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- Subject: v07i044: 2.11 News Documentation and Conversion, Part04/08
- Newsgroups: mod.sources
- Approved: mirror!rs
-
- Submitted by: seismo!rick (Rick Adams)
- Mod.sources: Volume 7, Issue 44
- Archive-name: 2.11news/Part04
-
- # To extract, sh this file
- #
- # news 2.11 documentation File 2 of 6
- #
- if test ! -d doc
- then
- mkdir doc
- fi
- echo x - doc/manner.mn 1>&2
- sed 's/.//' >doc/manner.mn <<'*-*-END-of-doc/manner.mn-*-*'
- -.ds .f manner.mn
- -.ds h0 "How to Use USENET Effectively
- -.ds h1
- -.ds h2 %
- -.ds f0 "\*(vr
- -.ds f1
- -.ds f2 "October 19, 1986
- -.mt
- -How to Use USENET Effectively
- -.au
- -Matt Bishop
- -.ai
- -Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science
- -Mail Stop 230-5
- -NASA Ames Research Center
- -Moffett Field, CA 94035
- -.bt
- -.hn
- -Introduction
- -.pg
- -USENET is a worldwide bulletin board system
- -in which thousands of computers pass articles back and forth.
- -Of necessity,
- -customs have sprung up enabling very diverse people and groups
- -to communicate peaceably and effectively using USENET.
- -These customs are for the most part written,
- -but are scattered over several documents
- -that can be difficult to find;
- -in any case,
- -even if a new user can find all the documents,
- -he most likely will have neither the time nor the inclination
- -to read them all.
- -This document is intended to collect all these conventions into one place,
- -thereby making it easy for new users
- -to learn about the world of USENET.
- -(Old-timers,
- -too,
- -will benefit from reading this.)
- -.pg
- -You should read this document and understand it thoroughly
- -before you even think about posting anything.
- -If you have questions,
- -please ask your USENET administrator (who
- -can usually be reached by sending mail to
- -.i usenet )
- -or a more knowledgeable USENET user.
- -Believe me,
- -you will save yourself a lot of grief.
- -.pg
- -The mechanics of posting an article to USENET are explained in
- -Mark Horton's excellent paper
- -.i "How to Read the Network News" ;
- -if you have not read that yet,
- -stop here and do so.
- -A lot of what follows depends on your knowing (at least vaguely)
- -the mechanics of posting news.
- -.pg
- -Before we discuss these customs,
- -we ought to look at the history of USENET,
- -what it is today,
- -and why we need these conventions.
- -.hn
- -All About USENET
- -.pg
- -USENET began on a set of computers in North Carolina's Research Triangle.
- -The programs involved
- -(known as \*(lqnetnews\*(rq then,
- -and \*(lqA news\*(rq now)
- -exchanged messages;
- -it was a small, multi-computer bulletin board system.
- -As time passed,
- -administrators of other systems began to connect their computers
- -to this bulletin board system.
- -The network grew.
- -Then,
- -at Berkeley, the news programs were rewritten
- -(this version became known as \*(lqB news\*(rq)
- -and the format changed to conform to ARPA standards
- -(again,
- -this became the \*(lqB protocol for news\*(rq.\*(dg)
- -.fn
- -.lp \*(dg \w'\*(dg\ 'u
- -See
- -.i
- -Standard for Interchange of USENET Messages
- -.r
- -for a description of the two formats.
- -.ef
- -This version of news was very widely distributed,
- -and at this point USENET began to take on its current shape.
- -.pg
- -USENET is a
- -.i logical
- -network
- -(as opposed to a
- -.i physical
- -network.)
- -It is also a very amorphous network,
- -in that there is no central administration or controlling site.
- -There is not even an official list of members,
- -although there is a very complete unofficial one.
- -A site gets access to USENET by finding some other site already on USENET
- -that it can connect to and exchange news articles.
- -So long as this second site (called a
- -.i neighbor
- -of the first site)
- -remains willing and able to pass articles to and from the first site,
- -the first site is on USENET.
- -A site leaves the USENET only when no one is willing or able
- -to pass articles to,
- -or accept articles from,
- -it.
- -.pg
- -As a result,
- -USENET has no equivalent of a \*(lqsysop\*(rq
- -or central authority controlling the bulletin board.
- -What little control is exercised is wielded by the person at each site
- -who is responsible for maintaining the USENET connections
- -(this person is called the \*(lqUSENET administrator.\*(rq)
- -Because most USENET administrators are (relatively) new to USENET,
- -and because administering USENET locally involves a great deal of work,
- -most USENET administrators tend to follow the lead of other,
- -more experienced,
- -administrators
- -(often known somewhat irreverently as \*(lqnet gurus.\*(rq)
- -This is not an abdication of responsibility,
- -but a means of keeping the amount of work little enough
- -so it can be done without interfering with the local USENET administrator's job.
- -An example of this is the list of currently active newsgroups
- -circulated every month or so.
- -It is not \*(lqofficial\*(rq \-
- -no one has that authority \-
- -but as the maintainer is doing the work that every other USENET administrator
- -would have to do otherwise,
- -it is accepted as a valid list.
- -If the maintainer changes the list in a way
- -another USENET administrator finds unacceptable,
- -that administrator can simply ignore the list.
