The World of Computer Software/The World of Computer Software.iso/netfaq1.zip/NETFAQ.001

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·    Subject: Rules for posting to Usenet

Archive-name: posting-rules/part1
Original-author: [e-mail] (Mark Horton)
Last-change: 10 Jan 1993 by [e-mail] (Gene Spafford)

This message describes some of the rules of conduct on Usenet.  The rules
vary depending on the newsgroup.


Some newsgroups are intended for discussions and some for announcements
or queries.  It is not usually a good idea to carry on discussions in
newsgroups that are designated otherwise.  It is never a good idea to
carry on "meta-discussions" about whether a given discussion is
appropriate -- such traffic mushrooms until nobody can find articles
that belong.  If you are unhappy with what some user said, send him/her
mail, don't post it.


Before posting, think about where your article is going.  If it's
posted to a "comp", "news", "misc", "soc", "sci", "rec" or "talk"
newsgroup, it will probably go to the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia,
and many countries in Asia.  Certain articles are only of local
interest (e.g. used car ads) and it is inappropriate to post them to
the whole world.  Use the "Distribution" feature to restrict
distribution to your local area.  If you don't know how to use this
feature, read the "Frequently Submitted Items" in another article in
news.announce.newusers. (Note, however, that some sites have broken
software or improperly configured news systems, so sometimes use of a
"Distribution" header may not work.)


Be considerate with your use of network resources.  Your individual
usage may not seem like much compared to the net as a whole, but in
aggregate, small savings in disk or CPU add up to a great deal.  For
instance, messages offering thanks, jibes, or congratulations will
only need to be seen by the interested parties -- send these by mail
rather than posting them. The same goes for simple questions, and
especially for any form of "me too" posting.

To help minimize some transfer load and disk usage throughout the
Usenet, consider not only how many groups should carry your posting
over what distribution area, but also how long it will be useful. Many
kinds of postings -- such as those making announcements or offers --
have a obvious useful lifetime. Posted questions that aren't answered
within a decent interval probably won't be answered at all, and
announcements will have a limited lifetime. All such postings will be
using bandwidth to no purpose after a certain time.  When making such
postings one should determine what that time interval is, based upon
the nature of the posting, the volume of articles on the newsgroup(s)
involved, and the habits of the audience, if known. Then include an
expiration date in the posting. This will mark the date after which
the article should not be retained at each site.

To include an expiration date in an article, when posting insert a
line in the header below the "Newsgroups:" line with the expiration.
For instance, type "Expires: 5 Feb 92" to have the article expire
after Feb 5, 1992.  Most news software will also accept expiration
dates of the form "Expires: +5days".  Please do NOT set expiration
dates far into the future simply to have the article stay around.
Many sites expire old articles no matter what the header indicates, so
you are unlikely to achieve much other than clutter the disk on a few
sites.  Default expiration is normally in the range of 7 to 21 days,
depending on disk space at each site.


Don't post announcements regarding major news events (e.g. the space
shuttle has just exploded!) to news groups.  By the time most people
receive such items, they will long since have been informed by
conventional media.  If you wish to discuss such an event on the net,
use the "misc.headlines" newsgroup.


Announcement of professional products or services on Usenet is allowed;
however, since someone else is paying the phone bills for this, it is
important that it be of overall benefit to Usenet.  Post to the
appropriate newsgroup -- comp.newprod -- never to a general purpose
newsgroup such as "misc.misc".  Clearly mark your article as a product
announcement in the subject.  Never repeat these -- one article per
product at the most; preferably group everything into one article.
Advertising hype is especially frowned upon -- stick to technical
facts.  Obnoxious or inappropriate announcements or articles violating
this policy will generally be rejected.  This policy is, of course,
subject to change if it becomes a problem.


Some newsgroups are moderated.  In these groups, you cannot post
directly, either by convention or because the software prevents it.  To
post to these newsgroups, send mail to the moderator. Examples:

Newsgroup        Moderator        Purpose
---------        ---------        -------
news.announce.important [e-mail]    Important announcements for everyo
comp.std.unix        [e-mail]    Unix standards discussion.
rec.food.recipes    [e-mail]    Discussing favorite recipes.

Some newsgroups have special purpose rules:

Newsgroup        Rules
---------        -----
news.announce.important    Moderated, no direct postings, important things only.
misc.wanted        Queries, "I want an x", "Anyone want my x?".  No
            discussions. Don't post to more than one xxx.wanted.
            Use the smallest appropriate wanted (e.g. used car
            ads to nj.wanted.)
            Requests for sources, termcaps, etc. should go to the
            "comp.sources.wanted" newsgroup.
rec.humor        Clean humor only; anything offensive must be rotated;
            no discussions -- humor only.  Discussions go in
            rec.humor.d
rec.arts.movies        Don't post anything revealing part of a movie
            without marking it (spoiler) in the subject.
rec.arts.*        Same as movies -- mark spoilers in the subject line.
news.groups        Discussions about new groups: whether to create
            them and what to call them.  Don't post yes/no
            votes, mail them to the author
misc.test        Use the smallest test group possible, e.g.
            "test" or "ucb.test".  Say in the body of the
            message what you are testing.


It is perfectly legal to reproduce short extracts of a copyrighted work
for critical purposes, but reproduction in whole is strictly and
explicitly forbidden by US and international copyright law.  (Otherwise,
there would be no way for the artist to make money, and there would
thus be less motive for people to go to the trouble of making their art
available at all.  The crime of theft is as serious in this context as
any other, even though you may not have to pick locks, mask your face,
or conceal merchandise.)

It is generally considered rude to post private e-mail correspondence
without the permission of the author of that mail.  Furthermore, under
copyright statutes, the author of the e-mail possesses a copyright on
mail that he or she wrote; posting it to the net or mailing it on to
others without permission of the author is likely a violation of that
copyright as well as being rude.

All opinions or statements made in messages posted to Usenet should be
taken as the opinions of the person who wrote the message.  They do not
necessarily represent the opinions of the employer of that person, the
owner of the computer from which the message was posted, or anyone
involved with Usenet or the underlying networks of which Usenet is made
up.  All responsibility for statements made in Usenet messages rests
with the individual posting the message.


Posting of information on Usenet is to be viewed as similar to
publication.  Because of this, do not post instructions for how to do
some illegal act (such as jamming radar or obtaining cable TV service
illegally); also do not ask how to do illegal acts by posting to the
net.


If you have a standard signature you like to append to your articles,
and you are running a form of news software that supports automatic
inclusion of a signature file, it is usually enabled by putting it in
a file called .signature in your home directory.  The posting software
you use should automatically append it to your article.  Please keep
your signatures concise, as people do not appreciate seeing lengthy
signatures, nor paying the phone bills to repeatedly transmit them.  2
or 3 lines are usually plenty.  Sometimes it is also appropriate to
add another line or two for addresses on other major networks where
you can be reached (e.g., Internet, Bitnet).  Long signatures are
definitely frowned upon.  DO NOT include drawings, pictures, maps, or
other graphics in your signature -- it is not the appropriate place
for such material and is viewed as rude by other readers.


If you post an article and remember something you've left out or
realize you've made a factual error, you can cancel the article and (if
canceled quickly enough) prevent its distribution.  Then you can
correct whatever was wrong and post a new copy.  In "rn" and
"readnews", an article that you posted can be canceled with the "C"
command.  Be aware, however, that some people may have already read the
incorrect version so the sooner you cancel something, the better.


Before posting a question to the net (especially one that you think
will be easy for experts to answer), consider carefully whether
posting is the most appropriate way to get the answer.  There are many
ways to find answers without using up network resources and forcing
thousands of people to read your question (and several helpful
volunteers to spend time responding).  Many newsgroups have a
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list that is posted periodically
(usually every few weeks), and they are also usually cross-posted
to news.answers.  They usually have explicit expiration dates set, so
they shouldn't be expired until a new version has been posted, so if
you can't find the FAQ in either the newsgroup or news.answers, there
probably isn't one (thus, it's probably not useful to post a question
asking whether there is one).  If you have local experts (or simply
more experienced users than yourself) at your site, try asking them
before posting.  If you're trying to find where you can FTP software

or a newsgroup archive, try using the Archie service; see postings in
news.answers for details.  Many newsgroups are also archived in Wide
Area Information Service (WAIS) databases; WAIS client software may be
FTPed from ftp.think.com, or you may use WAIS by telnetting to
quake.think.com and logging in as "wais".  Finally, you should also
check the manuals for your system; if you don't, and you post a
question that's answered there, you'll likely receive a number of
responses that scream "RTFM" (Read the F*ing Manual).


If the news system rejects a followup due to "more quoted lines than
new text," please do not use "filler" lines to make up for this.
Instead, if after careful editing, you have more to quote than to
write, change the citation character.  For example, in the display
editor vi, you could use the incantation:
    :%s/^>/</
Be careful not to do the very similar:
    :%s/>/</
which will affect >'s that are not being used as the citation
character.  (In particular, it will damage the "References" line in the
article header.)


In preparing an article, be aware that other people's machines are
not the same as yours.  The following is a list of things to keep
in mind:
 * Except for source, keep your lines under 80 characters, and
   under 72 if possible.  (most editors have a fill or format
   mode that will do this for you automatically)
 * Right justified text may look "prettier" in some sense, but it
   is almost always harder to read than leaving ragged right
   margins; don't justify your articles.
 * Most special control characters will not work for most readers.
   In fact, the  space character is about the only one
   you can be sure will work consistently. Even tabs aren't always
   the same from machine to machine, and should be avoided.  Many mail
   agents will strip or remap control characters.
 * Pictures and diagrams should not use embedded tabs.
 * Refer to articles by Message-ID, and never by article number.
 * What you think is the previous article is unlikely to be so elsewhere.
 * Submissions in a single case (all upper or all lower) are
   difficult to read.


