qubes-doc/introduction/support.rst

=======================================
Help, support, mailing lists, and forum
=======================================


The Qubes community is here to help! Since Qubes is a security-oriented
operating system, we want to make sure you `stay safe <#staying-safe>`__
as you get the support you need, and we want to make sure our community
remains a friendly and productive place by ensuring we all follow the
:doc:`Code of Conduct </introduction/code-of-conduct>` and `discussion guidelines <#discussion-guidelines>`__.

How to get help and support
---------------------------


First, let’s see what kind of help you need.

I have a problem or a question.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


No worries! Here’s how we recommend proceeding:

1. Check the :doc:`documentation </index>`. There may already be a page
   about it. Specifically, check out the :ref:`How-To Guides <how-to-guides>` and
   :ref:`Troubleshooting <troubleshooting>` sections.

2. Search the :doc:`FAQ </introduction/faq>`. Your question might already be answered.

3. Try :ref:`searching the issue tracker <introduction/issue-tracking:search tips>`. There may already be
   an open **or closed** issue about your problem. The issue tracker is
   constantly being updated with known bugs and may contain workarounds
   for problems you’re experiencing. If there are any pinned issues at
   the top, make sure to check them first!

4. Try `searching the Qubes Forum <https://forum.qubes-os.org/>`__.
   There may already be a matching topic.

5. Try `searching the qubes-users
   archives <https://www.mail-archive.com/qubes-users@googlegroups.com/>`__.
   There may have already been a relevant thread.



I didn't find a solution or an answer!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Sorry to hear that! In that case, we recommend asking for help on the
`Qubes Forum <https://forum.qubes-os.org/>`__ or on the `qubes-users
mailing list <#qubes-users>`__. Choose the venue you prefer, but please
don’t ask on both at the same time! Before you ask, please review our
`discussion guidelines <#discussion-guidelines>`__ and StackOverflow’s
advice on `how to ask good questions <https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask>`__. Don’t forget
to `stay safe <#staying-safe>`__!

I don't need support, but I think I found a bug.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


We’d be grateful if you reported it (but please make sure no one else
has already reported it first)! Please see :doc:`Issue Tracking </introduction/issue-tracking>` for details.

I don't need support, but I'd like to request a feature.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


No promises, but we’d be happy to consider it! Please see :doc:`Issue Tracking </introduction/issue-tracking>` for details.

Where's the best place to discuss Qubes?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


That would be the `Qubes Forum <https://forum.qubes-os.org/>`__ and the
`qubes-users mailing list <#qubes-users>`__. Please have a look at
our `discussion guidelines <#discussion-guidelines>`__ before diving in.
Enjoy!

How can I get involved and contribute?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Thank you for asking! Please see :doc:`How to Contribute </introduction/contributing>` for all the ways you can do so.

I would like to report a security vulnerability.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


That sounds more like you helping us! Thanks! Please see :ref:`Reporting Security Issues in Qubes OS <project-security/security:reporting security issues in qubes os>`.

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 :doc:`Code of Conduct </introduction/code-of-conduct>`. 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.

It’s always possible that a bad actor could try to impersonate any
member of the `Qubes team <https://www.qubes-os.org/team/>`__ anywhere on the Internet. Please
don’t assume that someone who claims to be an official Qubes team member
really is one without an appropriate form of authentication, such as a
:doc:`verified PGP-signed message </project-security/verifying-signatures>`. (But
bear in mind that anyone can generate a key with any name on it and use
it to PGP-sign a message, so the mere presence of a PGP signature does
not indicate authority. Successful
:doc:`verification </project-security/verifying-signatures>` is what counts.) All
official `news <https://www.qubes-os.org/news/>`__ can be authenticated by :doc:`verifying the signatures </project-security/verifying-signatures>` on the relevant tags or
commits in the `qubes-posts <https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-posts>`__
repository.

Given that there may be impostors and others trying to lead you astray,
how 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
:doc:`contributions </introduction/contributing>` to the project. Often, these
individuals sign their messages with the same key as (or another key
authenticated by) the one they use to :doc:`sign their contributions </developer/code/code-signing>`.

For example, you might find it easier to trust advice from someone who
has a proven track record of :doc:`contributing software packages </developer/general/package-contributions>` or :doc:`contributing to the documentation </developer/general/how-to-edit-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
:doc:`verify </project-security/verifying-signatures>` that these came from the
same keyholder.

Discussion guidelines
---------------------


Qubes discussions mainly take place on ``qubes-users``, ``qubes-devel``,
and our `forum <#forum>`__, all of which are explained below. Most
questions should be directed to ``qubes-users`` or the
`forum <#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 :ref:`generating and submitting a Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) report <user/hardware/how-to-use-the-hcl:generating and submitting new reports>`,
then linking to it in your message. `Ask questions the smart way. <https://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>`__

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 <https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Qubes>`__, 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 :doc:`Code of Conduct </introduction/code-of-conduct>` and :doc:`Privacy Policy </introduction/privacy>` for more information.