- -(Incidentally, the \*(lqnet gurus\*(rq became known as such
- -because of the work they have contributed to USENET.
- -Their experience is a valuable resource for each USENET administrator.)
- -.pg
- -Because the USENET has grown so wildly,
- -a number of problems have appeared.
- -One of these problems is technical,
- -and a number of the conventions this document describes
- -spring from attempts to keep this problem under control.
- -.pg
- -The technical problem arises due to the transport mechanism used by most USENET sites.
- -Most computers on USENET do not have access to large-area networks like
- -ARPANET.
- -As a result the only viable transport mechanism these sites can use
- -is a set of programs collectively known as UUCP
- -and which communicate over dialup telephone lines.
- -Initially,
- -news programs generated one UUCP command per article.
- -With the explosion of the USENET,
- -the number of articles simply swamped many sites;
- -phone lines would be tied up all day transmitting news,
- -and many articles would be processed at the same time,
- -slowing down the computers noticeably.
- -.pg
- -The solution was to batch messages.
- -This way,
- -many articles are sent via UUCP with one command,
- -and the command on the receiving machine would split the file
- -into separate articles,
- -which could then be processed individually.
- -While this increased the size of the files being sent,
- -it cut down on the number of UUCP commands sent,
- -and since sending a command involves quite a bit of overhead,
- -this decreased the duration of phone calls,
- -and to a lesser degree the load on the computer.
- -At some sites,
- -such as Purdue,
- -this was not quite enough,
- -so a simple spooler was implemented to process the individual articles
- -one at a time.
- -This reduced the system load to a very acceptable amount.
- -.pg
- -However,
- -the problem has not gone away by any means.
- -In one sense it has become worse;
- -as more articles are posted to the network,
- -phone costs and system loads averages increase,
- -and system administrators require USENET administrators to cut back
- -or eliminate newsgroups and
- -to transmit news only at night
- -(which means long propagation delays).
- -In short,
- -everyone who has anything to do with administering any USENET site
- -is very concerned about the future of USENET,
- -both in general
- -and at his own site.
- -.pg
- -Many of the rules you will read address this concern.
- -The fear that USENET may collapse is not a bogeyman,
- -but very real.
- -We hope it will not collapse,
- -and the rules below outline some ways to prevent problems
- -and increase the likelihood
- -that enough sites will remain on USENET to keep it alive.
- -There is no central authority that can force you to follow them,
- -but by doing so you will help keep USENET a valuable resource
- -to the computer community.
- -.hn
- -Deciding to Post
- -.pg
- -Before you decide to post an article,
- -you should consider a few things.
- -.hn 2
- -Do not repeat postings
- -.pg
- -This applies even if you did not post the information the first time around.
- -If you know the answer to a question someone asked,
- -first read the follow-ups, and if you have something more to contribute,
- -mail it to the questioner;
- -if you think it should be seen by others,
- -ask the questioner to summarize the answers he receives in a subsequent article.
- -One of the biggest problems on USENET is that
- -many copies of the same answer to a simple question are posted.
- -.pg
- -If you want to repost something because you believe
- -it did not get to other USENET sites due to transmission problems
- -(this happens sometimes,
- -but a lot less often than commonly believed),
- -do some checking before you repost.
- -If you have a friend at another USENET site,
- -call him and ask if the article made it to his site.
- -Ask your USENET administrator if he knows of any problems in the USENET;
- -there are special newsgroups to which USENET administrators subscribe
- -in which problems are reported,
- -or he can contact his counterparts at other sites for information.
- -Finally,
- -if you decide you must repost it,
- -indicate in the article subject that it is a reposting,
- -and say why you are reposting it
- -(if you don't,
- -you'll undoubtedly get some very nasty mail.)
- -.pg
- -Reposting announcements of products or services is flatly forbidden.
- -Doing so may convince other sites to turn off your USENET access.
- -.pg
- -When school starts,
- -hoards of new users descend upon the USENET
- -asking questions.
- -Many of these questions have been asked,
- -and answered,
- -literally thousands of times since USENET began.
- -The most common of these questions,
- -and their answers,
- -have been collected in the hope that
- -the new users will read them and not re-post the same questions.
- -So,
- -if you want to ask a question,
- -check Appendix A
- -.b "Answers to Frequently Asked Questions" ) (
- -to be sure it isn't one that has been asked and answered
- -literally hundreds of times before you started reading the USENET.
- -.hn 2
- -Do not post anything when upset, angry, or intoxicated
- -.pg
- -Posting an article is a lot like driving a car \-
- -you have to be in control of yourself.
- -Postings which begin \*(lqJane,
- -you ignorant slut, ...\*(rq
- -are very definitely considered in poor taste\*(dg.
- -.fn
- -\*(dg Unless you are critiquing
- -.i "Saturday Night Live" .
- -.ef
- -Unfortunately,
- -they are also far too common.
- -.pg
- -The psychology of this is interesting.
- -One popular belief is that since we interact with USENET via computers,
- -we all often forget that a computer did not do the posting;
- -a human did.
- -A contributing factor is that you don't have to look the target of abuse
- -in the eye when you post an abusive message;
- -eye-to-eye contact has an amazing effect on inhibiting obnoxious behavior.
