pipermail/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user archives}
  15. for examples.
  16. @section What type of questions can I ask?
  17. @itemize
  18. @item
  19. @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user}:
  20. For questions involving unscripted usage or compilation of the FFmpeg
  21. command-line tools (@command{ffmpeg}, @command{ffprobe}, @command{ffplay}).
  22. @item
  23. @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/libav-user/, libav-user}:
  24. For questions involving the FFmpeg libav* libraries (libavcodec,
  25. libavformat, libavfilter, etc).
  26. @item
  27. @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-devel/, ffmpeg-devel}:
  28. For discussions involving the development of FFmpeg and for submitting
  29. patches. User questions should be asked at ffmpeg-user or libav-user.
  30. @end itemize
  31. To report a bug see @url{https://ffmpeg.org/bugreports.html}.
  32. We cannot provide help for scripts and/or third-party tools.
  33. @anchor{How do I ask a question or send a message to a mailing list?}
  34. @section How do I ask a question or send a message to a mailing list?
  35. First you must @ref{How do I subscribe?, subscribe}. Then all you have to do is
  36. send an email:
  37. @itemize
  38. @item
  39. Email @email{ffmpeg-user@@ffmpeg.org} to send a message to the
  40. ffmpeg-user mailing list.
  41. @item
  42. Email @email{libav-user@@ffmpeg.org} to send a message to the
  43. libav-user mailing list.
  44. @item
  45. Email @email{ffmpeg-devel@@ffmpeg.org} to send a message to the
  46. ffmpeg-devel mailing list.
  47. @end itemize
  48. @chapter Subscribing / Unsubscribing
  49. @anchor{How do I subscribe?}
  50. @section How do I subscribe?
  51. Email @email{ffmpeg-user-request@@ffmpeg.org} with the subject
  52. @emph{subscribe}.
  53. Or visit the @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user mailing list info page}
  54. and refer to the @emph{Subscribing to ffmpeg-user} section.
  55. The process is the same for the other mailing lists.
  56. @section How do I unsubscribe?
  57. Email @email{ffmpeg-user-request@@ffmpeg.org} with subject @emph{unsubscribe}.
  58. Or visit the @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user mailing list info page},
  59. scroll to bottom of page, enter your email address in the box, and click
  60. the @emph{Unsubscribe or edit options} button.
  61. The process is the same for the other mailing lists.
  62. Please avoid asking a mailing list admin to unsubscribe you unless you
  63. are absolutely unable to do so by yourself. See @ref{Who do I contact if I have a problem with the mailing list?}
  64. Note that it is possible to temporarily halt message delivery (vacation mode).
  65. See @ref{How do I disable mail delivery without unsubscribing?}
  66. @chapter Moderation Queue
  67. @anchor{Why is my message awaiting moderator approval?}
  68. @section Why is my message awaiting moderator approval?
  69. Some messages are automatically held in the @emph{moderation queue} and
  70. must be manually approved by a mailing list admin:
  71. These are:
  72. @itemize
  73. @item
  74. Messages that exceed the @ref{What is the message size limit?, message size limit}.
  75. @item
  76. Messages from users whose accounts have been set with the @emph{moderation flag}
  77. (very rarely occurs, but may if a user repeatedly ignores the rules
  78. or is abusive towards others).
  79. @end itemize
  80. @section How long does it take for my message in the moderation queue to be approved?
  81. The queue is not checked on a regular basis. You can ask on the
  82. @t{#ffmpeg-devel} IRC channel on Libera Chat for someone to approve your message.
  83. @anchor{How do I delete my message in the moderation queue?}
  84. @section How do I delete my message in the moderation queue?
  85. You should have received an email with the subject @emph{Your message to <mailing list name> awaits moderator approval}.
  86. A link is in the message that will allow you to delete your message
  87. unless a mailing list admin already approved or rejected it.
  88. @chapter Archives
  89. @anchor{Where are the archives?}
  90. @section Where are the archives?
  91. See the @emph{Archives} section on the @url{https://ffmpeg.org/contact.html, FFmpeg Contact}
  92. page for links to all FFmpeg mailing list archives.
  93. Note that the archives are split by month. Discussions that span
  94. several months will be split into separate months in the archives.
  95. @section How do I reply to a message in the archives?
  96. Click the email link at the top of the message just under the subject
  97. title. The link will provide the proper headers to keep the message
  98. within the thread.
