The SNIPPETS.ORG C Conference (herinafter the List) is an internationally distributed Internet mailing list for the discussion of the C language, C programming and related subjects.

The official human language of the List is the English language. The primary reason for the List is public discussion, so ENCODED messages are not permitted. This prohibition includes the posting of UUEncoded files.

Be considerate of your readers. Reread your posts, correct your spelling and attempt to make your point clearly and succinctly. Nationalistic, religious, political, unethical, illegal, and/or provocative statements shall not be made, either within messages or in taglines/signature. See "General Rules" below.

Show respect towards the person to whom you are posting. Make your point, agree or disagree, without being rude or provocative.

If you can't post without abuse, then just don't post.

• Despite messages carrying a single recipient's name, all messages posted here are available for all to read. Do not hesitate to answer a message to someone else if you think you have something worthy to say. By the same token, do not be offended if several people comment on your post to another individual. This is a public forum.
• Do not respond to off-topic messages on the List. If you wish to respond, please do so by private email. If you are in doubt, then email the moderator and ask.
• "Thank you" and "no content" messages are a waste of List bandwidth and not usually of interest to the List. Please refrain from them. Similarly, on-topic comments to several respondents should either be done with a single message addressed to them all or via email.
• When replying to a message, it is preferred that you:
  1. Quote some of the original message so the recipient (and others as well) will know what you are talking about.
  2. Be selective when you quote (5 to 20 lines is recommended) and *NEVER* quote an entire message and just add a line or two.

• The basic criteria for messages entered here should be:

  Is this message about C programming?

  Is this message of general interest to the List?

• Humor (in good taste) will always be considered on topic.
• Wandering a bit off-topic in a reply thread is OK provided you are aware that this should not be abused.
• Primarily, the focal topic of discussion in the List is C language programming with the following exceptions:
  1. Ancillary subjects that facilitate or support C programming will be considered on-topic until the discussion ceases to be productive or of general interest.
  2. Platform-specific discussions will not be allowed unless they pertain to the use of the C language.
  3. Discussion of C programming for illegitimate reasons (viruses, worms, trojan, etc.) is not permitted for the obvious liability potential.
  4. C AND C++ ARE DIFFERENT AND DISTINCT LANGUAGES irrespective of what your compiler calls itself or what languages it supports. There is also a SNIPPETS.ORG C++ conference where you should take C++-specific messages.

The List is a lightly moderated mailing list. "Lightly moderated" simply means that moderation is done after the fact - no one's posts are ever held for the moderator's approval. The domain owner (Bob Stout) acts as the administrator for the List. Additional moderator(s) may chosen by election.

• LEAVE MODERATING TO THE MODERATOR. If something on the List irritates you, send the moderator a message via Internet email.
• NO FLAMING. Inflammatory messages are not permitted. If you feel you have been insulted in some way, there are three options:
1. Complain to the person via email.
2. Bring the matter to the attention of the moderator by email.
3. Ignore it.

• EXCESSIVELY ANNOYING BEHAVIOR IS FORBIDDEN. This is a judgement call for the moderator and/or administrator. In general however, if a message or thread annoys a significant number of participants of the List, it will be deemed excessively annoying. If you see something that you feel is annoying behavior, feel free to contact the moderator via email.
• Code posted in the List should be free from copyright restrictions. It is preferable that code come with a public domain notice, but copyrighted code with a license for unrestricted use in personal and commercial applications will be allowed.

  An example public domain notice:

  /* Gamma Ray Detection Routine - written by: E. Fermi */
  /* Released to the Public Domain 1992 */

  An example copyright notice with license:

  /* Copyright 1987-1989 by Robert B. Stout dba MicroFirm */
  /* This code may be used freely in any program for any */
  /* application, personal or commercial. */

• Commercial advertisements are banned from the List. Unsolicited non-commercial ads (e.g., for web sites) are allowed exactly no more often than once per month. There is no restriction on solicited ads where someone is looking for something. Informational commercial product announcements (i.e. hype-free) are allowed exactly once.
• There is no official FAQ list for the List. However, the SNIPPETS C archive should have something that corresponds to the problem/question you have. Do not be surprised if your questions are answered with "look in snippets" or something similar.
• This is not an exhaustive list, but given what *is* off-topic, it should be easy to tell if something not mentioned would be considered off-topic or not.
• If you are asked to stay on-topic, please take it as that, and not a personal attack. It is only done to keep the forum on-topic for the sake of all readers. Don't take an off-topic warning as being anything more serious than what was intended.
• The List is neutral territory. *Inflamatory* nationalistic, political, and/or religious issues have no place in List messages or tag/signature lines. While freedom of expression is respected, consideration of opposing views will be enforced.
• In disputes which may arise, the moderator's word is final.