In general, when a mailing to somebody fails, DON'T post a message
about it!  Think for a moment: you are trying to send something to
someone on ONE system.  Your message might go through (at most) TEN
systems on the way there.  Posting a message in the news sends it to
many thousands of systems throughout the world!  There is no way to
justify adding to the news load of all those machines simply because
you cannot determine how to get your mail through.

If your message is important, contact someone who knows more about the
mail system and who might be able to help you get your message
through.  Your local system administrator, for instance, or the admin
of the next site "upstream," might be able to help. You can also send
mail to "postmaster" at one of the major Usenet sites.  Almost all of
these people would rather see an occasional plea for help in their
mailbox than read another broadcast in the news system.  If your
message is *really* important, pick up the phone and try to call the
other person.
--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
·    Subject: What is Usenet?

Archive-name: what-is-usenet/part1
Original from: [e-mail] (Chip Salzenberg)
Last-change: 19 July 1992 by [e-mail] (Gene Spafford)


The first thing to understand about Usenet is that it is widely
misunderstood.  Every day on Usenet, the "blind men and the elephant"
phenomenon is evident, in spades.  In my opinion, more flame wars
arise because of a lack of understanding of the nature of Usenet than
from any other source.  And consider that such flame wars arise, of
necessity, among people who are on Usenet.  Imagine, then, how poorly
understood Usenet must be by those outside!

Any essay on the nature of Usenet cannot ignore the erroneous
impressions held by many Usenet users.  Therefore, this article will
treat falsehoods first.  Keep reading for truth.  (Beauty, alas, is
not relevant to Usenet.)

WHAT USENET IS NOT
------------------
 1. Usenet is not an organization.

    No person or group has authority over Usenet as a whole.  No one
    controls who gets a news feed, which articles are propagated
    where, who can post articles, or anything else.  There is no
    "Usenet Incorporated," nor is there a "Usenet User's Group."
    You're on your own.

    Granted, there are various activities organized by means of Usenet
    newsgroups.  The newsgroup creation process is one such
    activity.  But it would be a mistake to equate Usenet with the
    organized activities it makes possible.  If they were to stop
    tomorrow, Usenet would go on without them.

 2. Usenet is not a democracy.

    Since there is no person or group in charge of Usenet as a whole
    -- i.e. there is no Usenet "government" -- it follows that Usenet
    cannot be a democracy, autocracy, or any other kind of "-acy."
    (But see "The Camel's Nose?" below.)

 3. Usenet is not fair.

    After all, who shall decide what's fair?  For that matter, if
    someone is behaving unfairly, who's going to stop him?  Neither
    you nor I, that's certain.

 4. Usenet is not a right.

    Some people misunderstand their local right of "freedom of speech"
    to mean that they have a legal right to use others' computers to
    say what they wish in whatever way they wish, and the owners of
    said computers have no right to stop them.

    Those people are wrong.  Freedom of speech also means freedom not
    to speak.  If I choose not to use my computer to aid your speech,
    that is my right.  Freedom of the press belongs to those who own
    one.

 5. Usenet is not a public utility.

    Some Usenet sites are publicly funded or subsidized.  Most of
    them, by plain count, are not.  There is no government monopoly
    on Usenet, and little or no government control.

 6. Usenet is not an academic network.

    It is no surprise that many Usenet sites are universities,
    research labs or other academic institutions.  Usenet originated
    with a link between two universities, and the exchange of ideas
    and information is what such institutions are all about.  But the
    passage of years has changed Usenet's character.  Today, by plain
    count, most Usenet sites are commercial entities.

 7. Usenet is not an advertising medium.

    Because of Usenet's roots in academia, and because Usenet depends
    so heavily on cooperation (sometimes among competitors), custom
    dictates that advertising be kept to a minimum.  It is tolerated
    if it is infrequent, informative, and low-hype.

    The "comp.newprod" newsgroup is NOT an exception to this rule:
    product announcements are screened by a moderator in an attempt to
    keep the hype-to-information ratio in check.

    If you must engage in flackery for your company, use the "biz"
    hierarchy, which is explicitly "advertising-allowed", and which
    (like all of Usenet) is carried only by those sites that want it.

 8. Usenet is not the Internet.

    The Internet is a wide-ranging network, parts of which are
    subsidized by various governments.  It carries many kinds of
    traffic, of which Usenet is only one.  And the Internet is only
    one of the various networks carrying Usenet traffic.

 9. Usenet is not a UUCP network.

    UUCP is a protocol (actually a "protocol suite," but that's a
    technical quibble) for sending data over point-to-point
    connections, typically using dialup modems.  Sites use UUCP to
    carry many kinds of traffic, of which Usenet is only one.  And
    UUCP is only one of the various transports carrying Usenet
    traffic.

10. Usenet is not a United States network.

    It is true that Usenet originated in the United States, and the
    fastest growth in Usenet sites has been there.  Nowadays, however,
    Usenet extends worldwide.

    The heaviest concentrations of Usenet sites outside the U.S. seem
    to be in Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan.

    Keep Usenet's worldwide nature in mind when you post articles.
    Even those who can read your language may have a culture wildly
    different from yours.  When your words are read, they might not
    mean what you think they mean.

11. Usenet is not a UNIX network.

    Don't assume that everyone is using "rn" on a UNIX machine.  Among
    the systems used to read and post to Usenet are Vaxen running VMS,
    IBM mainframes, Amigas, and MS-DOS PCs.

12. Usenet is not an ASCII network.

    The A in ASCII stands for "American".  Sites in other countries
    often use character sets better suited to their language(s) of
    choice; such are typically, though not always, supersets of ASCII.
    Even in the United States, ASCII is not universally used: IBM
    mainframes use (shudder) EBCDIC.  Ignore non-ASCII sites if you
    like, but they exist.

13. Usenet is not software.

    There are dozens of software packages used at various sites to
    transport and read Usenet articles.  So no one program or package
    can be called "the Usenet software."

    Software designed to support Usenet traffic can be (and is) used
    for other kinds of communication, usually without risk of mixing
    the two.  Such private communication networks are typically kept
    distinct from Usenet by the invention of newsgroup names different
    from the universally-recognized ones.

Well, enough negativity.

WHAT USENET IS
--------------
Usenet is the set of people who exchange articles tagged with one or
more universally-recognized labels, called "newsgroups" (or "groups"
for short).

(Note that the term "newsgroup" is correct, while "area," "base,"
"board," "bboard," "conference," "round table," "SIG," etc.  are
incorrect.  If you want to be understood, be accurate.)

DIVERSITY
---------
If the above definition of Usenet sounds vague, that's because it is.

It is almost impossible to generalize over all Usenet sites in any
non-trivial way.  Usenet encompasses government agencies, large
universities, high schools, businesses of all sizes, home computers of
all descriptions, etc, etc.

(In response to the above paragraphs, it has been written that there
is nothing vague about a network that carries megabytes of traffic per
day.  I agree.  But at the fringes of Usenet, traffic is not so heavy.
In the shadowy world of news-mail gateways and mailing lists, the line
between Usenet and not-Usenet becomes very hard to draw.)

CONTROL
-------
Every administrator controls his own site.  No one has any real
control over any site but his own.

The administrator gets her power from the owner of the system she
administers.  As long as her job performance pleases the owner, she
can do whatever she pleases, up to and including cutting off Usenet
entirely.  Them's the breaks.

Sites are not entirely without influence on their neighbors, however.
There is a vague notion of "upstream" and "downstream" related to the
direction of high-volume news flow.  To the extent that "upstream"
sites decide what traffic they will carry for their "downstream"
neighbors, those "upstream" sites have some influence on their
neighbors' participation in Usenet.  But such influence is usually
easy to circumvent; and heavy-handed manipulation typically results in

a backlash of resentment.

PERIODIC POSTINGS
-----------------
To help hold Usenet together, various articles (including this one)
are periodically posted in newsgroups in the "news" hierarchy.  These
articles are provided as a public service by various volunteers.
They are few but valuable.  Learn them well.

Among the periodic postings are lists of active newsgroups, both
"standard" (for lack of a better term) and "alternative."  These
lists, maintained by Gene Spafford, reflect his personal view of
Usenet, and as such are not "official" in any sense of the word.
However, if you're looking for a description of subjects discussed on
Usenet, or if you're starting up a new Usenet site, Gene's lists are
an eminently reasonable place to start.

PROPAGATION
-----------
In the old days, when UUCP over long-distance dialup lines was the
dominant means of article transmission, a few well-connected sites had
real influence in determining which newsgroups would be carried where.
Those sites called themselves "the backbone."

But things have changed.  Nowadays, even the smallest Internet site
has connectivity the likes of which the backbone admin of yesteryear
could only dream.  In addition, in the U.S., the advent of cheaper
long-distance calls and high-speed modems has made long-distance
Usenet feeds thinkable for smaller companies.

There is only one pre-eminent site for UUCP transport of Usenet in the
U.S., namely UUNET.  But UUNET isn't a player in the propagation wars,
because it never refuses any traffic.  UUNET charges by the minute,
after all; and besides, to refuse based on content might jeopardize
its legal status as an enhanced service provider.

All of the above applies to the U.S.  In Europe, different cost
structures favored the creation of strictly controlled hierarchical
organizations with central registries.  This is all very unlike the
traditional mode of U.S. sites (pick a name, get the software, get a
feed, you're on).  Europe's "benign monopolies," long uncontested, now
face competition from looser organizations patterned after the U.S.
model.

NEWSGROUP CREATION
------------------
The document that describes the current procedure for creating a new
newsgroup is entitled "How To Create A New Newsgroup."  Its common
name, however, is "the guidelines."

If you follow the guidelines, it is probable that your group will be
created and will be widely propagated.

HOWEVER: Because of the nature of Usenet, there is no way for any user
to enforce the results of a newsgroup vote (or any other decision, for
that matter).  Therefore, for your new newsgroup to be propagated
widely, you must not only follow the letter of the guidelines; you
must also follow its spirit.  And you must not allow even a whiff of
shady dealings or dirty tricks to mar the vote.  In other words, don't
tick off system administrators; they will get their revenge.