- -As a result,
- -discussions on the USENET often degenerate into a catfight
- -far more readily than would a face-to-face discussion.
- -.pg
- -Before you post an article,
- -think a minute;
- -decide whether or not you are upset,
- -angry,
- -or high.
- -If you are,
- -wait until you calm down (or come down) before deciding to post something.
- -Then think about whether or not you really want to post it.
- -You will be amazed what waiting a day or even a few hours can do
- -for your perspective.
- -.pg
- -Bear in mind that
- -shouting hasn't convinced anyone of anything
- -since the days of Charlemagne,
- -and being abusive makes people hold even more tenaciously
- -to their ideas or opinions.
- -Gentleness,
- -courtesy,
- -and eloquence are far more persuasive;
- -not only do they indicate you have enough confidence in your words
- -to allow them to speak for you,
- -but also they indicate a respect for your audience.
- -This in turn makes it easier for your audience to like or respect you \-
- -and people tend to be far more interested in,
- -and receptive to,
- -arguments advanced by those they like or respect
- -than by writers who are abusive.
- -Finally,
- -remember that some discussions or situations simply cannot be resolved.
- -Because people are different,
- -agreed-upon facts often lead to wildly different feelings and conclusions.
- -These differences are what makes life so wonderful;
- -were we all alike,
- -the world would be a very boring place.
- -So,
- -don't get frantic;
- -relax and enjoy the discussion.
- -Who knows,
- -you might even learn something!
- -.hn 2
- -Be sure your posting is appropriate to USENET
- -.pg
- -Some things are inappropriate to post to USENET.
- -Discussing whether or not some other discussion is appropriate,
- -or if it is in the right newsgroup,
- -is an example.
- -Invariably,
- -the \*(lqmeta-discussion\*(rq generates so many articles
- -that the discussion is simply overwhelmed and vanishes;
- -but the meta-discussion lingers on for several weeks,
- -driving most of the readers of that newsgroup
- -out of their collective minds.
- -Help preserve the sanity of your fellow USENET readers
- -by mailing such comments to the people involved,
- -rather than posting them.
- -.pg
- -Another example of inappropriate postings is the infamous
- -\*(lqspelling flame.\*(rq
- -Every few months someone takes another poster to task
- -for poor spelling or grammar.
- -Soon,
- -everyone jumps on the bandwagon,
- -tearing apart one another's postings for such errors.
- -To put it mildly,
- -this angers almost everyone involved
- -for no real reason.
- -Please remember that we all make mistakes,
- -and there are a lot of people for whom English is a second language.
- -So,
- -try to keep your spelling and grammar comments to yourself \-
- -but if you find you simply cannot,
- -mail them to the poster rather than posting them.
- -.pg
- -Far more insidious are requests similar to
- -\*(lqHow can I splice into the local cable TV transmission line?\*(rq
- -Posting to USENET is akin to publishing,
- -so don't ask for or post instructions on how to do something illegal.
- -And please don't quote the First Amendment,
- -or the laws allowing freedom of speech in your country;
- -while the posting programs will not stop you,
- -the aftermath could be very unpleasant \-
- -lawsuits and court trials usually are,
- -and the USENET would certainly collapse as sites dropped from it
- -to protect themselves from legal liability.
- -You wouldn't want that on your conscience,
- -would you?
- -Of course not.
- -.pg
- -Related to this is the next rule.
- -.hn 2
- -Do not post other people's work without permission
- -.pg
- -Posting something to USENET puts it in the public domain
- -for all practical purposes.
- -So,
- -be careful about posting things like
- -.ux -related
- -material (specifically source code) or company documents;
- -consider licensing and nondisclosure agreements first. Some people regard
- -the posting of \*(lqdiffs\*(rq based on licensed code to be a suitable
- -compromise, as they are only useful to those who have the base code already.
- -.pg
- -Copyrighted works are a separate problem.
- -Both United States and international law provide protection
- -for copyrighted works;
- -other than short extracts for purposes of criticism,
- -you cannot copy a copyrighted work in whole or in part
- -without permission of the copyright holder
- -(who may,
- -or may not,
- -be the author.)
- -Without this protection,
- -artists could not make any money and hence would have limited incentive
- -to make the fruits of their art available at all.
- -Posting a copyrighted work without permission is theft,
- -even though the property stolen is not tangible in most cases.
- -Hence,
- -posting movie and book reviews,
- -song lyrics,
- -or anything else which is copyrighted
- -without the permission of the copyright holder,
- -could cause you personally,
- -your company,
- -or the USENET itself
- -to be held liable for damages.
- -Please be very careful that you obey the law
- -when posting such material!
- -.hn 2
- -Don't forget that opinions are those of the poster and not his employer.
- -.pg
- -Every so often,
- -someone will post a particularly disgusting article,
- -and a number of responses will ask
- -if all employees of the original poster's company
- -share his (revolting) opinion,
- -or suggest that action be taken against that company.
- -Please remember that all opinions or statements in articles
- -are to be attributed to the poster
- -.i only ,
- -and in particular, do not necessarily represent the opinions
- -of the poster's employer,
- -the owner of the computer on which the article originated,
- -or anyone involved with any aspect of USENET \-
- -and consequently the responsibility for any USENET message
- -rests with the poster and with no one else.