  99. Note that you must be subscribed to send a message to the ffmpeg-user or
  100. libav-user mailing lists.
  101. @section How do I search the archives?
  102. Perform a site search using your favorite search engine. Example:
  103. @t{site:lists.ffmpeg.org/pipermail/ffmpeg-user/ "search term"}
  104. @chapter Other
  105. @section Is there an alternative to the mailing list?
  106. You can ask for help in the official @t{#ffmpeg} IRC channel on Libera Chat.
  107. Some users prefer the third-party @url{http://www.ffmpeg-archive.org/, Nabble}
  108. interface which presents the mailing lists in a typical forum layout.
  109. There are also numerous third-party help sites such as
  110. @url{https://superuser.com/tags/ffmpeg, Super User} and
  111. @url{https://www.reddit.com/r/ffmpeg/, r/ffmpeg on reddit}.
  112. @anchor{What is top-posting?}
  113. @section What is top-posting?
  114. See @url{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Top-posting}.
  115. Instead, use trimmed interleaved/inline replies (@url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/pipermail/ffmpeg-user/2017-April/035849.html, example}).
  116. @anchor{What is the message size limit?}
  117. @section What is the message size limit?
  118. The message size limit is 1000 kilobytes. Please provide links to larger files
  119. instead of attaching them.
  120. @section Where can I upload sample files?
  121. Anywhere that is not too annoying for us to use.
  122. Google Drive and Dropbox are acceptable if you need a file host, and
  123. @url{https://0x0.st/, 0x0.st} is good for files under 256 MiB.
  124. Small, short samples are preferred if possible.
  125. @section Will I receive spam if I send and/or subscribe to a mailing list?
  126. Highly unlikely.
  127. @itemize
  128. @item
  129. The list of subscribed users is not public.
  130. @item
  131. Email addresses in the archives are obfuscated.
  132. @item
  133. Several unique test email accounts were utilized and none have yet
  134. received any spam.
  135. @end itemize
  136. However, you may see a spam in the mailing lists on rare occasions:
  137. @itemize
  138. @item
  139. Spam in the moderation queue may be accidentally approved due to human
  140. error.
  141. @item
  142. There have been a few messages from subscribed users who had their own
  143. email addresses hacked and spam messages from (or appearing to be from)
  144. the hacked account were sent to their contacts (a mailing list being a
  145. contact in these cases).
  146. @item
  147. If you are subscribed to the bug tracker mailing list (ffmpeg-trac) you
  148. may see the occasional spam as a false bug report, but we take measures
  149. to try to prevent this.
  150. @end itemize
  151. @section How do I filter mailing list messages?
  152. Use the @emph{List-Id}. For example, the ffmpeg-user mailing list is
  153. @t{ffmpeg-user.ffmpeg.org}. You can view the List-Id in the raw message
  154. or headers.
  155. You can then filter the mailing list messages to their own folder.
  156. @anchor{How do I disable mail delivery without unsubscribing?}
  157. @section How do I disable mail delivery without unsubscribing?
  158. Sometimes you may want to temporarily stop receiving all mailing list
  159. messages. This "vacation mode" is simple to do:
  160. @enumerate
  161. @item
  162. Go to the @url{https://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user/, ffmpeg-user mailing list info page}
  163. @item
  164. Enter your email address in the box at very bottom of the page and click the
  165. @emph{Unsubscribe or edit options} box.
  166. @item
  167. Enter your password and click the @emph{Log in} button.
  168. @item
  169. Look for the @emph{Mail delivery} option. Here you can disable/enable mail
  170. delivery. If you check @emph{Set globally} it will apply your choice to all
  171. other FFmpeg mailing lists you are subscribed to.
  172. @end enumerate
  173. Alternatively, from your subscribed address, send a message to @email{ffmpeg-user-request@@ffmpeg.org}
  174. with the subject @emph{set delivery off}. To re-enable mail delivery send a
  175. message to @email{ffmpeg-user-request@@ffmpeg.org} with the subject
  176. @emph{set delivery on}.
  177. @anchor{Why is the mailing list munging my address?}
  178. @section Why is the mailing list munging my address?
  179. This is due to subscribers that use an email service with a DMARC reject policy
  180. which adds difficulties to mailing list operators.
  181. The mailing list must re-write (munge) the @emph{From:} header for such users;
  182. otherwise their email service will reject and bounce the message resulting in
  183. automatic unsubscribing from the mailing list.