So, you may ask: How is a new user supposed to know anything about the
"spirit" of the guidelines?  Obviously, he can't.  This fact leads
inexorably to the following recommendation:

 >> If you are a new user, don't try to create a new newsgroup. <<

If you have a good newsgroup idea, then read the "news.groups"
newsgroup for a while (six months, at least) to find out how things
work.  If you're too impatient to wait six months, then you really
need to learn; read "news.groups" for a year instead.  If you just
can't wait, find a Usenet old hand to run the vote for you.

Readers may think this advice unnecessarily strict.  Ignore it at your
peril.  It is embarrassing to speak before learning.  It is foolish to
jump into a society you don't understand with your mouth open.  And it
is futile to try to force your will on people who can tune you out
with the press of a key.

THE CAMEL'S NOSE?
-----------------
As was observed above in "What Usenet Is Not," Usenet as a whole is
not a democracy.  However, there is exactly one feature of Usenet that
has a form of democracy: newsgroup creation.

A new newsgroup is unlikely to be widely propagated unless its sponsor
follows the newsgroup creation guidelines; and the current guidelines
require a new newsgroup to pass an open vote.

There are those who consider the newsgroup creation process to be a
remarkably powerful form of democracy, since without any coercion, its
decisions are almost always carried out.  In their view, the
democratic aspect of newsgroup creation is the precursor to an
organized and democratic Usenet Of The Future.

On the other hand, some consider the democratic aspect of the
newsgroup creation process a sham and a fraud, since there is no power
of enforcement behind its decisions, and since there appears little
likelihood that any such power of enforcement will ever be given it.
For them, the appearance of democracy is only a tool used to keep
proponents of flawed newsgroup proposals from complaining about their
losses.

So, is Usenet on its way to full democracy?  Or will property rights
and mistrust of central authority win the day?  Beats me.

IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY...
---------------------
Property rights being what they are, there is no higher authority on
Usenet than the people who own the machines on which Usenet traffic is
carried.  If the owner of the machine you use says, "We will not carry
alt.sex on this machine," and you are not happy with that order, you
have no Usenet recourse.  What can we outsiders do, after all?

That doesn't mean you are without options.  Depending on the nature of
your site, you may have some internal political recourse.  Or you
might find external pressure helpful.  Or, with a minimal investment,
you can get a feed of your own from somewhere else. Computers capable
of taking Usenet feeds are down in the $500 range now, and
UNIX-capable boxes are going for under $2000, and there are at least
two UNIX lookalikes in the $100 price range.

No matter what, though, appealing to "Usenet" won't help.  Even if
those who read such an appeal are sympathetic to your cause, they will
almost certainly have even less influence at your site than you do.

By the same token, if you don't like what some user at another site is
doing, only the administrator and owner of that site have any
authority to do anything about it.  Persuade them that the user in
question is a problem for them, and they might do something -- if they
feel like it, that is.

If the user in question is the administrator or owner of the site from
which she posts, forget it; you can't win.  If you can, arrange for
your newsreading software to ignore articles from her; and chalk one
up to experience.

WORDS TO LIVE BY #1:
 USENET AS SOCIETY
--------------------
  Those who have never tried electronic communication may not be aware
  of what a "social skill" really is.  One social skill that must be
  learned, is that other people have points of view that are not only
  different, but *threatening*, to your own.  In turn, your opinions may
  be threatening to others.  There is nothing wrong with this.  Your
  beliefs need not be hidden behind a facade, as happens with
  face-to-face conversation.  Not everybody in the world is a bosom
  buddy, but you can still have a meaningful conversation with them.
  The person who cannot do this lacks in social skills.

                                     -- Nick Szabo

WORDS TO LIVE BY #2:
 USENET AS ANARCHY
--------------------
  Anarchy means having to put up with things that really piss you off.

                                     -- Unknown
--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
---
==============================================================================
·    Subject: A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community

Archive-name: usenet-primer/part1
Original-author: [e-mail] (Chuq Von Rospach)
Last-change: 5 May 1992 by [e-mail] (Gene Spafford)


              A Primer on How to Work With the USENET Community
                             Chuq Von Rospach



  *** You now have access to Usenet, a network of thousands of
  computers.  Other documents or your system administrator will provide
  detailed technical documentation.  This message describes the Usenet
  culture and customs that have developed over time.  All new users should
  read this message to find out how Usenet works. ***
  *** (Old users could read it, too, to refresh their memories.)  ***

  USENET is a large collection of computers that share data with each
  other.  It is the people on these computers that make USENET worth
  the effort to read and maintain, and for USENET to function properly
  those people must be able to interact in productive ways.  This
  document is intended as a guide to using the net in ways that will
  be pleasant and productive for everyone.

  This document is not intended to teach you how to use USENET.  Instead, it
  is a guide to using it politely, effectively and efficiently.
  Communication by computer is new to almost everybody, and there are
  certain aspects that can make it a frustrating experience until you get
  used to them.  This document should help you avoid the worst traps.

  The easiest way to learn how to use USENET is to watch how others use it.
  Start reading the news and try to figure out what people are doing and
  why.  After a couple of weeks you will start understanding why certain
  things are done and what things shouldn't be done.  There are documents
  available describing the technical details of how to use the software.
  These are different depending on which programs you use to access the
  news.  You can get copies of these from your system administrator.  If you
  do not know who that person is, they can be contacted on most systems by
  mailing to account "usenet".


           Never Forget that the Person on the Other Side is Human

  Because your interaction with the network is through a computer it is easy
  to forget that there are people "out there." Situations arise where
  emotions erupt into a verbal free-for-all that can lead to hurt feelings.

  Please remember that people all over the world are reading your words.  Do
  not attack people if you cannot persuade them with your presentation of
  the facts.  Screaming, cursing, and abusing others only serves to make
  people think less of you and less willing to help you when you need it.

  If you are upset at something or someone, wait until you have had a
  chance to calm down and think about it.  A cup of (decaf!) coffee or
  a good night's sleep works wonders on your perspective.  Hasty words
  create more problems than they solve.  Try not to say anything to
  others you would not say to them in person in a room full of people.

        Don't Blame System Admins for their Users' Behavior

  Sometimes, you may find it necessary to write to a system administrator
  about something concerning his or her site.  Maybe it is a case of the
  software not working, or a control message escaped, or maybe one of the
  users at that site has done something you feel requires comment.  No matter
  how steamed you may be, be polite to the sysadmin -- he or she may not have
  any idea of what you are going to say, and may not have any part in the
  incidents involved.  By being civil and temperate, you are more likely to
  obtain their courteous attention and assistance.

            Be Careful What You Say About Others

  Please remember -- you read netnews; so do as many as 2,500,000 other
  people.  This group quite possibly includes your boss, your friend's
  boss, your girl friend's brother's best friend and one of your
  father's beer buddies.  Information posted on the net can come back
  to haunt you or the person you are talking about.

  Think twice before you post personal information about yourself or
  others.  This applies especially strongly to groups like soc.singles
  and alt.sex but even postings in groups like talk.politics.misc have
  included information about the personal life of third parties that
  could get them into serious trouble if it got into the wrong hands.

                  Be Brief

  Never say in ten words what you can say in fewer.  Say it succinctly and
  it will have a greater impact.  Remember that the longer you make your
  article, the fewer people will bother to read it.

         Your Postings Reflect Upon You -- Be Proud of Them

  Most people on USENET will know you only by what you say and how well you
  say it.  They may someday be your co-workers or friends.  Take some time
  to make sure each posting is something that will not embarrass you later.
  Minimize your spelling errors and make sure that the article is easy to
  read and understand.  Writing is an art and to do it well requires
  practice.  Since much of how people judge you on the net is based on your
  writing, such time is well spent.

               Use Descriptive Titles

  The subject line of an article is there to enable a person with a limited
  amount of time to decide whether or not to read your article.  Tell people
  what the article is about before they read it.  A title like "Car for
  Sale" to rec.autos does not help as much as "66 MG Midget for sale:
  Beaverton OR." Don't expect people to read your article to find out what
  it is about because many of them won't bother.  Some sites truncate the
  length of the subject line to 40 characters so keep your subjects short
  and to the point.

             Think About Your Audience

  When you post an article, think about the people you are trying to
  reach.  Asking UNIX(*) questions on rec.autos will not reach as many
  of the people you want to reach as if you asked them on
  comp.unix.questions or comp.unix.internals.  Try to get the most
  appropriate audience for your message, not the widest.

  It is considered bad form to post both to misc.misc, soc.net-people,
  or misc.wanted and to some other newsgroup.  If it belongs in that
  other newsgroup, it does not belong in misc.misc, soc.net-people,
  or misc.wanted.

  If your message is of interest to a limited geographic area (apartments,
  car sales, meetings, concerts, etc...), restrict the distribution of the
  message to your local area.  Some areas have special newsgroups with
  geographical limitations, and the recent versions of the news software
  allow you to limit the distribution of material sent to world-wide
  newsgroups.  Check with your system administrator to see what newsgroups
  are available and how to use them.

  If you want to try a test of something, do not use a world-wide newsgroup!
  Messages in misc.misc that say "This is a test" are likely to cause
  large numbers of caustic messages to flow into your mailbox.  There are
  newsgroups that are local to your computer or area that should be used.
  Your system administrator can tell you what they are.

  Be familiar with the group you are posting to before you post!  You
  shouldn't post to groups you do not read, or post to groups you've
  only read a few articles from -- you may not be familiar with the on-going
  conventions and themes of the group.  One normally does not join
  a conversation by just walking up and talking.  Instead, you listen
  first and then join in if you have something pertinent to contribute.

             Be Careful with Humor and Sarcasm

  Without the voice inflections and body language of personal
  communications, it is easy for a remark meant to be funny to be
  misinterpreted.  Subtle humor tends to get lost, so take steps to make
  sure that people realize you are trying to be funny.  The net has
  developed a symbol called the smiley face.  It looks like ":-)" and points
  out sections of articles with humorous intent.  No matter how broad the
  humor or satire, it is safer to remind people that you are being funny.

