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RTFM

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RTFM is an initialism for the statement "Read The Fucking Manual." This instruction is sometimes given in response to a question when the person being asked believes that the question could be easily answered by reading relevant documentation.

In computer technical support it also commonly refers to "Reboot The Fucking Machine," an aptly prescribed first line of troubleshooting that has been widely recognized to solve a great majority of computer problems on Microsoft Windows.[citation needed] It implies exasperation at minimal problem-solving initiative.

To avoid the use of the expletive "fucking" in the statement (which is offensive to some people), the "F" is often translated to another adjective, such as "Freaking", "Flaming", "Full", "Fine", "Friendly", "Fabulous", "Fascinating", or (especially for programmers) "FORTRAN". Alternatively, the "F" can be dropped entirely and the initialism rendered as "RTM" (Read The Manual).

There are many derivative acronyms of the form "RTF*", where '*' is the appropriate source of information. These include "RTFC" (Read The Fucking Code), "RTFFAQ or "RTFF" (Read The Fucking FAQ) and "RTFW" (Read The Fucking Wiki or Walkthrough). Other variations of the acronym replace the letter 'F' with the less offensive 'D' for 'damn' or, in Commonwealth countries, 'B' for 'bloody'. Still others use a different verb, such as "OTFM" (Open The Fucking Manual).

Other derivatives of this expression found in hacker slang or internet slang include:

GLOG
"Go Look On Google"
RTFN
"Read The Fucking News"
RTFA
"Read The Fucking Article" - commonly used on Slashdot and digg, and usually said to someone who has obviously posted a comment without reading the relevant article.
TFA
"The Fucking Article" - also commonly used on Slashdot to refer to the article in question.
RTFS
"Read The Fucking Source" - commonly used by programmers to other programmers or sufficiently technically aware people who would benefit from looking at the source code.
STFNG
"Search The Fucking News Group" - probably goes back at least to the advent of DejaNews in 1995. The earliest citation Google Groups has for it is March 1999.
STFW
"Search The Fucking Web" - first seen on Usenet in 1996 (may also mean "so the fuck what?")
UTFG
"Use The Fucking Google" - Variations include: FGI for "Fucking Google It" and the more polite version: GIYF for "Google is your friend"
UTSL
"Use the Source, Luke" - A parody on the popular Star Wars line.
UTFW
"Use the Fucking Wikipedia" - A nice variation.

Some of these versions are less pejorative than RTFM and used in a humorous sense, as it is assumed that it was the developer's fault for not providing documentation.

There is also a French magazine titled RTFM - Read That Friendly Magazine. It costs €3.5 in Metropolitan France and contains computer jokes and stickers.

Criticism

Critics would say that frequent users of the phrase (or similar sentiments) are simply expressing elitism, and that their attitude drives away newcomers without helping them. Their time could better be spent adding the question to a FAQ, pointing the user to a helpful website, or simply not responding. One of the most frequent criticisms of the open source community (where this initialism is often found), is lack of friendly support for newcomers. Some might respond to this criticism by citing the importance of the principle of trying to find answers on one's own before asking others for help. An Internet forum where users read the FAQ before posting their questions is more likely to have a better signal to noise ratio than one that is filled with repetitive postings, and hence is more likely to attract continued participation. When evaluating whether it is acceptable to express sentiments like RTFM, one must consider the trade-off between maintaining the usability of an Internet forum for its existing users, and making a forum welcoming to newcomers.

Critics may also point out that occasionally someone will reply with RTFM when it is not entirely clear exactly which manual their correspondent should be reading, and, in these cases, the reply should be accompanied by a pointer or reference to the documentation.

Counter-criticism

Some hackers have suggested[1] that in some situations "RTFM" is actually the best advice that an aspiring hacker can receive. They posit that hacking is a dynamic art which requires independence and drive on the part of the hacker, and see "RTFM" as more of a long-term advisement than it is a response to any single query. Although, given that the concepts surrounding Open Source Software (a common place to find the "RTFM" statement) are designed to be suitable for use by non-hackers, this argument is not applicable in all situations.

See also

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