qubes-doc/introduction/support.md

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title: Help, Support, Mailing Lists, and Forum
permalink: /support/
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- /help/
- /mailing-lists/
- /doc/mailing-lists/
- /en/doc/mailing-lists/
- /en/doc/qubes-lists/
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- /doc/QubesLists/
- /wiki/QubesLists/
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# Help, Support, Mailing Lists, and Forum #

Help and support for Qubes OS is available from the [documentation], the
[mailing lists], and our [forum] which are explained below. The Qubes OS
Project does not offer paid support services.

If you're looking for known issues or would like to file a bug report, please
see the [issue tracker]. These issues are constantly being updated and may
contain workarounds for problems that you're experiencing, so it's worth
[searching the issue tracker] as a first step.


## Staying safe ##

The Qubes mailing lists and forum are open to the public. The contents are
crawled by search engines and archived by third-party services outside of our
control. Please do not send or post anything that you are not comfortable seeing
discussed in public. If confidentiality is a concern, please use PGP encryption
in an off-list email.

The Qubes community includes people from all walks of life and from around the
world. Individuals differ in areas of experience and technical expertise. You
will come into contact with others whose views and agendas differ from your own.
Everyone is free to write what they please, as long as it doesn't violate our
[Code of Conduct][coc]. Be friendly and open, but do not believe everything you
read. Use good judgment, and be especially careful when following instructions
(e.g., copying commands) given by others on the lists.

All official announcements from the [Qubes team] to a mailing list will be
signed by the PGP key belonging to the team member who sends the announcement.
However, anyone on a mailing list can choose to sign their messages, so the
presence of a PGP signature does not indicate authority. How, then, should you
sort the good advice from the bad?
 This is up to each individual to decide, but it helps to know that many members
of our community have proven themselves knowledgeable through their
[contributions] to the project. Typically, these individuals sign their messages
with the same key as (or another key authenticated by) the one they use to
[sign their contributions][code-signing].

For example, you might find it easier to trust advice from someone who has a
proven track record of [contributing software packages] or [contributing to the
documentation]. It's unlikely that individuals who have worked hard to build
good reputations for themselves through their contributions over the years would
risk giving malicious advice in signed messages to public mailing lists. Since
every contribution to the Qubes OS Project is publicly visible and
cryptographically signed, anyone would be in a position to [verify] that these
came from the same keyholder.


## Discussion guidelines ##

Qubes discussions mainly take place on `qubes-users`, `qubes-devel`, and our
[forum], all of which are explained below. Most questions should be directed to
`qubes-users` or the [forum]. **Please do not send questions to individual
Qubes developers.** By sending a message to the appropriate mailing list, you
are not only giving others a chance to help you, but you may also be helping
others by starting a public discussion about a shared problem or interest.

These are open venues where people freely come together to discuss Qubes
and voluntarily help each other out of mutual interest and good will. They are
*not* your personal, paid support service. **No one owes you a reply.** No one
here is responsible for solving your problems for you. Nonetheless, there are
many things you can do to make it more likely that you will receive a reply.
This community is fortunate to have an exceptionally large number of friendly
and knowledgeable people who enjoy corresponding on these lists. The vast
majority of them will be happy to help you if you follow these simple
guidelines.

### Be polite and respectful ###

Remember, no one here is under any obligation
to reply to you. Think about your readers. Most of them are coming home after
a long, hard day at work. The last thing they need is someone's temper
tantrum. If you are rude and disrespectful, you are very
likely to be ignored.

### Be concise ###

Include only essential information. Most of your readers lead
busy lives and have precious little time. We *want* to spend some of that
time helping you, if we can. But if you ramble, it will be easier to skip
over you and help someone else who gets right to the point.

### Help us help you ###

Tell us what you've already tried, and which
documentation pages you've already read. Put yourself in your readers' shoes.
What essential information would they require in order to be able to help
you? Make sure to include that information in your message. A great way to
provide your hardware details is by [generating and submitting a Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL) report][hcl-howto], then linking to it in your
message. [Ask questions the smart way.][smart-questions]

### Be patient ###

Do not "bump" a thread more than once every three days *at
most*. If it seems like your messages to the mailing lists are consistently
being ignored, make sure you're following the guidelines explained on this
page. If you're already doing so but still not getting any replies, then it's
likely that no one who knows the answer has had time to reply yet. Remember
that the devs are very busy working on Qubes. They usually only have a chance
to answer questions on the mailing lists once every several days.