  But also be aware that quite frequently satire is posted without any
  explicit indications.  If an article outrages you strongly, you
  should ask yourself if it just may have been unmarked satire.
  Several self-proclaimed connoisseurs refuse to use smiley faces, so
  take heed or you may make a temporary fool of yourself.

              Only Post a Message Once

  Avoid posting messages to more than one newsgroup unless you are sure
  it is appropriate.  If you do post to multiple newsgroups, do not
  post to each group separately.  Instead, specify all the groups on a
  single copy of the message.  This reduces network overhead and lets
  people who subscribe to more than one of those groups see the message
  once instead of having to wade through each copy.

          Please Rotate Messages With Questionable Content

  Certain newsgroups (such as rec.humor) have messages in them that may
  be offensive to some people.  To make sure that these messages are
  not read unless they are explicitly requested, these messages should
  be encrypted.  The standard encryption method is to rotate each
  letter by thirteen characters so that an "a" becomes an "n".  This is
  known on the network as "rot13" and when you rotate a message the
  word "rot13" should be in the "Subject:" line.  Most of the software
  used to read usenet articles have some way of encrypting and
  decrypting messages.  Your system administrator can tell you how the
  software on your system works, or you can use the Unix command "tr
  [a-z][A-Z] [n-z][a-m][N-Z][A-M]". (Note that some versions of Unix
  don't require the [] in the "tr" command.  In fact, some systems will
  get upset if you use them in an unquoted manner.  The following
  should work for everyone, but may be shortened on some systems:
    tr '[a-m][n-z][A-M][N-Z]' '[n-z][a-m][N-Z][A-M]'
  Don't forget the single quotes!)

            Summarize What You are Following Up


  When you are following up someone's article, please summarize the parts of
  the article to which you are responding.  This allows readers to
  appreciate your comments rather than trying to remember what the original
  article said.  It is also possible for your response to get to some sites
  before the original article.

  Summarization is best done by including appropriate quotes from the
  original article.  Do not include the entire article since it will
  irritate the people who have already seen it.  Even if you are responding
  to the entire article, summarize only the major points you are discussing.

            When Summarizing, Summarize!

  When you request information from the network, it is common courtesy to
  report your findings so that others can benefit as well.  The best way of
  doing this is to take all the responses that you received and edit them
  into a single article that is posted to the places where you originally
  posted your question.  Take the time to strip headers, combine duplicate
  information, and write a short summary.  Try to credit the information to
  the people that sent it to you, where possible.

              Use Mail, Don't Post a Follow-up

  One of the biggest problems we have on the network is that when someone
  asks a question, many people send out identical answers.  When this
  happens, dozens of identical answers pour through the net.  Mail your
  answer to the person and suggest that they summarize to the network.  This
  way the net will only see a single copy of the answers, no matter how many
  people answer the question.

  If you post a question, please remind people to send you the answers by
  mail and at least offer to summarize them to the network.

      Read All Follow-ups and Don't Repeat What Has Already Been Said

  Before you submit a follow-up to a message, read the rest of the messages
  in the newsgroup to see whether someone has already said what you want to
  say.  If someone has, don't repeat it.

            Check the Headers When Following Up

  The news software has provisions to specify that follow-ups to an
  article should go to a specific set of newsgroups -- possibly
  different from the newsgroups to which the original article was
  posted.  Sometimes the groups chosen for follow-ups are totally
  inappropriate, especially as a thread of discussion changes with
  repeated postings.  You should carefully check the groups and
  distributions given in the header and edit them as appropriate.  If
  you change the groups named in the header, or if you direct
  follow-ups to a particular group, say so in the body of the message
  -- not everyone reads the headers of postings.


          Be Careful About Copyrights and Licenses

  Once something is posted onto the network, it is *probably* in the
  public domain unless you own the appropriate rights (most notably,
  if you wrote the thing yourself) and you post it with a valid
  copyright notice; a court would have to decide the specifics and
  there are arguments for both sides of the issue. Now that the US has
  ratified the Berne convention, the issue is even murkier.  For all
  practical purposes, though, assume that you effectively give up the
  copyright if you don't put in a notice.  Of course, the
  *information* becomes public, so you mustn't post trade secrets that
  way.  When posting material to the network, keep in mind that
  material that is UNIX-related may be restricted by the license you
  or your company signed with AT&T and be careful not to violate it.
  You should also be aware that posting movie reviews, song lyrics, or
  anything else published under a copyright could cause you, your
  company, or members of the net community to be held liable for
  damages, so we highly recommend caution in using this material.

            Cite Appropriate References

  If you are using facts to support a cause, state where they came from.
  Don't take someone else's ideas and use them as your own.  You don't want
  someone pretending that your ideas are theirs; show them the same respect.

            Mark or Rotate Answers and Spoilers

  When you post something (like a movie review that discusses a detail of
  the plot) which might spoil a surprise for other people, please mark your
  message with a warning so that they can skip the message.  Another
  alternative would be to use the "rot13" protocol to encrypt the message so
  it cannot be read accidentally.  When you post a message with a spoiler in
  it make sure the word "spoiler" is part of the "Subject:" line.

             Spelling Flames Considered Harmful

  Every few months a plague descends on USENET called the spelling flame.
  It starts out when someone posts an article correcting the spelling or
  grammar in some article.  The immediate result seems to be for everyone on
  the net to turn into a 6th grade English teacher and pick apart each other's
  postings for a few weeks.  This is not productive and tends to cause
  people who used to be friends to get angry with each other.

  It is important to remember that we all make mistakes, and that
  there are many users on the net who use English as a second
  language.  There are also a number of people who suffer from
  dyslexia and who have difficulty noticing their spelling mistakes.
  If you feel that you must make a comment on the quality of a
  posting, please do so by mail, not on the network.

              Don't Overdo Signatures

  Signatures are nice, and many people can have a signature added to
  their postings automatically by placing it in a file called
  "$HOME/.signature".  Don't overdo it.  Signatures can tell the world
  something about you, but keep them short.  A signature that is longer
  than the message itself is considered to be in bad taste.  The main
  purpose of a signature is to help people locate you, not to tell your
  life story.  Every signature should include at least your return
  address relative to a major, known site on the network and a proper
  domain-format address.   Your system administrator can give this to
  you.  Some news posters attempt to enforce a 4 line limit on
  signature files -- an amount that should be more than sufficient to
  provide a return address and attribution.

           Limit Line Length and Avoid Control Characters

  Try to keep your text in a generic format.  Many (if not most) of
  the people reading Usenet do so from 80 column terminals or from
  workstations with 80 column terminal windows.  Try to keep your
  lines of text to less than 80 characters for optimal readability.
  If people quote part of your article in a followup, short lines will
  probably show up better, too.

  Also realize that there are many, many different forms of terminals
  in use.  If you enter special control characters in your message, it
  may result in your message being unreadable on some terminal types;
  a character sequence that causes reverse video on your screen may
  result in a keyboard lock and graphics mode on someone else's
  terminal.  You should also try to avoid the use of tabs, too, since
  they may also be interpreted differently on terminals other than
  your own.


               Summary of Things to Remember


       Never forget that the person on the other side is human
       Don't blame system admins for their users' behavior
       Be careful what you say about others
       Be brief
       Your postings reflect upon you; be proud of them
       Use descriptive titles
       Think about your audience
       Be careful with humor and sarcasm
       Only post a message once
       Please rotate material with questionable content
       Summarize what you are following up
       Use mail, don't post a follow-up
       Read all follow-ups and don't repeat what has already been said
       Double-check follow-up newsgroups and distributions.
       Be careful about copyrights and licenses
       Cite appropriate references
       When summarizing, summarize
       Mark or rotate answers or spoilers
       Spelling flames considered harmful
       Don't overdo signatures
       Limit line length and avoid control characters

(*)UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T.

-----------
      This document is in the public domain and may be reproduced or
      excerpted by anyone wishing to do so.
--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
---
==============================================================================
·    Subject: USENET Software: History and Sources

Archive-name: usenet-software/part1
Original from: spaf@purdue (Gene Spafford)
Last-change: 10 Jan 1993 by spaf@purdue (Gene Spafford)


Currently, Usenet readers interact with the news using a number of
software packages and programs.  This article mentions the important
ones and a little of their history, gives pointers where you can look
for more information and ends with some special notes about "foreign"
and "obsolete" software.  At the very end is a list of sites from which
current versions of the Usenet software may be obtained.

Note that the number of software packages available to run news,
especially on PCs, is increasing.  This article lists only a few of
the many news packages available, and the presence or absence of any
particular software package should not be construed as indicating
anything about its suitability usefulness.

History
-------
Usenet came into being in late 1979, shortly after the release of V7
Unix with UUCP.  Two Duke University grad students in North Carolina,
Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis, thought of hooking computers together to
exchange information with the Unix community.  Steve Bellovin, a grad
student at the University of North Carolina, put together the first
version of the news software using shell scripts and installed it on
the first two sites: "unc" and "duke." At the beginning of 1980 the
network consisted of those two sites and "phs" (another machine at
Duke), and was described at the January Usenix conference.  Steve
Bellovin later rewrote the scripts into C programs, but they were never
released beyond "unc" and "duke." Shortly thereafter, Steve Daniel did
another implementation in C for public distribution.  Tom Truscott made
further modifications, and this became the "A" news release.

In 1981 at U. C. Berkeley, grad student Mark Horton and high school
student Matt Glickman rewrote the news software to add functionality
and to cope with the ever increasing volume of news -- "A" News was
intended for only a few articles per group per day.  This rewrite was
the "B" News version.  The first public release was version 2.1 in
1982; the 1.* versions were all beta test.  As the net grew, the news
software was expanded and modified.  The last version maintained and
released primarily by Mark was 2.10.1.