- -The appropriate response is not to attack the company
- -or its other employees;
- -let the poster know what you think of his posting via mail.
- -If the postings continue,
- -take advantage of the news software's presenting you
- -with the author's name and the subject line
- -and then asking if you want to see the article;
- -start looking for the poster's name or the offensive subject
- -in the articles presented to you
- -and skip them. If you really get offended, you can unsubscribe from a newsgroup.
- -.pg
- -Part of the price of freedom is allowing others to make fools of themselves.
- -You wouldn't like to be censored,
- -so don't advocate censorship of others.
- -No one is forcing you to read the postings.
- -.pg
- -In some countries,
- -posting or receiving certain types of articles may be a criminal offense.
- -As a result,
- -certain newsgroups which circulate freely within the United States
- -may not be circulated in other nations
- -without risking civil or criminal liabilities.
- -In this case,
- -the appropriate action for sites in that country
- -is neither to accept nor to transmit the newsgroup.
- -No site is
- -.i ever
- -forced to accept or pass on
- -.i any
- -newsgroup.
- -.hn 1
- -Where to Post
- -.pg
- -The various newsgroups and distributions
- -have various rules associated with their use.
- -This section will describe these rules
- -and offer suggestions on which newsgroups to post your message.
- -.hn 2
- -Keep the distribution as limited as possible
- -.pg
- -A basic principle of posting is to keep the distribution of your article
- -as limited as possible.
- -Like our modern society,
- -USENET is suffering from both an information glut and information pollution.
- -It is widely believed that the USENET will cease to function
- -unless we are able to cut down the quantity of articles.
- -One step in this direction is not to post something to places
- -where it will be worthless.
- -For example,
- -if you live in Hackensack,
- -New Jersey,
- -the probability of anyone in Korea wanting to buy your
- -1972 Toyota is about as close to zero as you can get.
- -So confine your posting to the New Jersey area.
- -.pg
- -To do this,
- -you can either post to a local group,
- -or post to a net-wide group and use the
- -.i distribution
- -feature to limit how widely your article will go.
- -When you give your posting program
- -(usually
- -.i postnews (1))
- -a distribution,
- -you are (in essence) saying that
- -machines which do not recognize that distribution
- -should not get the article.
- -(Think of it as a subgroup based on locality and you'll get the idea.)
- -For example,
- -if you are posting in the San Francisco Bay Area,
- -and you post your article to
- -.ng rec.auto
- -but give
- -.ng ba
- -as the distribution,
- -the article will not be sent beyond the San Francisco Bay Area
- -(to which the
- -.ng ba
- -distribution is local)
- -even though you put it in a net-wide newsgroup.
- -Had you given the distribution as
- -.ng ca
- -(the California distribution),
- -your article would have been sent to all Californian sites on USENET.
- -Had you given the distribution as
- -.ng world ,
- -your article would have been sent to all sites on USENET.
- -.hn 2
- -Do not post the same article twice to different groups
- -.pg
- -If you have an article that you want to post to more than one group,
- -post to both at the same time.
- -Newer versions of the news software will show an article only once
- -regardless of how many newsgroups it appears in.
- -But if you post it once to each different group,
- -all versions of news software will show it once for each newsgroup.
- -This angers a lot of people
- -and wastes everybody's time.
- -.hn 2
- -Do not post to moderated newsgroups.
- -.pg
- -You may not post directly to certain newsgroups;
- -you cannot post to some at all.
- -Newer versions of the news software will inform you
- -when either of these restrictions apply,
- -but older versions of news software will not.
- -.pg
- -If you want to have the appropriate moderator post something,
- -mail it to the moderator.
- -(If you do not know the address,
- -ask your USENET administrator.
- -In some cases,
- -the software will automatically mail,
- -rather than post,
- -your article to the moderator.)
- -.hn 2
- -Ask someone if you can't figure out where to post your article
- -.pg
- -If you cannot figure out where to post something,
- -look in
- -.ng news.announce.newusers
- -for the list of active newsgroups.
- -(This is posted biweekly.
- -If you can't find it,
- -look at the list in
- -.i "How to Read the Network News" ;
- -but be aware that list is undoubtedly out of date already.)
- -If your article does not seem to fit in any of the listed groups,
- -post it to
- -.ng misc.misc
- -or don't post it.
- -.pg
- -If you still are not sure which newsgroup to post your article to,
- -ask an old-timer.
- -If your site doesn't have any old-timers
- -(or none of the old-timers will admit to being old-timers),
- -contact any of the following people:
- -.sd
- -Gene Spafford (spaf@gatech.CSNET, spaf@gatech.UUCP)
- -Mark Horton (mark@cbosgd.UUCP)
- -Rick Adams (rick@seismo.CSS.GOV, rick@seismo.UUCP)
- -Chuq Von Rospach (chuq@sun.UUCP)
- -Matt Bishop (mab@riacs.ARPA, mab@riacs.UUCP)
- -.ed
- -We will be happy to help you.
- -But,
- -please,
- -do not post the article to the net before you ask us!
