These rules have been in place since 1996 and they've served us well. We're a small community and we'd like to keep it that way. Read them, follow them, and we'll all get along fine.

1. Be civil.
Disagree all you want, but keep it respectful. Attack the argument, not the person. If you wouldn't say it to someone's face at 2 AM in a diner, don't say it here.

2. No personal attacks.
This includes name-calling, doxxing, posting personal information, or targeted harassment of any kind. One warning, then a ban.

3. No spam or commercial posts.
This is not a marketplace. No advertising, no affiliate links, no "check out my new product" posts. If you have something genuinely useful to share, put it in context and be upfront about your connection to it.

4. Keep weird stuff in The Weird Stuff board.
We have a dedicated board for fringe topics, anomalies, Gil Navarro material, and general strangeness. If you're posting about UFOs or time slips, that's where it goes. Don't derail the tech boards with it.

5. No trolling or flame-baiting.
Posts made solely to provoke a reaction will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be banned. Life is too short.

6. Use descriptive thread titles.
"Help!" and "Question" are not useful titles. Tell us what the thread is about. Your future self will thank you when searching the archives.

7. Search before posting.
Chances are your question has been asked before. Check the archives first. We don't mind repeat topics, but a quick search goes a long way.

8. No illegal content.
This should go without saying. No warez, no pirated software, no cracks, no serials. Discussion of security topics is fine. Distribution of tools for unauthorized access is not.

9. Stay on topic within threads.
Tangents happen. That's fine. But if you're five posts deep into a conversation about coffee in a thread about Sendmail configuration, take it to Off-Topic.

10. Moderator decisions are final.
If you have a problem with a moderation action, contact admin directly. Do not post about it in the forums. We're volunteers. We do our best.

These rules apply to all boards including Y2K Preparation. Doomsday panic and fearmongering will be removed at moderator discretion.