Rick Adams, at the Center for Seismic Studies, took over coordination
of the maintenance and enhancement of the B News software with the
2.10.2 release in 1984.  By this time, the increasing volume of news
was becoming a concern, and the mechanism for moderated groups was
added to the software at 2.10.2.  Moderated groups were inspired by
ARPA mailing lists and experience with other bulletin board systems.
In late 1986, version 2.11 of B News was released, including a number
of changes to support a new naming structure for newsgroups, enhanced
batching and compression, enhanced ihave/sendme control messages, and
other features.

The current release of B News is 2.11, patchlevel 19.  Article format
is specified in RFC 1036 (see below).  B News has been declared "dead"
by a number of people, including Rick Adams, and is unlikely to be
upgraded further; most new UUCP sites are using C News (see next
paragraph).

A new version of news, known as C News, was developed at the
University of Toronto by Geoff Collyer and Henry Spencer.  This
version is a rewrite of the lowest levels of news to increase article
processing speed, decrease article expiration processing and improve
the reliability of the news system through better locking, etc.  The
package was released to the net in the autumn of 1987.  For more
information, see the paper "News Need Not Be Slow," published in The
Winter 1987 Usenix Technical Conference proceedings.  The current
version of C News is labeled 27-Aug-1991.  C News can be obtained from
its official archive site, cs.toronto.edu, using FTP.

Another Usenet system, known as InterNetNews, or INN, was written by
Rich Salz <[e-mail]>.  INN is designed to run on Unix hosts
that have a socket interface.  It is optimized for larger hosts where
most traffic uses NNTP, but it does provide full UUCP support.  INN is
very fast, and since it integrates NNTP many people find it easier to
administer only one package.  The package was publicly released on
August 20, 1992.  For more information, see the paper "InterNetNews:
Usenet Transport for Internet Sites" published in the June 1992 Usenix
Technical Conference Proceedings.  INN can be obtained from many
places; its official archive site is ftp.uu.net in the directory
networking/news/nntp/inn.

ANU-NEWS is news package written by Geoff Huston of Australia for VMS
systems.  ANU-NEWS is complete news system that allows reading,
posting, direct replies, moderated newsgroups, etc.  in a fashion
closely related to regular news.  The implementation includes the RFC
1036 news propagation algorithms and integrated use of the NNTP
protocols (see below) to support remote news servers, implemented as a
VAX/VMS Decnet object.  An RFC 977 server implemented as a Decnet
object is also included. ANU-NEWS currently includes support for the
following TCP/IP protocols: MultiNet, CMU/TEK, Wollongong WIN/TCP, UCX
(TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS), EXOS, and TCPware.  The ANU-NEWS
interface is similar to standard DEC screen oriented systems.  The
license for the software is free, and there are no restrictions on the
re-distribution.  For more info, contact [e-mail] (Geoff
Huston).  ANU-NEWS is available for FTP from kuhub.cc.ukans.edu.
Contact [e-mail] for more info.

A screen-oriented news client for VMS that works with CMU/tek, EXOS,
MultiNet, UCX, Wollongong and DECnet is also available via ftp from
iraun1.ira.uka.de, info.rz.uni-ulm.de, and ftp.spc.edu (contact Bernd
Onasch <[e-mail]> for details).

A port of C News for the Commodore Amiga under AmigaDOS (NOT Unix), is
available.  The port was done by Frank J. Edwards <[e-mail]>,
and available from Larry Rosenman <[e-mail]>.  Also,
Matt Dillon <[e-mail]>, has greatly improved the
UUCP clone for AmigaDOS, currently V1.16D, available for ftp from
ftp.uu.net in /systems/amiga/dillon.  The package also includes a
newsreader very loosely like the real rn.  Dillon also has a "vn" port
provided by Eric Lee Green.  This software is also available on Bix,
and for ftp from wuarchive.wustl.edu (many other Amiga newsreaders are
also available on theis ftp site).

Several popular screen-oriented news reading interfaces have been
developed in the last few years to replace the traditional "readnews"
interface.  The first of these was "vnews" and it was written by
Kenneth Almquist.  "vnews" provides a "readnews"-like command
interface, but displays articles using direct screen positioning.  It
appears to have been inspired, to some extent, by the "notes" system
(described below).  "vnews" is currently distributed with the standard
2.11 news source.

A second, more versatile interface, "rn", was developed by Larry Wall
(the author of Perl) and released in 1984.  This interface also uses
full-screen display with direct positioning, but it includes many
other useful features and is very popular with many regular net
readers.  The interface includes reading, discarding, and/or
processing of articles based on user-definable patterns, and the
ability of the user to develop customized macros for display and
keyboard interaction.  "rn" is currently at release 4.4.  It is being
maintained by Stan Barber of the Baylor College of Medicine.  "rn" is
not provided with the standard news software release, but is very
widely available because of its popularity.  The software can be
obtained from its official archive site, lib.tmc.edu, using FTP, and
via mail from [e-mail]

A variant of "rn" is "trn" by Wayne Davison. Trn adds the ability to
follow "threads of discussions" in newsgroups; its latest version 2.2
is based on rn 4.4. It uses a Reference-line database to allow the
user to take advantage of the "discussion tree" formed by an article
and its replies.  This results in a true reply-ordered reading of the
articles, complete with a small ascii representation of the current
article's position in the discussion tree. Trn can be obtained from
ftp.coe.montana.edu in the /pub/trn directory, from uunet in the
news subdirectory, and from many other archive servers world-wide.

xrn is an X11-based interface to NNTP that was written by Rick
Spickelmier and Ellen Sentovich (UC Berkeley).  The current version is
6.17.  xrn supports many features, including sorting by subject,
user-settable key bindings, graceful handling of NNTP server crashes,
and many of the features of rn (including KILL files and key bindings
similar to rn).  xrn is actively supported by the authors with bug
fixing and feature addition support from many of the users.  xrn can
be retrieved from most of the popular FTP sites (gatekeeper.dec.com,
ftp.uu.net, export.lcs.mit.edu).

Another X11-based newsreader is xvnews.  This is a news reader
designed primarily for Sun workstations running OpenWindows.  It runs
with NNTP and is compatible with rn style commands. It is available
from export.lcs.mit.edu in the contrib directory.

There are two popular macro packages named "GNUS" and "Gnews" that can
be used with the GNU Emacs text editor.  These allow reading,
replying, and posting interaction with the news from inside the Emacs
text editor.  Client code exists to get the articles using NNTP rather
than from a local disk.  Copies can be found on most archive sites
that carry the GNU archives.

"nn" is yet another reader interface, developed by Kim F. Storm of
Texas Instruments A/S, Denmark, and released in 1989.  nn differs from
the traditional readnews and vnews by presenting a menu of article
subject and sender-name lines, allowing you to preselect articles to
read.  nn is also a very fast newsreader, as it keeps a database of
article headers on-line.  (I.e. it trades space for time.  A good rule
of thumb is that the nn database size is 5%-10% of your news spool.
So up to 110% of your news spool is the amount of space news and the
nn database will take.)  The current version of nn is 6.4.16.  nn can
be obtained via anonymous FTP from dkuug.dk, uop.uop.edu, or various
other sites; European sites should request the sources from their
nearest backbone site.

Yet another newsreader is the "tin" reader.  It operates with threads,
has different article organization methods, and is full-screen
oriented.  tin works on a local news spool or over an NNTP connection.
It has been posted to alt.sources, and further information is
available from Iain Lea ([e-mail]). The current
release of tin is 1.1 PL6.  Tin is based more on the Notes and tass
systems than "rn".  There is an extensive list of features, including

interfaces to batch modes and auto unpacking mechanisms.

In March 1986 a package was released implementing news transmission,
posting, and reading using the Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP)
(as specified in RFC 977).  This protocol allows hosts to exchange
articles via TCP/IP connections rather than using the traditional
uucp.  It also permits users to read and post news (using a modified
version of "rn" or other user agents) from machines which cannot or
choose not to install the USENET news software.  Reading and posting
are done using TCP/IP messages to a server host which does run the
USENET software.  Sites which have many workstations like the Sun and
Apollo products find this a convenient way to allow workstation users
to read news without having to store articles on each system.  Many of
the Usenet hosts that are also on the Internet exchange news articles
using NNTP because the load impact of NNTP is much lower than uucp
(and NNTP ensures much faster propagation).

NNTP grew out of independent work in 1984-1985 by Brian Kantor at U.
C.  San Diego and Phil Lapsley at U. C. Berkeley.  It is now in
release 1.5.11 dated 11 february 1991, with the next planned release
at 1.6.  NNTP includes support for System V UNIX with Excelan Ethernet
cards and DECNET under Ultrix.  NNTP was developed at U. C. Berkeley
by Phil Lapsley with help from Erik Fair, Steven Grady, and Mike
Meyer, among others.  The NNTP package is distributed on the 4.3BSD
release tape (although that is version 1.2a and out-of-date) and is
also available from the various authors, many major hosts, and by
anonymous FTP from lib.tmc.edu, mthvax.cs.miami.edu and ftp.uu.net.

Reader NNTP clients for VMS are also available, including VMS/VNEWS
(current release 1.4) and an upcoming reader only version of ANU-NEWS.
VMS/VNEWS is available via anonymous ftp from arizona.edu (contact
[e-mail] for more information) or at any site which archives
vmsnet.source.  Although the current release of ANU-NEWS is usable as
a reader it can be difficult when used with a UNIX server.

