Pasting large blocks of code, error messages, or other text is invasive and often invites negative responses from channel participants. Try to condense what you're asking into a smaller format before posting it to the channel, or if that isn't possible, put the code on a web site and post the URL to the channel. Geocities and others offer free web services. This website also has a nopaste feature that is recommended for pasting code.

As a rule of thumb, if you're going to need more than two or three lines to ask your question or show your snippet of code, write a summary of the problem with all relevant information on a web site and just give the URL to the channel.

These are distracting, and many of the ops will kick or ban you if they see your client post an auto-away message to the channel. Turn these off before joining #C++.

#C++ typically has well over 100 users present at any given time, and if this rule were not in place, the flood of so many clients setting away and back all the time would be vastly distracting and irritating.

BitchX users: '/set auto-away off' then '/save'
mIRC users: '/remote off'

While many users speak other languages, the common language for the #C++ channel is English. This ensures the greatest possible audience for your question, and allows others to benefit from any answers as well.

Using the enter key instead of a space bar for seperating words or ideas in your question or statement causes an annoying amount of vertical scroll in others' clients.

For example, people doing the following are usually treated with hostility and contempt instead of getting a useful answer:

<n00b> So
<n00b> I tried
<n00b> "a + b" and
<n00b> "b + a" but uhm..
<n00b> like..
<n00b> it doesn't work

Also, avoid repeating something you just said or asked. If no one responds, wait a few moments, then try rephrasing your question. It's possible that your question wasn't understood, or no one knew the answer, or just that no one felt like answering it right then.

Do not type in all capital letters, use bold, colors, underline, beeping, excessive punctuation or vertical scroll to call attention to yourself or your question. This is selfish and gives the impression that you think your question is somehow more important than anyone else's.

We're all in a hurry, we all have deadlines, so just sit back and wait patiently for someone to answer.

BitchX users: Add the following to ~/.bitchxrc

FSET NICK_AUTO_ $0:$1-
FSET NICK_COMP $0:$1-

Polaris users: The default quit message for the Polaris script is violently colorful and annoying. Disable this before joining #c++ (or at least before quitting).

In general, disable any flashing, beeping, color-generating features of your IRC client, and don't use any of these features while in #c++

Just ask your question in the channel, and give replies in the channel. Not only does this increase your chances of getting a reply, but it allows others to benefit from any answers.

Sending /msgs is fine between people having a private discussion, and #C++ shouldn't and doesn't care about that, but we don't want people sending unsolicited /msgs to specific people to ask a question that would be better directed to the channel.

Many questions can be answered by reading some documentation or FAQ material. Microsoft-related questions (especially those involving the Win32 API) can often be answered by reading the appropriate MSDN section at the MSDN website. C++ related questions can often be answered by either Marshall Cline's C++ FAQ Lite or the C++ FAQ.

For examples of MFC and Win32 code, you can also try Code Project and Code Guru.

For a STL/Standard Library reference, take a look at the Dinkum C++ Library site, The SGI STL Programmer's Guide, or the CPPReference.com STL Reference.

The #C++ FAQ can be viewed here.

Many questions on #C++ begin with "Has anyone ever used X," or "Can someone help me with Y." If someone feels inclined to help, they then invariably ask "yes, what is the problem," and typically get the reply "it doesn't work." Try to be direct and descriptive with your problem, and ask it directly. For example, "When using libFoo for Widget processing, the call to createWidget is failing, but getWidgetError() returns 0. This only happens in release mode, but works fine in debug mode" gives the channel a lot more to go on than simply saying "I can't get libFoo to work."

This is related to the item above. Obviously it doesn't work, which is why you have a question. When asking a question, try to provide what exactly is not working, and what you've tried to get it to work. For example, if cin is always skipping over a character in your input, don't just say "I can't get cin to work," but rather say something like "cin does not read the last character in my input. I checked the status of the input stream and failbit is not set. The character that is not being read is an ASCII newline character."

Basically, standard netiquette. Lurk for a few minutes before putting your foot into anything. Learn from your own mistakes and from others.

This is one of the previously unwritten rules, but here it is laid down as explicitly as possible. While it is not easy to know what will or will not piss off an op, failure to observe the established guidelines on any given channel is a recipe for getting kicked, and #C++ is no exception.

Moral and legal issues aside, this is still off-topic and inappropriate for #C++, so don't do it. Ever. If you do, you will be called names, kicked, beaten, drawn, halved and quartered while the ops decide what to do with you.

In other words, no requests for hacks, cracks, keys, serial numbers, or other illegal material will be allowed, and will result in an immediate ban. Do not try to request any file listings or DCCs of illegal files. X-DCC bots are not allowed on #c++.

If we see you typing "!list" or "!files" or any other warez-bot trigger strings, you will be banned.

#C++ does not tolerate overtly offensive, racist, sexist, or otherwise harmful or hateful speech about anyone. It is one thing to poke fun or make jokes or be politically incorrect, but it is quite another to directly abuse a person or group of people, and doing the latter will earn you a ban from #C++.

Tolerable:

<user> bah women are so indecisive, my girlfriend has changed outfits at least four times and still isn't ready.
<someone> damn, white people can't jump!
<joe123> that's so gay I want to have it come over and redecorate my living room.

Over the line:

<user> somegrl22: you're a girl? hey can I privmsg you? let's cyber and I'll make you squeal like a stuck pig.
<someone> dude all these stupid colored people are getting into my college because of affirmative action.
<joe123> we should beat that faggot if he opens his flaming mouth again.

If in doubt, tone if down. As you can see from the above, it's generally ok to make a politically incorrect joke or use a stereotype sarcastically. What's not ok is to direct abuse or offensive speech toward an individual or a group of people based on things like gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.