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


The mailing lists and `forum <#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 :doc:`issue tracker </introduction/issue-tracking>` so that it doesn’t get overlooked.
(However, please remember that :ref:`the issue tracker is not a discussion forum <introduction/issue-tracking:the issue tracker is not a discussion forum>`.)
Likewise, if you see that something in the documentation should be
changed, don’t simply point it out in a discussion venue. Instead,
:doc:`submit the change </developer/general/how-to-edit-the-documentation>`.

Moderation
^^^^^^^^^^


The moderation team aims to enforce our :doc:`Code of Conduct </introduction/code-of-conduct>`. Beyond this, users should not expect any
specific action from the moderation team. Specifically, users should not
request that posts or messages be deleted or edited by a moderator.
Users are reminded that, in most venues, anything posted will be sent
out as an email to others, and these emails cannot be deleted from
others’ inboxes.

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 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Top-posting>`__
is placing your reply above the quoted message to which you’re replying.
Please refrain from doing this. Instead, either
`interleave <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style>`__
your reply by placing parts of your message immediately below each
quoted portion to which it is replying, or
`bottom-post <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Bottom-posting>`__
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 <https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/milestones>`__, 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 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_mailing_list>`__,
interacting with them solely through plain text email with
`MUAs <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_client>`__ like
`Thunderbird <https://www.thunderbird.net/>`__ and
`Mutt <https://www.mutt.org/>`__. The Google Groups service is just free
infrastructure, and we :ref:`distrust the infrastructure <introduction/faq:what does it mean to "distrust the infrastructure"?>`.
This is why, for example, we encourage discussants to use :doc:`Split GPG </user/security-in-qubes/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 <#forum>`__.

Mailing lists
-------------


This section covers each of our individual `mailing lists <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_mailing_list>`__, with
details about the purpose of each list and how to use it. A Google
account is **not** required for any of these mailing lists.

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) <https://www.qubes-os.org/security/qsb/>`__,
new stable Qubes OS releases, and Qubes OS release 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 a `traditional mail archive <https://www.mail-archive.com/qubes-announce@googlegroups.com/>`__
and an optional `Google Groups web interface <https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-announce>`__.

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:

- :doc:`HCL </user/hardware/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 :doc:`Installation Guide </user/downloading-installing-upgrading/installation-guide>`, :doc:`System Requirements </user/hardware/system-requirements>`, and :doc:`HCL </user/hardware/hcl>`
  (for problems related to installing Qubes OS)

- The :ref:`User FAQ <introduction/faq:users>`

- The :doc:`documentation </index>` (for questions about how to use Qubes
  OS)



You must be subscribed in order to post to this list. To subscribe, 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 a `traditional mail archive <https://www.mail-archive.com/qubes-users@googlegroups.com/>`__
and an optional `Google Groups web interface <https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-users>`__.

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 a `traditional mail archive <https://www.mail-archive.com/qubes-devel@googlegroups.com/>`__
and an optional `Google Groups web interface <https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-devel>`__.

qubes-project
^^^^^^^^^^^^^


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

Examples of topics or questions 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 <https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3Abusiness>`__
  or `project management <https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3A%22project+management%22>`__



You must be subscribed in order to post to this 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 has a `traditional mail archive <https://www.mail-archive.com/qubes-project@googlegroups.com/>`__
and an optional `Google Groups web interface <https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-project>`__.

qubes-translation
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


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

Examples of topics or questions suitable for this list include:

- Questions about or issues with
  `Transifex <https://www.transifex.com/>`__, the translation platform
  we use

- Who is managing localization for a given language

- Most Github issues tagged
  `localization <https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=is%3Aissue%20is%3Aopen%20label%3Alocalization>`__



You must be subscribed in order to post to this 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 <https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-translation>`__.

Forum
-----


The official `Qubes Forum <https://forum.qubes-os.org>`__ is a place
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 <https://www.discourse.org/>`__ platform fills this need for
us, as it does for many other open-source projects.

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 <https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/using-the-forum-via-email/533>`__
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, the Qubes
OS Project already had non-mailing-list discussion venues such as
`Reddit <https://www.reddit.com/r/Qubes/>`__ 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 <https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/using-the-forum-via-email/533>`__!)

Social media
------------


The Qubes OS Project has a presence on the following social media
platforms:

- Twitter

- Mastodon

- Reddit

- Facebook

- LinkedIn



Generally speaking, these are not intended to be primary support venues.
(Those would be `qubes-users <#qubes-users>`__ and the
`forum <#forum>`__.) Rather, these are primarily intended to be a way to
more widely disseminate items published on the `news <https://www.qubes-os.org/news/>`__ page.
If you use one of these platforms, you may find it convenient to follow
the Qubes OS Project there as a way of receiving Qubes news.

Chat
----


If you’d like to chat, join us on - the ``#qubes`` channel on
``irc.libera.chat`` or - the ``#qubes:invisiblethingslab.com`` matrix
channel.

these two should be linked/bridged, but for technical reasons currently
are not.

Unofficial venues
-----------------


If you find another venue on the Internet that is not listed above, it
is **unofficial**, which means that the Qubes team does **not** monitor
or moderate it. Please be especially careful in unofficial venues.

(Note: If a Qubes team member discovers the venue and decides to pop in,
that should not be taken as a commitment to monitor or moderate the
venue. It still remains unofficial. Also, please make sure someone
claiming to be a Qubes team member really is one. It could be an
impostor!)