RTFM

RTFM is an initialism for the expression "Read The Fucking Manual" (sometimes flaming or another metaphor or profanity) or, in the context of a Unix environment, "Read The Fucking Man page".

The RTFM instruction is sometimes given in response to a question when the person being asked believes that the question could be easily answered by reading the relevant user's manual or instructions. In expurgated texts, substitutions such as "read the flaming manual", "read the fine manual" or "read the friendly manual" are used^[1] (or similar variants). Initialisms similar to RTFM include GIYF ("Google is your friend") and LMGTFY ("let me google that for you"). These indicate that the item under question can easily be researched on the World Wide Web.

Many alternative expansions for "RTFM" exist, as do many similarly themed alternative initialisms.

Possible origins

The phrase RTFM may have first appeared in print in 1979 on the Table of Contents page of the LINPACK Users' Guide^[2] in the form: "R.T.F.M." -- Anonymous. Apocryphally, some of the authors heard it from a Tektronix salesman.

The phrase RTFM was in common use in the early 1950s by radio and radar technicians in the US Air Force. Operators frequently did not check simple faults, for example checking whether a fuse had blown or a power plug had become disconnected.^{[citation needed]}

List of similar initialisms

Encouraging the reading of the manual or other background information

RTBM ("read the bloody manual") (In some countries, e.g., the UK and Australia, this is a fractionally more polite alternative with identical meaning^[3])
RTFA ("read the fucking/featured article"—common on news forums such as Fark.com^[4] and Slashdot, where using "TFA" instead of "the article" has become a meme)
RTFE ("read the fucking e-mail")^{[citation needed]}
RTFC ("read the fucking code" [also "reboot the fucking computer" or "read the fucking card"])^{[citation needed]}
RTFSC ("read the fucking source code")^{[citation needed]}
RTFSM ("read the fucking SWIFT message")^{[citation needed]}
RTFQ ("read the fucking question")^{[citation needed]}
RTFFAQ ("read the fucking frequently asked questions")^{[citation needed]}
UTFH ("use the fucking help")^{[citation needed]}
UTSL ("use the source, Luke", a play on the famous Star Wars quote, "Use the Force, Luke", referring to freely available source code)^{[citation needed]}
RTFI ("read the flaming instructions")^{[citation needed]}
RTFB ("read the fucking brief" common in advertising, design, photography)^{[citation needed]}
RTFP ("read the fucking plan" common in construction, engineering, stage design)^{[citation needed]}
RTFS ("read the fucking syllabus" common in any academic field towards undergraduates in their classes) Alternatively "read the fucking stickys" (on message boards with information contained in "sticky" threads.)

Encouraging the use of at least a basic search

UTFG ("Use the fucking Google")^{[citation needed]}
GIYF ("Google is your friend") ("Google it yourself fucker") ("Google it you fool")^{[citation needed]}
JFGI ("just fucking Google it")^{[citation needed]}
LMGTFY ("let me google that for you") The basis for the website lmgtfy.com
JFWI ("just fucking Wiki it")^{[citation needed]}
JGIYN ("just Google it, you noob")^{[citation needed]}
STFG ("search the fucking Google") (the initials are consonant with STFU)^{[citation needed]}
STFW ("search the fucking Web") (the initials are consonant with STFU)^{[citation needed]}
WIDGI ("when in doubt, Google it"—also occasionally "WIDGIT")^{[citation needed]}

Retorts for the acronyms above

WABM ("write a better manual" – an answer to complaining that the manual is not written well)^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Howard, Michael, David LeBlanc, and John Viega. 19 Deadly Sins of Software Security: Programming Flaws and How to Fix Them. New York: McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2005. ISBN 0-07-226085-8.
^ Dongarra, J. J., C. B. Moler, J. R. Bunch, and G. W. Stewart. LINPACK User's Guide. Philadelphia: SIAM, 1979. ISBN 0-89871-172-X.
^ "RTBM definition". foldoc.com. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
^ "Routine traffic stop has man up in arms. Er, caught red-handed. Er, never mind, just RTFA". Fark.com. 2008-11-28. Retrieved 2009-01-27.

[1] Howard, Michael, David LeBlanc, and John Viega. 19 Deadly Sins of Software Security: Programming Flaws and How to Fix Them. New York: McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2005. ISBN 0-07-226085-8.

[2] Dongarra, J. J., C. B. Moler, J. R. Bunch, and G. W. Stewart. LINPACK User's Guide. Philadelphia: SIAM, 1979. ISBN 0-89871-172-X.

[3] "RTBM definition". foldoc.com. Retrieved 2009-12-08.

[4] "Routine traffic stop has man up in arms. Er, caught red-handed. Er, never mind, just RTFA". Fark.com. 2008-11-28. Retrieved 2009-01-27.

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