- -.hn 2
- -Be sure there is a consensus before creating a new newsgroup
- -.pg
- -Creating a new newsgroup is,
- -in general,
- -a very bad idea.
- -Currently,
- -there are so many articles being posted that the USENET is in danger of collapse
- -as site after site decides to cease to accept and retransmit certain newsgroups.
- -Moreover,
- -there is no established procedure for deleting a newsgroup,
- -so once created,
- -newsgroups tend to stay around.
- -They also tend to encourage people to think up new newsgroups,
- -and the cycle repeats.
- -Try to avoid thinking up new newsgroups.
- -.pg
- -If,
- -however,
- -you believe a new group should be created,
- -be sure you have a consensus that the group is needed
- -(either a mailing list has enough traffic and readers
- -to justify turning it into a newsgroup,
- -or a discussion in a current newsgroup
- -becomes so large for a period of time long enough
- -to warrant splitting it into a newsgroup.)
- -Then post an article to
- -.ng news.group
- -as well as any other groups related to your proposed new group,
- -and discuss the topics you are proposing be covered in your new group,
- -what it should be called,
- -whether it is
- -.i really
- -needed,
- -and so forth.
- -Try to resolve all objections,
- -and take into account all suggestions and comments;
- -finally,
- -have everyone mail you a \*(lqyes\*(rq or \*(lqno\*(rq vote
- -on whether the group should be created.
- -Try to get at least 40 or 50 \*(lqyes\*(rq votes before creating the group;
- -if you want to be safe,
- -get around 100.
- -.hn 2
- -Watch out for newsgroups which have special rules about posting
- -.pg
- -Some newsgroups have special rules.
- -This section summarizes them.
- -.lp rec.arts.books 20
- -Do not post anything revealing a plot or a plot twist
- -without putting the word
- -.cf spoiler
- -somewhere in the
- -.hf Subject
- -field.
- -This will let those who do not wish to have a surprise spoiled
- -skip the article.
- -.lp rec.humor 20
- -If you want to post an offensive joke
- -(this includes racial,
- -religious,
- -sexual,
- -and scatological humor,
- -among other kinds)
- -rotate it.
- -(If you do not know what this means,
- -look in the section
- -.b "Writing Your Posting" .)
- -.lp rec.arts.movies 20
- -Do not post anything revealing a plot or a plot twist
- -without putting the word
- -.cf spoiler
- -in the
- -.hf Subject
- -field.
- -This will let those who do not wish to have a surprise spoiled
- -skip the article.
- -.lp news.group 20
- -Discussions about whether or not to create new groups,
- -and what to name them,
- -go here.
- -Please mail your votes to the proposer;
- -don't post them.
- -.lp comp.sources 20
- -Source code postings go here.
- -Discussions are not allowed.
- -Do not post bug fixes here.
- -.lp comp.sources.bugs 20
- -Bug reports and bug fixes to sources posted in
- -.ng comp.sources
- -go here.
- -.lp comp.sources.wanted 20
- -Requests for sources go here.
- -.lp misc.test 20
- -Use the smallest distribution possible.
- -In the body of the message,
- -say what you are testing.
- -.lp misc.wanted 20
- -Requests for things other than source code go here.
- -Please use the smallest distribution possible.
- -Post offers here,
- -too.
- -.hn 1
- -Writing the Article
- -.pg
- -Here are some suggestions to help you communicate effectively
- -with others on the USENET.
- -Perhaps the best advice is not to be afraid to consult a book on
- -writing style;
- -two of the best are
- -.i "How to Write for the World of Work"
- -by Cunningham and Pearsall,
- -and
- -.i "Elements of Style"
- -by Strunk and White.
- -.hn 2
- -Write for your audience
- -.pg
- -USENET is an international network,
- -and any article you post will be
- -.i very
- -widely read.
- -Even more importantly,
- -your future employers may be among the readers!
- -So,
- -try to make a good impression.
- -.pg
- -A basic principle of all writing is to write at your readers' reading level.
- -It is better to go below than above.
- -Aiming where \*(lqtheir heads ought to be\*(rq may be fine
- -if you are a college professor (and a lot of us would dispute even that),
- -but it is guaranteed to cause people to ignore your article.
- -Studies have shown that the average American reads at the fifth grade level
- -and the average professional reads at the twelfth grade level.
- -.hn 2
- -Be clear and concise
- -.pg
- -Remember that you are writing for a very busy audience;
- -your readers will not puzzle over your article.
- -So be very clear and very concise.
- -Be precise as well;
- -choose the least ambiguous word you can,
- -taking into account the context in which you are using the word.
- -Split your posting into sections and paragraphs as appropriate.
- -Use a descriptive title in the
- -.hf Subject
- -field,
- -and be sure that the title is related to the body of the article.
- -If the title is not related,
- -feel free to change it to a title that is.
- -.hn 2
- -Proofread your article
- -.pg
- -This is a matter of courtesy;
- -since you want others to read your article,
- -the least you can do is check that it says what you mean in a clear,
- -concise manner.
- -Check for typographical errors,
- -silly grammar errors,
- -and misspellings;
- -if you have a spelling checking program,
- -use it.
- -Also be sure the article is easy to read.
- -Use white space \- blanks, tabs, and newlines \-
- -and both upper and lower case letters.