  184. When sending a message these users will see @emph{via <mailing list name>}
  185. added to their name and the @emph{From:} address munged to the address of
  186. the particular mailing list.
  187. If you want to avoid this then please use a different email service.
  188. Note that ffmpeg-devel does not apply any munging as it causes issues with
  189. patch authorship. As a result users with an email service with a DMARC reject
  190. policy may be automatically unsubscribed due to rejected and bounced messages.
  191. @chapter Rules and Etiquette
  192. @section What are the rules and the proper etiquette?
  193. There may seem to be many things to remember, but we want to help and
  194. following these guidelines will allow you to get answers more quickly
  195. and help avoid getting ignored.
  196. @itemize
  197. @item
  198. Always show your actual, unscripted @command{ffmpeg} command and the
  199. complete, uncut console output from your command.
  200. @item
  201. Use the most simple and minimal command that still shows the issue you
  202. are encountering.
  203. @item
  204. Provide all necessary information so others can attempt to duplicate
  205. your issue. This includes the actual command, complete uncut console
  206. output, and any inputs that are required to duplicate the issue.
  207. @item
  208. Use the latest @command{ffmpeg} build you can get. See the @url{https://ffmpeg.org/download.html, FFmpeg Download}
  209. page for links to recent builds for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Or
  210. compile from the current git master branch.
  211. @item
  212. Avoid @url{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Top-posting, top-posting}.
  213. Also see @ref{What is top-posting?}
  214. @item
  215. Avoid hijacking threads. Thread hijacking is replying to a message and
  216. changing the subject line to something unrelated to the original thread.
  217. Most email clients will still show the renamed message under the
  218. original thread. This can be confusing and these types of messages are
  219. often ignored.
  220. @item
  221. Do not send screenshots. Copy and paste console text instead of making
  222. screenshots of the text.
  223. @item
  224. Avoid sending email disclaimers and legalese if possible as this is a
  225. public list.
  226. @item
  227. Avoid using the @code{-loglevel debug}, @code{-loglevel quiet}, and
  228. @command{-hide_banner} options unless requested to do so.
  229. @item
  230. If you attach files avoid compressing small files. Uncompressed is
  231. preferred.
  232. @item
  233. Please do not send HTML-only messages. The mailing list will ignore the
  234. HTML component of your message. Most mail clients will automatically
  235. include a text component: this is what the mailing list will use.
  236. @item
  237. Configuring your mail client to break lines after 70 or so characters is
  238. recommended.
  239. @item
  240. Avoid sending the same message to multiple mailing lists.
  241. @item
  242. Please follow our @url{https://ffmpeg.org/developer.html#Code-of-conduct, Code of Conduct}.
  243. @end itemize
  244. @chapter Help
  245. @section Why am I not receiving any messages?
  246. Some email providers have blacklists or spam filters that block or mark
  247. the mailing list messages as false positives. Unfortunately, the user is
  248. often not aware of this and is often out of their control.
  249. When possible we attempt to notify the provider to be removed from the
  250. blacklists or filters.
  251. @section Why are my sent messages not showing up?
  252. Excluding @ref{Why is my message awaiting moderator approval?, messages that are held in the moderation queue}
  253. there are a few other reasons why your messages may fail to appear:
  254. @itemize
  255. @item
  256. HTML-only messages are ignored by the mailing lists. Most mail clients
  257. automatically include a text component alongside HTML email: this is what
  258. the mailing list will use. If it does not then consider your client to be
  259. broken, because sending a text component along with the HTML component to
  260. form a multi-part message is recommended by email standards.
  261. @item
  262. Check your spam folder.
  263. @end itemize
  264. @anchor{Why do I keep getting unsubscribed from ffmpeg-devel?}
  265. @section Why do I keep getting unsubscribed from ffmpeg-devel?
  266. Users with an email service that has a DMARC reject or quarantine policy may be
  267. automatically unsubscribed from the ffmpeg-devel mailing list due to the mailing
  268. list messages being continuously rejected and bounced back.
  269. Consider using a different email service.
  270. @anchor{Who do I contact if I have a problem with the mailing list?}
  271. @section Who do I contact if I have a problem with the mailing list?
  272. Send a message to @email{ffmpeg-user-owner@@ffmpeg.org}.
  273. @bye