How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way by Eric S. Raymondby Eric S. Raymond
Shares rank 21 of 60 articles by recommenders
Recommended as a guide to asking good questions, framing them as collaborative investigation. Critics say its harsh tone discourages newcomers and that it needs updating for the AI era.
Recommended as a guide to asking good questions, framing them as collaborative investigation. Critics say its harsh tone discourages newcomers and that it needs updating for the AI era.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 64%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Frames questions as investigation, not tasking
“questions are about investigations and collaboration, not tasking”
Comment from 20 Aug 2026 in “Don't Paste the AI, please” Still relevant though written pre-AI
“is from before AI but still seems relevant”
Comment from 11 Jul 2026 in “Stop Telling Me to Ask an LLM” Recommended reference for asking good questions
“We need to ask good questions and read ESR's guide on that.”
Comment from 8 May 2026 in “AI Slop Is Killing Online Communities” Harsh tone, but well warranted
“It reads a bit harsh in some places but well warranted IMHO.”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “How to ask for help from people who don't know you”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Harsh tone discourages newcomers
“which does more to stifle conversation and education than anything else”
Comment from 23 Aug 2026 in “Claude Code Teaching macOS to Natively Print to the HP Laser 1008a” “INSUFFERABLE FAQ on "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way"”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 in “How to ask for help from people who don't know you” Needs updating for the AI age
“Needs to be updated in the age of AI”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Why big AI labs are hiring so many philosophers” Linked to unhelpful questioning habits
“It can be traced to How To Ask Questions The Smart Way”
Comment from 14 Feb 2026 in “Open Source Is Not About You (2018)”
Other articles people recommend
The four most recommended other articles, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programming as Theory Buildingby Peter Naur | 32 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Ur-Fascismby Umberto Eco | 18 | 2 | 90% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Politics and the English Languageby George Orwell | 14 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| The Grug Brained Developer by Carson Gross | 13 | 1 | 93% | 9 | — | Approved |
| How To Ask Questions The Smart Wayby Eric S. RaymondThis page | 7 | 4 | 64% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
8 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“which does more to stifle conversation and education than anything else”
“questions are about investigations and collaboration, not tasking”
“is from before AI but still seems relevant”
“It reads a bit harsh in some places but well warranted IMHO.”
“INSUFFERABLE FAQ on "How To Ask Questions The Smart Way"”
“Needs to be updated in the age of AI”
“We need to ask good questions and read ESR's guide on that.”
“It can be traced to How To Ask Questions The Smart Way”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.