- -Do not omit the definite and indefinite articles,
- -either;
- -not only do \*(lqa\*(rq,
- -\*(lqan\*(rq,
- -and \*(lqthe\*(rq make a posting much easier to read,
- -their omission can make a posting ambiguous.
- -.hn 2
- -Be extra careful with announcements of products or services
- -.pg
- -When writing a product or service announcement,
- -bear in mind that others will be paying most of the telephone bills.
- -So,
- -if you are announcing several things,
- -combine all the announcements into one article.
- -Mark the posting as a product or service announcement
- -in the title in the
- -.hf Subject
- -field.
- -Advertising hyperbole is not appropriate here;
- -remember that your audience is to a large degree technically literate,
- -and your product will stand or fall on its technical merits.
- -Be aware that posting obnoxious or inappropriate advertisements
- -is very serious and if you do it,
- -you may find your neighbors yanking your USENET access.
- -.hn 2
- -Indicate sarcasm and humor
- -.pg
- -Remember that people cannot see you when they read your posting;
- -hence,
- -all the subtle nuances of body and facial motion are hidden.
- -It can be quite difficult to tell when you are being sarcastic or humorous.
- -To deal with this problem,
- -the USENET readers and posters have developed a special sign.
- -Mark passages you intend to be taken as humorous with the
- -\*(lqsmiley face\*(rq,
- -while looks like this: \*(lq:\-)\*(rq.
- -(Think of a head facing you lying on its right side and look again
- -if you don't understand why that symbol was chosen.)
- -As for sarcasm,
- -there is no universal symbol for that
- -(unless the sarcasm is meant humorously,
- -in which case use the smiley face again.)
- -But mark your passage so everyone will realize you are being sarcastic.
- -.hn 2
- -Mark postings which spoil surprises
- -.pg
- -High on the list of obnoxious messages
- -are those that spoil the plot of a book or movie
- -by giving away an unexpected detail.
- -If you post such an article,
- -please put the word
- -.cf spoiler
- -in the
- -.hf Subject
- -field of your posting,
- -so people who do not wish to have a surprise ruined can skip the article.
- -.hn 2
- -Rotate offensive postings
- -.pg
- -If you feel you must post a message that may offend people,
- -you can take steps to be sure the message will only be read
- -by those who explicitly ask for it to be shown to them.
- -The USENET convention is to encrypt these messages
- -by shifting each letter 13 characters,
- -so that
- -(for example)
- -\*(lqa\*(rq becomes \*(lqn\*(rq.
- -(In more precise terms,
- -this is a Caesar cipher of shift 13;
- -on the USENET,
- -it is called
- -.i rot13 .)
- -When you do this,
- -put the word
- -.cf rot13
- -in the
- -.hf Subject
- -field.
- -The news reader you are using almost certainly has a command
- -to encrypt and decrypt such messages;
- -if not,
- -use the
- -.ux
- -command
- -.sd c
- -tr a\-zA\-Z n\-za\-mN\-ZA\-M
- -.ed
- -.hn 2
- -The shorter your signature, the better
- -.pg
- -Keep signatures concise;
- -2 or 3 lines are usually plenty.
- -Include your name and addresses on any major networks
- -(such as ARPANET,
- -BITNET,
- -or CSNET).
- -This helps people contact you quickly and easily,
- -usually more so than by following the return path of the article.
- -Do not include pictures, graphics or clever quotations that make the
- -signature longer; this is not the appropriate place for them,
- -and many sites resent paying the phone bills for such signatures.
- -.hn 1
- -Conclusion and Summary
- -.pg
- -Here is a list of the rules given above:
- -.si
- -.lp \(rh \w'\(rh\ 'u
- -Deciding to post
- -.si
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Do not repeat postings
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Do not post anything when upset, angry, or intoxicated
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Be sure your posting is appropriate to USENET
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Do not post other people's work without permission
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Don't forget that opinions are those of the poster and not his company
- -.ei
- -.lp \(rh \w'\(rh\ 'u
- -Where to Post
- -.si
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Keep the distribution as limited as possible
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Do not post the same article twice to different groups
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Do not post to
- -.ng news.announce
- -newsgroups
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Ask someone if you can't figure out where to post your article
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Be sure there is a consensus before creating a new newsgroup
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Watch out for newsgroups which have special rules about posting
- -.ei
- -.lp \(rh \w'\(rh\ 'u
- -Writing the Article
- -.si
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Write for your audience
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Be clear and concise
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Proofread your article
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Be extra careful with announcements of products or services
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Indicate sarcasm and humor
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Mark postings which spoil surprises
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -Rotate offensive postings
- -.lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
- -The shorter your signature, the better
- -.ei
- -.ei
- -.pg
- -The USENET can be a great place for us all.
- -Sadly,
- -not enough people are following the customs that have been established
- -to keep the USENET civilized.
- -This document was written to educate all users of the USENET
- -on their responsibilities.
- -Let's clean up the USENET,
- -and turn it into a friendly,
- -helpful community again!
- -.sp
- -.bi Acknowledgements:
- -The writing of this document was inspired by Chuq von Rospach's posting
- -on USENET etiquette,
- -and it draws on previous work by Mark Horton,
- -A. Jeff Offutt,
- -Gene Spafford,
- -and
- -Chuq von Rospach.