An NNTP newsreader for Macintoshs is available called HyperNews.  It
is implemented as a HyperCard stack and depends on MacTCP.  It is
available from many Mac archives, including ftp.apple.com and
sumex-aim.stanford.edu

There is also an NNTP-based netnews reader for Symbolics Lisp Machines
(under Genera 7) available for anonymous FTP from ucbvax.berkeley.edu
[128.32.133.1] in pub/nntp-clients/lispm written by Ian Connolly
<[e-mail]> and maintained by Richard Welty
<[e-mail]>.  In addition, another NNTP-based news
browser is available running under Genera 7 and Genera 8.  It provides
mouse driven hierarchic browsing of newsgroups and articles, with
support for X11 servers on remote machines.  It is available for
anonymous FTP on flash.bellcore.com [128.96.32.20] in the directory
pub/lispm/news-reader/.  It is written and maintained by Peter
Clitherow <[e-mail]>

A TOPS-20 reader was developed by Dave Edwards of SRI
<[e-mail]>, but current availability is unknown.  An NNTP reader
suite for PC's running MS-DOS and having Excelan boards is available
for ftp from ames.arc.nasa.gov; get the pcrrn files.  There are two
MS-DOS news readers that can be obtained from bcm.tmc.edu in the "nfs"
directory.  They both require PC-NFS (from Sun) to work.  They will
both work under PC/TCP from FTP Software early this year.  Source will
be provided at that time.

"trumpet" is a NNTP based news reader for DOS which will also run
under Windows (although only as a DOS application). There is Lan
Workplace version which is also available.  It works using the
Clarkson Packet Drivers either over a Novell network or a PC with an
'ordinary' TCP/IP connection. It offers a very intuitive interface
with most of the basic facilities required in a newsreader (but
without some of the 'bells and whistles found in something like rn).
It has facilities for using SMTP to forward/reply etc.  The latest
version is 1.05g and is shareware available at most main ftp sites.

At least one IBM VM/SP (CMS) version of the Usenet software is
available.  It is known as PSU NetNews, and it is maintained by Linda
Littleton ([e-mail]/psuvm.psu.edu).  Version 2.4 of the
software is available from LISTSERV@PSUVM.  PSU NetNews supports only
3270 terminals, and uses XEDIT as its screen driver.  Most major VM
sites appear to use this package.  NetNews supports locally-stored
news, not NNTP reading.

There is NNTP support for PSU NetNews for bulk news receipt: NNTPXFER
will poll another site for news, and NNTPRCVR will receive news sent
from a Unix NNTPXMIT process.  Either program sends the news articles
to NetNews for processing.  Contact Andy Hooper ([e-mail]
or qucdn.queensu.ca) for more information, or obtain them from
listserv@qucdn in PUBLIC FILELIST.  These programs are provided with
source, and require IBM's FAL TCP/IP and Pascal.  An NNTPXMIT sender
that works in cooperation with PSU NETNEWS is available from Herman
Van Uytven ([e-mail]).

There is at least one NNTP news-reader for VM using XEDIT as its
screen manager: NNR.  Contact Paul Campbell ([e-mail]) for
information.  The program requires IBM's FAL TCP/IP.  The software is
available for anonymous ftp from rusmv1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de
[129.69.1.12] in the directory
soft/kommunikation/news/beginner/software/vm-cms/*.

An NNTP news reader is available for TSO/ISPF, called NNMVS. NNMVS is
written by Stephen Bacher <[e-mail]> at Draper
Laboratory.  It requires C/370 V1R2 (though V1R1 will work) and uses
TCP/IP sockets.  It is now available via anonymous ftp at
ftp.uni-stuttgart.de under the directory
/soft/kommunikation/news/beginner/software/nnmvs.  The current release
is Version 2 Release 3 Modification Level 1 (in pseudo-IBM parlance).


Special note on "notes" and old versions of news
------------------------------------------------
Users of these systems may note problems in their interactions with the
Usenet.  In particular, postings may be made by "notes" users to
moderated groups but they will not usually propagate throughout the
entire Usenet.  The same may happen to users of old B news software.

The "notes" software package uses a different internal organization of
articles, and a different interchange format than that of the standard
Usenet software.  It was inspired by the notesfiles available in the
PLATO system and was developed independently from the Usenet news.
Eventually, the "notes" network and Usenet were joined via gateways
doing (sometimes imperfect) protocol translation.  The interface for
"notes" is similar to "rn" but implements different features, many of
which are dictated by its internal organization.  "notes" was written
in 1980-1981 by Ray Essick and Rob Kolstad, (then) grad students at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  The first public
release of "notes" was at the January 1982 Usenix conference.  The
last release of notes was version 1.7; it is no longer being
actively maintained.

Users of "notes" or old B news software wishing to post to moderated
groups should either mail their submissions to the moderator, as
listed in the monthly posting of "List of Moderators" in the group
"news.lists", or else they should post from a system running
up-to-date news software (i.e., C news or INN).  "notes" users may
obtain some patches from the comp.sources.unix archives which enable
the most recent versions of "notes" to interact with moderated groups
properly.

Users of old B news and "notes" are also not able to take advantage of
some other current B news features, such as the "checkgroups" message.
"notes" continues to be a "foreign" system and B news versions are
considered "obsolete."  The various maintainers of the Usenet software
have never expressed any commitment to maintain backwards
compatibility with "foreign" or obsolete news systems and are unlikely
to do so; it is the responsibility of the users to maintain
compatibility of such software if they wish to continue to interact
with the Usenet.


Software versions & availability
--------------------------------
You can obtain the version number of your news software by issuing
some form of "v" command to show the current version -- consult the
man page for details.  Current software is obtainable from almost any
major Usenet site as well as the sites noted in the body of the
article, above.


The following sites probably have sources to the current news software
available for anyone needing a copy:

        Site        Contact
        ----        -------
        munnari        [e-mail]
        osu-cis        [e-mail]
        philabs        [e-mail]
        pyramid        [e-mail]
        rutgers        [e-mail]
        tektronix    [e-mail]
        watmath        [e-mail]

Sources for most of the news readers and software, including news
2.11, C News, "rn", and "trn" are also available in the
comp.sources.unix archives.  European sites should request the sources
from their nearest Eunet backbone site.

Standards
---------
News programs communicate with each other according to standard protocols,
some of which are described by RFCs.  An RFC is a Request For Comment, a
de facto standard in the Internet Community.  It is a form of published
software standard, done through the Network Information Center (NIC) at SRI.
Copies of RFCs are often posted to the net and obtainable from archive sites.
Current news-related RFCs include the following:

    RFC 822 specifies the format of messages; RFC 1036 uses this.
    RFC 977 specifies NNTP, the Network News Transfer Protocol.
    RFC 1036 specifies the format of Usenet articles.
    RFC 1123 amends RFC 822.
    RFC 1153 specifies the digest format some moderated groups use.

Newsgroups
----------


The following newsgroups cover issues discussed in this article, and can
be consulted for recent developments.

gnu.emacs.gnews        News reading under GNU Emacs using Weemba's Gnews.
gnu.emacs.gnus        News reading under GNU Emacs using GNUS (in English).
news.software.anu-news    VMS B-news software from Australian National Univ.
news.software.b        Discussion about B-news-compatible software.
news.software.nn    Discussion about the "nn" news reader package.
news.software.notes    Notesfile software from the Univ. of Illinois.
news.software.readers    General discussion about news reading software.

Acknowledgements
----------------
The preparation of this article (and Usenet itself!) was greatly
enhanced by the contributions and assistance of the following persons:
Steve Bellovin, Ray Essick, Mark Horton, Brian Kantor, Phil Lapsley,
Bob Page, Rich Salz, Tom Truscott, and Larry Wall.  Thanks, folks.
--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
==============================================================================
·    Subject: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Usenet

Archive-name: usenet-faq/part1
Original-author: [e-mail] (Jerry Schwarz)
Last-change: 10 Jan 1993 by [e-mail] (Gene Spafford)


              Frequently Submitted Items

This document discusses some questions and topics that occur
repeatedly on USENET.  They frequently are submitted by new users, and
result in many followups, 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 these answers, let [e-mail] know.

Note that some newsgroups have their own special "Frequent Questions &
Answers" posting.  You should read a group for a while before posting
any questions, because the answers may already be present.
Comp.unix.questions and comp.unix.internals are examples -- Steve Hayman
regularly posts an article that answers common questions, including
some of the ones asked here.

This list is often referred to as FAQ -- the Frequently Asked
Questions.  If you are a new user of the Usenet and don't find an
answer to your questions here, you can try asking in the
news.newusers.questions group.  You might also read through other FAQ
lists, cross-posted to the news.answers group.


                   Contents
                   ========

 1.  What does UNIX stand for?
 2.  What is the derivation of "foo" as a filler word?
 3.  Is a machine at "foo" on the net?
 4.  What does "rc" at the end of files like .newsrc mean?
 5.  What does :-) mean?
 6.  How do I decrypt jokes in rec.humor?
 7.  misc.misc or misc.wanted: Is John Doe out there anywhere?
 8.  sci.math: Proofs that 1=0.
 9.  rec.games.*: Where can I get the source for empire or rogue?
10.  comp.unix.questions: How do I remove files with non-ascii
     characters in their names?
11.  comp.unix.internals: There is a bug in the way UNIX handles
     protection for programs that run suid, or any other report of
     bugs with standard software.
12.  Volatile topics, e.g., soc.women: What do you think about abortion?
13.  soc.singles: What do MOTOS, MOTSS, and MOTAS  stand for?
     What does LJBF mean?
14.  soc.singles and elsewhere:  What does HASA stand for?
15.  sci.space.shuttle: Shouldn't this group be merged with sci.space?
16.  How do I use the "Distribution" feature?
17.  Why do some people put funny lines ("bug killers") at the beginning
     of their articles?
18.  What is the address or phone number of the "foo" company?
19.  What is the origin of the name "grep"?
20.  How do I get from BITNET to UUCP, Internet to BITNET, JANET etc. etc.?
21.  Didn't some state once pass a law setting pi equal to 3 ?
22.  Where can I get the necessary software to get a "smart"
     mail system running on my machine that will take advantage
     of the postings in comp.mail.maps?  (E.g., pathalias, smail, etc.)
23.  What is "food for the NSA line-eater"?
24.  Does anyone know the {pinouts, schematics, switch settings,
     what does jumper J3 do} for widget X?
25.  What is "anonymous ftp"?
26.  What is UUNET?
27.  Isn't the posting mechanism broken?  When I post an article to both
     a moderated group and unmoderated groups, it gets mailed to the
     moderator and not posted to the unmoderated groups.
28.  comp.arch and elsewhere:  What do FYI and IMHO mean?
29.  Would someone repost {large software distribution}?
30.  How do I contact the moderator of an Internet mailing list rather than
     post to the entire list?
31.  I see BTW (or "btw"), wrt and RTFM in postings.  What do they mean?
32.  Are there any restrictions on posting e-mail someone sends to me?
33.  What's an FQDN?
34.  How do you pronounce "char" in C, "ioctl" in UNIX, the character
     "#", etc., etc.?
35.  How do you pronounce "TeX"?
36.  What is the last year of the 20th century A.D.?
37.  I heard these stories about a dying child wanting
     postcards/get-well cards/business cards to get in the Guinness Book
     of World Records.  Where can I post the address for people to help?
38.  I just heard about a scheme the FCC has to implement a tax on
     modems!  Where can I post a message so everyone will hear about
     this and do something to prevent it?
39.  Is there a public access Unix system near me?  How can I get
     access to system for news and mail?
40.  In rec.pets: My pet has suddenly developed the following symptoms
     .... Is it serious?  In sci.med: I have these symptoms .... Is it
     serious?
41.  I have this great idea to make money.  Alternatively, wouldn't an
     electronic chain letter be a nifty idea?
42.  Where can I get archives of Usenet postings?
43.  Is it possible to post messages to the Usenet via electronic mail?
44.  Is it possible to read Usenet newsgroups via electronic mail?
45.  How do I get the news software to include a signature with my
     postings?
46.  I'm on Bitnet -- can I connect to the net?


