Editing 293: RTFM

{{comic
| number    = 293
| date      = July 23, 2007
| title     = RTFM
| image     = rtfm.png
| titletext = Life is too short for man pages, and occasionally much too short without them.
}}

==Explanation==
The title RTFM is an acronym for "{{w|RTFM|read the fucking manual}}," which frustrated software manufacturers tell users when confronted with a simple question (most likely answered in the manual).

However, [[Cueball]] encounters a similar situation with a {{w|911}} call (the emergency number in the US), in which the first question the 911 dispatcher asks is if Cueball has read the toaster's {{w|man page}} (man pages are the 'manual' for unix systems, but only describe commands and library functions, not hardware). Even if a man page existed, it is unreasonable to require the user of a toaster to read the manual simply to avoid being stabbed in the face.{{Citation needed}} The 911 dispatcher decides that as Cueball has not read the man page, he is not entitled to medical assistance, and so hangs up.

As such, the comic is satirizing people who respond to requests for advice for unclear, complicated tools with references to esoteric documentation rather than any help. 

The title text refers to the popular phrase "Life's too short," which asserts that because we only have a limited amount of time on Earth, and that time can pass by quickly, we should make the most of it. That could mean, for example, don't spend time reading the documentation unless you actually experience a problem. The second part suggests that some people actually die because they didn't RTFM!

==Transcript==
:[Cueball with a knife sticking out of his heavily bleeding face stands in front of a toaster, which has an arm extending from the top of it. He is holding a telephone to his ear.]
:Cueball: Hello, 911? I just tried to toast some bread, and the toaster grew an arm and stabbed me in the face!
:911: Did you read the toaster's man page first?
:Cueball: Well, no, but all I wanted was--
:911: ''click''

{{comic discussion}} 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Man pages]]