- -.bp
- -.hu 1
- -Appendix A. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- -.pg l
- -.i
- -originally from Jerry Schwarz (jerry@eagle.UUCP)
- -.br
- -modified by Gene Spafford (spaf@gatech.UUCP)
- -.br
- -modified by Matt Bishop (mab@riacs.ARPA)
- -.r
- -.sp
- -.pg
- -This document discusses some items that occur repeatedly on USENET.
- -They frequently are submitted by new users,
- -and result in many follow-ups,
- -sometimes swamping groups for weeks.
- -The purpose of this note is to head off these annoying events
- -by answering some questions
- -and warning about the inevitable consequence of asking others.
- -If you don't like my answers,
- -let me know and I may include revisions in future versions of this note.
- -.nr Qs \w'\0\0.\ 'u
- -.de Lp
- -.lp "\\$1" \\n(Qsu
- -..
- -.Lp \01.
- -What does
- -.ux
- -stand for?
- -.Lp
- -It is not an acronym,
- -but is a pun on \*(lqMULTICS.\*(rq
- -MULTICS is a large operating system that was being developed shortly before
- -.ux
- -was created.
- -.Lp \02.
- -What is the derivation of \*(lqfoo\*(rq as a filler word?
- -.Lp ""
- -The favorite story is that it comes from \*(lqfubar\*(rq
- -which is an acronym for \*(lqfouled up beyond all recognition,\*(rq
- -which is supposed to be a military term.
- -(Various forms of this exist,
- -\*(lqfouled\*(rq usually being replaced by a stronger word.)
- -\*(lqFoo\*(rq and \*(lqBar\*(rq have the same derivation.
- -.Lp \03.
- -Is a machine at \*(lqfoo\*(rq on the net?
- -.Lp
- -These questions belong in
- -.ng news.config
- -if anywhere,
- -but in fact your best bet is usually to phone somebody
- -at \*(lqfoo\*(rq to find out.
- -If you don't know anybody at \*(lqfoo\*(rq you can always try calling
- -and asking for the \*(lqcomputer center.\*(rq
- -Also,
- -see the newsgroup
- -.ng mod.map ,
- -where maps of USENET and the UUCP network are posted regularly.
- -.Lp \04.
- -What does \*(lqrc\*(rq at the end of files like
- -.i .newsrc
- -mean?
- -.Lp
- -According to Dennis Ritchie,
- -\*(lqThe name
- -.i rc
- -comes from RUNCOM, which was the rough equivalent
- -on the MIT CTSS system of what
- -.ux
- -calls shell scripts. Of course,
- -RUNCOM derives from
- -.i "run commands.\*(rq"
- -.Lp \05.
- -What do \*(lq- (nf)\*(rq and \*(lqOrphaned Response\*(rq in an item's title mean?
- -.Lp
- -It means that the item was created by \*(lqnotefiles,\*(rq
- -an alternative news handling interface that many people prefer.
- -If you want to find out more you can read the
- -.i \*(lqNotesfile
- -System Reference Manual\*(rq or contact
- -.cn uiucdcs!essick .
- -.Lp \06.
- -What does \*(lq:\-)\*(rq mean?
- -.Lp
- -This is the net convention for a \*(lqsmiley face.\*(rq
- -It means that something is being said in jest.
- -If it doesn't look like a smiley face to you,
- -flop your head over to the left and look again.
- -.Lp \07.
- -How do I decrypt jokes in
- -.ng rec.humor ?
- -.Lp
- -The standard cipher used in
- -.ng rec.humor
- -in called \*(lqrot13.\*(rq
- -Each letter is replaced by the letter 13 further along in the alphabet
- -(cycling around at the end).
- -Most systems have a built in command to decrypt such articles;
- -.i readnews (1)
- -and
- -.i vnews (1)
- -have the
- -.qp D
- -command,
- -.i rn (1)
- -(another popular public-domain full screen news reader) has the
- -.qp X
- -or
- -.qc CONTROL-X
- -commands,
- -.i notes (1)
- -has
- -.qp %
- -or
- -.qp R .
- -If your system doesn't have a program to encrypt and decrypt these,
- -you can quickly create a shell script using
- -.i tr (1):
- -.sd c
- -tr A\-Za\-z N\-ZA\-Mn\-za\-m
- -.ed
- -On some versions of
- -.ux ,
- -the
- -.i tr
- -command should be written as:
- -.sd c
- -tr \*(lq[a\-m][n\-z][A\-M][N\-Z]\*(rq \*(lq[n\-z][a\-m][N\-Z][A\-M]\*(rq
- -.ed
- -.Lp \08.
- -.ng soc.net-people :
- -Is John Doe out there anywhere?
- -.Lp
- -I suspect that these items are people looking for freshman roommates
- -that they haven't seen in ten years.
- -If you have some idea where the person is
- -you are usually better off calling the organization.
- -For example,
- -if you call any Bell Labs location and request John Doe's number.
- -They can give it to you even if he works at a different location.
- -.Lp \09.
- -.ng sci.math :
- -Proofs that 1 \(eq 0.
- -.Lp
- -Almost everyone has seen one or more of these in high school.