            Questions and Answers
            =====================

 1.  What does UNIX stand for?

     It is not an acronym, but is a pun on "Multics".  Multics is a
     large operating system that was being developed shortly before
     UNIX was created.  Brian Kernighan is credited with the name.

 2.  What is the derivation of "foo" as a filler word?

     The favorite story is that it comes from "fubar" which is an
     acronym for "fouled up beyond all recognition", which is supposed
     to be a military term.  (Various forms of this exist, "fouled"
     usually being replaced by a stronger word.) "Foo" and "Bar" have
     the same derivation.

 3.  Is a machine at "foo" on the net?

     These questions belong in news.config (if anywhere), but in fact
     your best bet is usually to phone somebody at "foo" to find out.
     If you don't know anybody at "foo" you can always try calling and
     asking for the "comp center."  Also, see the newsgroup
     comp.mail.maps where maps of USENET and the uucp network are posted
     regularly.  If you have access to telnet, connect to nic.ddn.mil
     and try the "whois" command.  (See also the answer to question
     #7, below.)

 4.  What does "rc" at the end of files like .newsrc mean?

     It is related to the phrase "run commands." It is used for any
     file that contains startup information for a command.  The use of
     "rc" in startup files derives from the /etc/rc command file used
     to start multi-user UNIX.

 5.  What does :-) mean?

      This is the net convention for a "smiley face".  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.
      Variants exist and mean related things; for instance, :-( is sad.

      Collections of smileys are posted to various newsgroups from
      time to time. One was posted to comp.sources.misc in v23i102.

 6.  How do I decrypt jokes in rec.humor?

     The standard cypher used in rec.humor is called "rot13."  Each
     letter is replaced by the letter 13 farther along in the alphabet
     (cycling around at the end).  Most systems have a built-in
     command to decrypt such articles; readnews and nn have the "D"
     command, emacs/gnus has the "^C^R" combination, rn has the "X" or
     "^X" commands, notes has "%" or "R", and VMS news has the
     read/rot13 command.  If your system doesn't have a program to
     encrypt and decrypt these, you can quickly create a shell script
     using "tr":
    tr A-Za-z N-ZA-Mn-za-m
     On some versions of UNIX, the "tr" command should be written as:
    tr "[a-m][n-z][A-M][N-Z]" "[n-z][a-m][N-Z][A-M]"

 7.  misc.misc or misc.wanted: Is John Doe out there anywhere?

     I suspect that these items are people looking for Freshman room-
     mates 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.  If you must try the net, use newsgroup
     soc.net-people *NOT* misc.misc or misc.wanted.  Also, you can try
     the "whois" command (see item #3).  There is a periodic posting
     in the news.newusers.questions and news.answers newsgroups that
     gives information on other ways to locate people.

 8.  sci.math: Proofs that 1=0.

     Almost everyone has seen one or more of these in high school.
     They are almost always based on either division by 0, confusing
     the positive and negative square roots of a number, or performing
     some ill-defined operation.

 9.  rec.games.*: Where can I get the source for empire or rogue?

     You can't get the source of rogue.  The authors of the game, as is
     their right, have chosen not to make the sources available.
     However, several rogue-like games have been posted to the
     comp.sources.games group and they are available in the archives.

     You can obtain the source to a version of empire if you provide
     a tape and SASE *plus* a photocopy of your UNIX source license.
     To obtain further info, contact mcnc!rti-sel!polyof!john.

     You can also call John at [phone] (9am-9pm EST only).

     Sites with Internet access can ftp several versions of empire
     from site g.ms.uky.edu

     Also, please note that the wizards' passwords in games like these
     are usually system-dependent and it does no good to ask the
     net-at-large what they are.

10.  comp.unix.questions: How do I remove files with non-ascii
     characters in their names?

     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 highorder bit of characters in command lines.
     Next, you can try an rm -i, or rm -r. Finally, you can mess around
     with i-node numbers and "find".

     Some Emacs editors allow you to directly edit a directory, and
     this provides yet another way to remove a file with a funny name
     (assuming you have Emacs and figure out how to use it!).

     To remove a file named "-" from your directory, simply do:
     rm ./-

11.  comp.unix.internals: There is a bug in the way UNIX handles
     protection for programs that run suid, or any other report of
     bugs with standard software.

     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.

     Always discuss suspected bugs or problems with your site software
     experts before you post to the net.  It is likely that the bugs
     have already been reported.  They might also be local changes and
     not something you need to describe to the whole Usenet.

12.  Volatile topics, e.g., soc.women: What do you think about abortion?

     Although abortion might appear to be an appropriate topic for
     soc.women, more heat than light is generated when it is brought
     up.  All abortion-related discussion should take place in the
     newsgroup talk.abortion.  If your site administrators have chosen
     not to receive this group, you should respect this and not post
     articles about abortion at all.

     This principle applies to other topics: religious upbringing of
     children should be restricted to talk.religion.misc and kept out
     of misc.kids.  Similarly, rape discussions should be kept to
     talk.rape and not in soc.singles, alt.sex and/or soc.women,
     Zionism discussions should be kept to talk.politics.mideast and
     not in soc.culture.jewish; likewise, evangelical and
     proseletyzing discussions of Jesus or of religions other than
     Judaism should go to newsgroups for the appropriate religion or
     to talk.religion.misc or alt.messianic.  Any attempts to
     proselytize any religious view belongs in talk.religion.misc, if
     it belongs on the net at all.  Discussions on the merits of
     Affirmative Action and racial quotas belong in talk.politics or
     alt.discrimination, not in soc.culture.african.american.
     Discussions about evolution vs.  creationism should be confined
     to the talk.origins group.

     USENET newsgroups are named for mostly historical reasons, and
     are not intended to be fully general discussion groups for
     everything about the named topic.  Please accept this and post
     articles in their appropriate forums.

13.  soc.singles: What do MOTOS, MOTSS, MOTAS, and SO stand for?
     What does LJBF mean?

     Member of the opposite sex, member of the same sex, and member of
     the appropriate sex, respectively.  SO stands for "significant
     other."

     LJBF means "Let's just be friends."  This phrase is often heard
     when you least want it.

14.  soc.singles and elsewhere:  What does HASA stand for?

     The acronym HASA originated with the Heathen and Atheistic SCUM
     Alliance; the Hedonistic Asti-Spumante Alliance, Heroes Against
     Spaghetti Altering, the Society for Creative Atheism (SCATHE),
     SASA, SALSA, PASTA, and many others too numerous to mention all
     followed.  HASA started in (what is now) talk.religion.misc and
     also turns up in soc.singles, talk.bizarre, et al. because members
     post there too.

15.  sci.space.shuttle: Shouldn't this group be merged with sci.space?

     No.  sci.space.shuttle is for timely news bulletins.  sci.space is for
     discussions.

16.  How do I use the "Distribution" feature?

     When your posting software (e.g., Pnews or postnews) 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 (for example):
    local    local to this machine
    mh    Bell Labs, Murray Hill Branch
    nj    all sites in New Jersey
    btl    All Bell Labs machines
    att    All AT&T machines
    usa    Everywhere in the USA
    na    Everywhere in North America
    world    Everywhere on USENET in the world
     Many of the posting programs will provide a list of
     distributions, if your site admin has kept the files up-to-date.

     If you hit return, you'll get the default, which is usually
     "world.".  This default is often not appropriate -- 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.

     It is generally not possible to post an article to a distribution
     that your own machine does not receive.  For instance, if you
     live in Indiana, you can't post an article for distribution only
     in New Jersey or Germany unless your site happens to exchange
     those particular distributions with another site.  Try mailing
     the article to someone in the appropriate area and asking them to
     post it for you.

     If you cannot determine what distributions are valid for your
     site, ask someone locally rather than posting a query to the
     whole network!

17.  Why do some people put funny lines ("bug killers") at the beginning
     of their articles?

     Some earlier versions (mid-80s) 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
     whitespace (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.

     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 "bug-killer" lines are
     therefore probably no longer needed, but they linger on.

18.  What is the address or phone number of the "foo" company?

     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.  Calls to 1-800-555-1212 will
     reveal if the company has an "800" number you can call for
     information.  The network is 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 ineptitude to the net.

19.  What is the origin of the name "grep"?

     The original UNIX text editor "ed" has a construct g/re/p,
     where "re" stands for a regular expression, to Globally
     search for matches to the Regular Expression and Print the
     lines containing them.  This was so often used that it was
     packaged up into its own command, thus named "grep".  According
     to Dennis Ritchie, this is the true origin of the command.