### Be a good community member ###

As with any social community, members earn different reputations for themselves
over time. We want these discussion venues to be friendly, productive places
where information and ideas are exchanged for the mutual benefit of all. We
understand that the best way to achieve this is to encourage and cultivate
other like-minded individuals. Those who have shown themselves to be good
community members through their past contributions have earned our good will,
and we will be especially eager to help them and collaborate with them. If you
are new to the community, you should understand that it may take time for you
to earn the good will of others. This does not mean that you will not receive
help. On the contrary, we are fortunate to have such a helpful and
understanding community that many of them spend hours of their personal time
helping complete strangers, including many who post anonymously. (Given the
integration of Qubes with [Whonix], we understand better than most the
complexities of privacy and anonymity, and we know that many users have no
other choice but to post anonymously.) You can read our project's [Code of
Conduct][coc] for more information.

### Report issues and submit changes in the right places ###

The mailing lists and [forum] are good places to ask questions and discuss
things. However, if you're submitting a more formal report, we'd prefer that
you submit it to our [issue tracker] so that it doesn't get overlooked.
Likewise, if you see that something in the documentation should be changed,
don't simply point it out in a discussion venue. Instead, [submit the
change][contributing to the documentation].


### Specific mailing list rules and notes ###

#### Use the correct list ####

Send your message to the correct list. Read the sections below to determine
which list is correct for your message.

#### Do not top-post ####

[Top-posting] is placing your reply above the quoted message to which you're
replying. Please refrain from doing this. Instead, either [interleave] your
reply by placing parts of your message immediately below each quoted portion
to which it is replying, or [bottom-post] by placing your entire reply below
the quoted message to which you're replying.

#### Use proper subject lines ####

Include a precise and informative subject line. This will allow others to
easily find your thread in the future and use it as a reference. (Bad: "Help!
Qubes problems!" Good: "R2B2 Installation problem: Apple keyboard not working
in installer.")

#### Do not send duplicates ####

If your message is not successfully sent to the list, it probably got caught
in the spam filter. We check the spam filter regularly, so please be patient,
and your message should be approved (and your email address added to the
whitelist) within a few days.

#### Keep the list CCed ####

Keep the mailing list CCed throughout the conversation unless there's a
special need for privacy (in which case, use PGP encryption). This increases
the likelihood that a greater quantity of useful information will be
available to everyone in the future.

#### Quote appropriately ####

If you're replying to a thread (whether your own or
someone else's), you should make sure to quote enough from previous messages
in the thread so that people reading your message can understand the context
without having to find and read earlier messages from that thread. Each reply
should continue the conversation and, ideally, be readable as a conversation
in itself. Do not quote advertisements in signatures or inline PGP signature
blocks. (Quoting the latter interferes with the ability of programs like
Enigmail to properly quote replies thereafter).

#### English not required ####

If you do not speak English, you should feel free to post in your own
language. However, bear in mind that most members of the list can only read
English. You may wish to include an automated translation in your message out
of consideration for those readers. If you choose to write in English, please
do not apologize for doing so poorly, as it is unnecessary. We understand and
will ask for clarification if needed.

#### Suggestions ####

While we're generally open to hearing suggestions for new features, please
note that we already have a pretty well defined [roadmap], and it's rather
unlikely that we will change our schedule in order to accommodate your
request. If there's a particular feature you'd like to see in Qubes, a much
more effective way to make it happen is to contribute a patch that implements
it. We happily accept such contributions, provided they meet our standards.
Please note, however, that it's always a good idea to field a discussion of
your idea on the `qubes-devel` list before putting in a lot of hard work on
something that we may not be able or willing to accept.

#### Google Groups ####

While the mailing lists are implemented as Google Group web forums, a Google
account is in no way required, expected, or encouraged. Many discussants
(including most members of the Qubes team) treat these lists as conventional
[mailing lists][wiki-ml], interacting with them solely through plain text email
with [MUAs] like [Thunderbird] and [Mutt]. The Google Groups service is just
free infrastructure, and we [distrust the infrastructure]. This is why, for
example, we encourage discussants to use [Split GPG] to sign all of their
messages to the lists, but we do not endorse the use of these Google Groups
as web forums. For that, we have a separate, dedicated [forum].


## Mailing lists ##

This section covers each of our individual [mailing lists][wiki-ml], with
details about the purpose of each list and how to use it.


### qubes-announce ###

This is a read-only list for those who wish to receive only very important,
infrequent messages. Only the core Qubes team can post to this list. Only
[Qubes Security Bulletins (QSBs)][qsb], new stable releases, and end-of-life
notices are announced here.