- -They are almost always based on either division by 0
- -or taking the square root of a negative number.
- -.Lp 10.
- -.ng rec.games :
- -Where can I get the source for
- -.i empire (6)
- -or
- -.i rogue (6)?
- -.Lp
- -You can't.
- -The authors of these games,
- -as is their right,
- -have chosen not to make the sources available.
- -.Lp 11.
- -.ng comp.unix.wizards :
- -How do I remove files with
- -.sm ASCII "" non-
- -characters in their names?
- -.Lp
- -You can try to find a pattern that uniquely identifies the file.
- -This sometimes fails because a peculiarity of some shells is that
- -they strip off the high-order bit of characters in command lines.
- -Next,
- -you can try an \*(lqrm \-i\*(rq, or \*(lqrm \-r\*(rq
- -(see
- -.i rm (1).)
- -Finally,
- -you can mess around with i-node numbers and
- -.i find (1).
- -.Lp 12.
- -.ng comp.unix.wizards :
- -There is a bug in the way
- -.ux
- -handles protection for programs that run setuid.
- -.Lp
- -There are indeed problems with the treatment of protection in setuid programs.
- -When this is brought up,
- -suggestions for changes range from implementing a full capability list
- -arrangement to new kernel calls for allowing more control over when
- -the effective id is used and when the real id is used to control accesses.
- -Sooner or later you can expect this to be improved.
- -For now you just have to live with it.
- -.Lp 13.
- -.ng soc.women :
- -What do you think about abortion?
- -.Lp
- -Although abortion might appear to be an appropriate topic for
- -.ng soc.women ,
- -more heat than light is generated when it is brought up.
- -Since the newsgroup
- -.ng talk.abortion
- -has been created,
- -all abortion-related discussion should take place there.
- -.Lp 14.
- -.ng soc.singles :
- -What do \*(lqMOTOS,\*(rq
- -\*(lqMOTSS,\*(rq, \*(lqMOTAS\*(rq,
- -and \*(lqSO\*(rq stand for?
- -.Lp
- -Member of the opposite sex,
- -member of the same sex,
- -member of the appropriate sex,
- -and significant other,
- -respectively.
- -.Lp 15.
- -How do I use the
- -.hf Distribution
- -feature?
- -.Lp
- -When
- -.i postnews (1)
- -prompts you for a distribution,
- -it's asking how widely distributed you want your article.
- -The set of possible replies is different,
- -depending on where you are,
- -but at Bell Labs in Murray Hill,
- -New Jersey,
- -possibilities include:
- -.sd c
- -\!.ta 8n
- -local\tlocal to this machine
- -mh\tBell Labs, Murray Hill Branch
- -nj\tall sites in New Jersey
- -btl\tAll Bell Labs machines
- -att\tAll AT&T machines
- -usa\tEverywhere in the USA
- -na\tEverywhere in North America
- -world\tEverywhere on USENET in the world
- -.ed
- -If you hit
- -.qc RETURN ,
- -you'll get the default,
- -which is the first part of the newsgroup name.
- -This default is often not appropriate \-
- -.i please
- -take a moment to think about how far away people are likely
- -to be interested in what you have to say.
- -Used car ads,
- -housing wanted ads,
- -and things for sale other than specialized equipment like computers
- -certainly shouldn't be distributed to Europe and Korea,
- -or even to the next state.
- -.Lp
- -The newsgroup
- -.ng misc.forsale
- -exists for postings of sale announcements.
- -Its distribution is limited to North America;
- -posters should restrict this distribution even further,
- -if possible and appropriate.
- -.Lp 16.
- -Why do some people put funny lines
- -(\*(lqbug killers\*(rq)
- -at the beginning of their articles?
- -.Lp
- -Some earlier versions of news had a bug which would drop
- -the first 512 or 1024 bytes of text of certain articles.
- -The bug was triggered whenever the article started with white space
- -(a blank or a tab).
- -A fix many people adopted was to begin their articles
- -with a line containing a character other than white space.
- -This gradually evolved into the habit of including amusing first lines.
- -.Lp
- -The original bug has since been fixed in newer version of news,
- -and sites running older versions of news have applied a patch
- -to prevent articles from losing text.
- -The \*(lqbug-killer\*(rq lines are therefore probably no longer needed,
- -but they linger on.
- -.Lp 17.
- -What is the address or phone number of the \*(lqfoo\*(rq company?
- -.Lp
- -Try the white and yellow pages of your phone directory,
- -first;
- -a sales representative will surely know,
- -and if you're a potential customer they will be who you're looking for.
- -Phone books for other cities are usually available in libraries of any size.
- -Whoever buys or recommends things for your company
- -will probably have some buyer's guides or national company directories.
- -Call or visit the reference desk of your library;
- -they have several company and organization directories
- -and many will answer questions like this over the phone.
- -Remember if you only know the city where the company is,
- -you can telephone to find out their full address or a dealer.
- -The network is
- -.i not
- -a free resource,
- -although it may look like that to some people.
- -It is far better to spend a few minutes of your own time
- -researching an answer rather than broadcast
- -your laziness and/or ineptness to the net.
- *-*-END-of-doc/manner.mn-*-*
- exit
-
-