Neil's C++ Stuff: Newsgroups

N E W S G R O U P S
I've been there ... | Rules | Groups

You're on a roll, you're coding like a madman! And then ... then, what the heck is going on!? Then, you can't figure one little thing out. You flip through your C++ books and notes but you can't find or remember what you need to know. You need to ask someone and you need answers NOW!

Ah the wonderful world of Usenet discussions! Where people of all walks of life come to tote their knowledge and blackjack people with their enigmas. Where newbies come to whine about an impending class assignment that they'll pay money to have someone complete. That place where you either get your question answered or you get slammed into the ground with a bunch of etiquette mumbo jumbo! Its terrible as it is wonderful. You can get lots of great answers, or the same one over and over: You're off-topic, go somewhere else!

Rules

Staying on-topic is one of the most difficult things to achieve. It seems that no matter how broad or how specific your question, there will always be some smug newsgroup-junkie bitching at your posts. The kind with signatures like, "comp.lang.c - live long and prosper!" or "voted biggest s.o.b. on comp.lang.c++". These people you'll end up pissing off no matter what so the best medicine is to simply ignore their posts and collect all the helpful ones.

However, you do need to stay on topic. If you get more than just those one or two jerks pestering your question then you probably are far off-topic. Here's some things you should make sure you do before posting a question:

Don't ask multiple questions that apply to different groups and cross-post the message! As tempting as this may be, you should always seperate your questions so that they apply specifically to the group you're targeting. You'll receive a lot of heat if you don't (unless a nice guy like me *grinz* happens upon your message).
Don't ask questions that apply to a specific compiler! Like if you post a question about DJGPP on comp.lang.c. There are newsgroups dedicated to each compiler.
Read the FAQ first! Oooh, I know its time consuming and less-than gratifying but those darn F.A.Q.s contain a lot of questions that have already been answered.
Say no demeening things! If you put down a certain group of people then you'll end up starting a thread war which will attract trolls. Yes, I know its amusing, but its true. Try to avoid saying things like, "My crappy Microshit compiler ..... " or "If Borland didn't suck so much ... ".

Groups

I've tried (a lame attempt) to include the F.A.Q.s for each newsgroup listed. Please tell me if I have missing F.A.Q.s, sour links, or if you have a newsgroup you'd like to add to this list. Thanx, I hope you find this useful!

The End (for now, *muh ha ha ha*)

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By Neil C. Obremski

Wed May 12 21:45:26 1999