To subscribe, send a blank email to
`qubes-announce+subscribe@googlegroups.com`. (Note: A Google account is *not*
required. Any email address will work.) To unsubscribe, send a blank email to
`qubes-announce+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com`. This list also has an optional
[Google Groups web interface][qubes-announce-web].


### qubes-users ###

This list is for helping users solve various daily problems with Qubes OS.
Examples of topics or questions suitable for this list include:

 * [HCL] reports
 * Installation problems
 * Hardware compatibility problems
 * Questions of the form: "How do I...?"

Please try searching both the Qubes website and the archives of the mailing
lists before sending a question. In addition, please make sure that you have
read and understood the following basic documentation prior to posting to the
list:

 * The [Installation Guide], [System Requirements], and [HCL] (for problems
   related to installing Qubes OS)
 * The [User FAQ]
 * The [documentation] (for questions about how to use Qubes OS)

You don't have to subscribe in order to post to this list. However, subscribing
makes your messages less likely to be marked as spam and allows you to receive
messages sent directly to the list. To subscribe to the list, send a blank
email to `qubes-users+subscribe@googlegroups.com`. (Note: A Google account is
*not* required. Any email address will work.) To post a message to the list,
address your email to `qubes-users@googlegroups.com`. If your post does not
appear immediately, please allow time for moderation to occur. To unsubscribe,
send a blank email to `qubes-users+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com`. This list
also has an optional [Google Groups web interface][qubes-users-web] and
[traditional mail archive][qubes-users-archive].


### qubes-devel ###

This list is primarily intended for people who are interested in contributing to
Qubes or who are willing to learn more about its architecture and
implementation. Examples of topics and questions suitable for this list include:

 * Questions about why we made certain architecture or implementation decisions.
   * For example: "Why did you implement XYZ this way and not the other way?"
 * Questions about code layout and where code is for certain functionality.
 * Discussions about proposed new features, patches, etc.
   * For example: "I would like to implement feature XYZ."
 * Contributed code and patches.
 * Security discussions which are relevant to Qubes in some way.

You must be subscribed in order to post to this list. To subscribe, send a
blank email to `qubes-devel+subscribe@googlegroups.com`. (Note: A Google
account is *not* required. Any email address will work.) To post a message to
the list, address your email to `qubes-devel@googlegroups.com`. If your post
does not appear immediately, please allow time for moderation to occur. To
unsubscribe, send a blank email to `qubes-devel+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com`.
This list also has an optional [Google Groups web interface][qubes-devel-web]
and [traditional mail archive][qubes-devel-archive].


### qubes-project ###

This list is for non-technical discussion and coordination around the
Qubes OS project.

Examples of topics or question suitable for this list include:

 * Participation (talks, workshops, etc.) at upcoming events
 * Project funding applications and strategies
 * FOSS governance discussions
 * Most Github issues tagged "[business]"

You don't have to subscribe in order to post to this list. However, subscribing
makes your messages less likely to be marked as spam and allows you to receive
messages sent directly to the list. To subscribe, send a blank email to
`qubes-project+subscribe@googlegroups.com`. (Note: A Google account is *not*
required. Any email address will work.) To post a message to the list, address
your email to `qubes-project@googlegroups.com`. If your post does not appear
immediately, please allow time for moderation to occur. To unsubscribe, send a
blank email to `qubes-project+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com`. This list also
also has an optional [Google Groups web interface][qubes-project-web].


### qubes-translation ###

This list is for discussion around the localization and translation of Qubes OS,
its documentation, and the website.

Examples of topics or question suitable for this list include:

 * Questions about or issues with [Transifex], the translation platform we use
 * Who is managing localization for a given language
 * Most Github issues tagged "[localization]"

You don't have to subscribe in order to post to this list. However, subscribing
makes your messages less likely to be marked as spam and allows you to receive
messages sent directly to the list. To subscribe, send a blank email to
`qubes-translation+subscribe@googlegroups.com`. (Note: A Google account is
*not* required. Any email address will work.) To post a message to the list,
address your email to `qubes-translation@googlegroups.com`. If your post does
not appear immediately, please allow time for moderation to occur. To
unsubscribe, send a blank email to
`qubes-translation+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com`. This list also has an
optional [Google Groups web interface][qubes-translation-web].


