File: gawk.info,  Node: Asking for help,  Next: Maintainers,  Prev: Performance bugs,  Up: Bugs

B.4.5 Where To Send Non-bug Questions
-------------------------------------

If you have questions related to 'awk' programming, or why 'gawk'
behaves a certain way, or any other 'awk'- or 'gawk'-related issue,
please _do not_ send it to the bug reporting address.

   As of July, 2021, there is a separate mailing list for this purpose:
.  Anything that is not a bug report should be sent
to that list.

     NOTE: If you disregard these directions and send non-bug mails to
     the bug list, you will be told to use the help list.  After two
     such requests you will be silently _blacklisted_ from the bug list.

   Please note: As with the bug list, we ask that you follow the GNU
Kind Communication Guidelines
(https://gnu.org/philosophy/kind-communication.html) in your
correspondence on the help list (as well as off of it).

   If you wish to the subscribe to the list, in order to help out
others, or to learn from others, here are instructions, courtesy of Bob
Proulx:

_Subscribe by email_

     Send an email message to  with
     "subscribe" in the body of the message.  The subject does not
     matter and is not used.

_Subscribe by web form_

     To use the web interface visit the list information page
     (https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-gawk).  Use the
     subscribe form to fill out your email address and submit using the
     'Subscribe' button.

_Reply to the confirmation message_

     In both cases then reply to the confirmation message that is sent
     to your address in reply.

   Bob mentions that you may also use email for subscribing and
unsubscribing.  For example:

     $ echo help | mailx -s request help-gawk-request@gnu.org
     $ echo subscribe | mailx -s request help-gawk-request@gnu.org
     $ echo unsubscribe | mailx -s request help-gawk-request@gnu.org