## Forum ##

We have a community forum for Qubes OS users:

<https://qubes-os.discourse.group>

This is an official user forum where you can ask questions, get help, share
tips and experiences, and more! For a long time, members of our community have
sought a privacy-respecting forum experience with modern features that
traditional mailing lists do not support. The open-source [Discourse] platform
fills this need for us, as it does for many other open-source projects. Thanks
to their generous [free hosting for open source projects], we're pleased to be
able to create this space for our community.

### Why was this forum created? ###

Previously, the only option for a forum-like experience was to interact with
our mailing lists via Google Groups, but we understand all too well that the
privacy implications and user experience were unacceptable for many members of
our community, especially with the recent addition of a sign-in requirement to
view threads. Many of you value the lower barrier to entry, organization,
ease-of-use, and modern social features that today's forums support. Moreover,
Discourse features email integration for those who still prefer the traditional
mailing list format.

### How is this different from our mailing lists? ###

To be clear, this is *not* a replacement for the mailing lists. This forum is
simply an *additional* place for discussion. Certain types of discussions
naturally lend themselves more to mailing lists or to forums, and different
types of users prefer different venues. We've heard from some users who find
the mailing lists to be a bit intimidating or who may feel that their message
isn't important enough to merit creating a new email that lands in thousands of
inboxes. Others want more selective control over topic notifications. Some
users simply appreciate the ability to add a "reaction" to a message instead of
having to add an entirely new reply. Whatever your reasons, it's up to you to
decide where and how you want to join the conversation.

### Does this split the community? ###

Many open-source projects (such as Fedora and Debian) have both mailing lists
and forums (and additional discussion venues). In fact, Qubes already had
non-mailing-list discussion venues such as [IRC] and [Reddit] before this forum
was introduced. We believe that this additional venue fosters the continued
growth of community participation and improves everyone's experience. In
addition, we fully expect that many community members -- especially the most
active ones -- will choose to participate in both venues. (Again, for those who
still prefer interacting via email, Discourse supports that too!)


## Unofficial chat channels ##

The following unofficial chat channels are maintained by the community:

 * Matrix, Qubes-related: <https://matrix.to/#/#cybersec-qubes_os:matrix.org>
 * Matrix, strictly Qubes: <https://matrix.to/#/#Qubes-OS:matrix.org>
 * `#qubes` channel on freenode.net via traditional IRC clients or: <https://webchat.freenode.net/>

[mailing lists]: #mailing-lists
[wiki-ml]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_mailing_list
[Qubes team]: /team/
[contributions]: /doc/contributing/
[code-signing]: /doc/code-signing/
[contributing software packages]: /doc/package-contributions/
[contributing to the documentation]: /doc/doc-guidelines/
[verify]: /security/verifying-signatures/
[qsb]: /security/bulletins/
[qubes-announce-web]: https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-announce
[Top-posting]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Top-posting
[interleave]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style
[bottom-post]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Bottom-posting
[roadmap]: https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/milestones
[smart-questions]: http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
[Whonix]: /doc/whonix/
[HCL]: /doc/hcl/
[Installation Guide]: /doc/installation-guide/
[System Requirements]: /doc/system-requirements/
[User FAQ]: /faq/#users
[documentation]: /doc/
[MUAs]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_client
[Thunderbird]: https://www.thunderbird.net/
[Mutt]: http://www.mutt.org/
[distrust the infrastructure]: /faq/#what-does-it-mean-to-distrust-the-infrastructure
[Split GPG]: /doc/split-gpg/
[thunderbird-newsgroup]: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/creating-newsgroup-account
[qubes-users-archive]: https://www.mail-archive.com/qubes-users@googlegroups.com/
[qubes-devel-archive]: https://www.mail-archive.com/qubes-devel@googlegroups.com/
[qubes-users-web]: https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-users
[qubes-devel-web]: https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-devel
[qubes-translation-web]: https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-translation
[qubes-project-web]: https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-project
[business]: https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=is%3Aissue%20is%3Aopen%20label%3Abusiness
[localization]: https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=is%3Aissue%20is%3Aopen%20label%3Alocalization
[coc]: /code-of-conduct/
[Transifex]: https://www.transifex.com/otf/qubes/
[issue tracker]: /doc/reporting-bugs/
[searching the issue tracker]: /doc/reporting-bugs/#search-tips
[forum]: #forum
[Discourse]: https://www.discourse.org/
[free hosting for open source projects]: https://blog.discourse.org/2018/11/free-hosting-for-open-source-v2/
[IRC]: #unofficial-chat-channels
[Reddit]: https://www.reddit.com/r/Qubes/
[hcl-howto]: /doc/hcl/#generating-and-submitting-new-report