20.  How do I get from BITNET to UUCP, Internet to BITNET, JANET etc.?

     There are so many networks and mail systems in use now, it would
     take a book to describe all of them and how to send mail between
     them.  Luckily, there are a couple of excellent books that do
     exactly that, and in a helpful, easy-to-use manner:

         "!%@:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing & Networks"
         by Donnalyn Frey and Rick Adams, O'Reilly & Associates, Inc,
         2nd edition 1990.


         "The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems
         Worldwide" by John Quarterman, Digital Press, 1990.

     Another excellent book to have on your bookshelf (to keep those
     two company) is "The User's Directory of Computer Networks" edited
     by Tracy LaQuey, Digital Press, 1990.

21.  Didn't some state once pass a law setting pi equal to 3 ?

     Indiana House Bill #246 was introduced on 18 January 1897, and
     referred to the Committee on Canals "midst general cheerfulness."
     The text states, "the ratio of the diameter and circumference is
     as five-fourths to four", which makes pi 3.2 (not 3), but there
     are internal contradictions in the bill as well as contradictions
     with reality.  The author was a mathematical crank.  The bill was
     passed by the state House on 5 February, but indefinitely tabled
     by the state Senate, in part thanks to the fortuitous presence
     on other business of a Purdue professor of mathematics.

     For details, including an annotated text of the bill, read the
     article by D. Singmaster in "The Mathematical Intelligencer" v7
     #2, pp 69-72.

22.  Where can I get the necessary software to get a "smart"
     mail system running on my machine that will take advantage
     of the postings in comp.mail.maps?  (E.g., pathalias, smail, etc.)

     There are a couple of packages available through the supporters of
     the comp.sources.unix archives.  If sites next to you don't have
     what you want, contact your nearest comp.sources.unix archive, or
     the moderator.  Information on archive sites, and indices of
     comp.sources.unix back issues are posted regularly in
     comp.sources.unix and comp.sources.d.

23.  What is "food for the NSA line-eater"?

     This refers to the alleged scanning of all USENET traffic by the
     National Security Agency (and possibly other intelligence
     organizations) for interesting keywords.  The "food" is believed
     to contain some of those keywords in the fond hope of overloading
     NSA's poor computers.  A little thought should convince anyone
     that this is unlikely to occur.  Other posters have taken up this
     practice, either as an ambiguous form of political statement, or
     as an attempt at humor.  The bottom line is that excessive
     signatures in any form are discouraged, the joke has worn stale
     amongst long-time net readers, and there are specific newsgroups
     for the discussion of politics.

24.  Does anyone know the {pinouts, schematics, switch settings,
     what does jumper J3 do} for widget X?

     These postings are almost always inappropriate unless the
     manufacturer has gone out of business or no longer supports the
     device.  If neither of these is the case, you're likely to get a
     better and faster response by simply telephoning the
     manufacturer.

25.  What is "anonymous ftp"?

     "FTP" stands for File Transfer Protocol; on many systems, it's
     also the name of a user-level program that implements that
     protocol.  This program allows a user to transfer files to and
     from a remote network site, provided that network site is
     reachable via the Internet or a similar facility.  (Ftp is
     also usable on many local-area networks.)

     "Anonymous FTP" indicates that a user may log into the remote
     system as user "anonymous" with an arbitrary password.  A common
     convention is that some sort of identification is supplied as the
     password, e.g. "mumble@foo".  This is sometimes useful to those
     sites that track ftp usage.  Also note that most sites restrict
     when transfers can be made, or at least suggest that large
     transfers be made only during non-peak hours.

26.  What is UUNET?

     UUNET is a for-profit communications service designed to provide
     access to USENET news, mail, and various source archives at low
     cost by obtaining volume discounts.  Charges are calculated to
     recover costs.

     For more information send your US mail address to
     [e-mail] (uunet!info).

27.  Isn't the posting mechanism broken?  When I post an article to both
     a moderated group and unmoderated groups, it gets mailed to the
     moderator and not posted to the unmoderated groups.

     This is a question that is debated every few months.  The answer
     is "No, it was designed to work that way."  The software is
     designed so that the moderator can crosspost the article so it
     appears in the regular groups as well as the moderated group, if
     appropriate.  If the article were to be posted immediately to the
     unmoderated groups, the moderated group name would have to be
     deleted from the header and you would lose the crossposting.

     Whether or not this is correct behavior is a matter of opinion.
     If you want your article to go out immediately to the unmoderated
     groups, post it twice -- once to the unmoderated groups and once
     to the moderated groups.

28.  comp.arch and elsewhere:  What do FYI and IMHO mean?

     Those are abbreviations for common phrases.  FYI is "For Your
     Information" and IMHO is "In My Humble Opinion" or "In My
     Honest Opinion."  This is used sarcastically as often as not.

29.  Would someone repost {large software distribution}?

     This question should never be posted unless you are reporting a
     widespread problem in article propagation. Lamentably, there ARE
     occasional glitches in article transport. Large source or binary
     postings, by their sheer size, are an inviting target.

     If the problem is isolated, it is much better to take it upon
     yourself to obtain the bad portions of the program than to ask
     thousands of sites to spend thousands of dollars to needlessly
     move several hundred kilobytes of code. There are archive sites
     around the net that make most source/binary newsgroups available
     via anonymous FTP and UUCP. If you get desperate, you can always
     mail the author a blank disk or magnetic tape with provisions for
     return postage.

30.  How do I contact the moderator of an Internet mailing list rather than
     post to the entire list?

     To do this you should know that there are, by convention, two
     mailing addresses for every mailing list (except where noted by
     the List of Lists):

@UPBYTES@@NUMTIMESON@@LASTDATEON@@EXPDATE@@SECURITY@@HOMEPHONE@@DATAPHONE@
@UPBYTES@@NUMTIMESON@@LASTDATEON@@EXPDATE@@SECURITY@@HOMEPHONE@@DATAPHONE@

     When you have something for everyone on the mailing list to read,
     mail to the list@host address. HOWEVER, if you have an
     administrative request to make (e.g. "please add me to this list",
     "please remove me from this list", "where are the archives?",
     "what is this mailer error I got from sending to this list?"), it
     should be directed to the list-request@host address, which goes
     only to the mailing list administrator.

     It is considered to be in bad taste to send administrative
     requests to the entire mailing list in question, and if (as is
     often the case) the administrator does not read the mailing list
     (i.e. he just takes care of the admin tasks for the list), he will
     not see your request if you don't send it to the right address.

31.  I see BTW (or "btw"), wrt and RTFM in postings.  What do they mean?

     BTW is shorthand for "by the way."  WRT is "With respect to".

     RTFM is generally used as an admonition and means "read the f*ing
     manual" (choice of f-words varies according to reader).  The
     implication is that the answer to a query or complaint is easy to
     find if one looks in the appropriate location FIRST.  Most FAQ
     postings (Frequently-Asked Questions) that answer these questions
     may be found cross-posted in news.answers.

32.  Are there any restrictions on posting e-mail someone sends to me?

     At a minimum, it is only polite for you to contact the author of
     the letter and secure her or his permission to post it to the net.

     On a more serious note, it can be argued that posting someone's
     e-mail to the net without their permission is a violation of
     copyright law.  Under that law, even though a letter was
     addressed to you, it does not grant you the right to publish the
     contents, as that is the work of the author and the author
     retains copyright (even if no explicit copyright mark appears).

     Basically, your letters are your intellectual property.  If
     someone publishes your letters they are violating your copyright.
     This principle is well-founded in "paper media," and while
     untested in electronic forums such as Usenet, the same would
     probably apply if tested in court.

33.  What's an FQDN?

     A fully-qualified domain name.  That is, a hostname containing
     full, dotted qualification of its name up to the root of the
     Internet domain naming system tree.  Example: uiucuxc is the
     single-word hostname (suitable for, e.g., UUCP transport
     purposes) of the machine whose FQDN is uxc.cso.uiuc.edu.

34.  How do you pronounce "char" in C, "ioctl" in UNIX, the character
     "#", etc., etc.?

     Opinions differ.  Pick pronunciations close to what your
     colleagues use.  After all, they're the ones you need to
     communicate with.


35.  How do you pronounce "TeX"?

     To quote Donald Knuth, the creator of TeX: "Insiders pronounce
     the X of TeX as a Greek chi, not as an 'x', so that TeX rhymes
     with the word blecchhh.  It's the 'ch' sound in Scottish words
     like loch or German words like ach; it's a Spanish 'j' and a
     Russian 'kh'.  When you say it correctly to your computer, the
     terminal may become slightly moist."  [The TeXbook, 1986, Addison
     Wesley, page 1]

36.  What is the last year of the 20th century A.D.?

     The A.D. (Latin, Anno Domini, In the Year of Our Lord) system was
     devised before "origin 0 counting" was invented.  The year during
     which Jesus was (incorrectly) assumed to have been born was
     numbered 1.  (The preceding year was 1 B.C.)  So the 1st century
     was 1 to 100, the 2nd was 101 to 200, the 20th is 1901 to 2000.
     This is standard terminology no matter how much some of you may
     dislike it.  However, "a" century is any span of 100 years; so if
     you want to celebrate the end of "the century", meaning the
     1900's, on December 31, 1999, nobody will stop you.  It just
     isn't the end of the "20th century A.D.".

37.  I heard these stories about a dying child wanting
     postcards/get-well cards/business cards to get in the Guinness
     Book of World Records.  Where can I post the address for people to
     help?

     Post it to "junk," or better yet, don't post it at all.  The
     story of the little boy keeps popping up, even though his mother
     and the agencies involved have been appealing for people to stop.
     So many postcards were sent that the agencies involved in the
     effort don't know what to do with them.  The Guinness people have
     recorded the boy, Craig Shergold, as the record holder in the
     category.  However, they will not accept claims for a new try at
     the record.  For confirmation, you can see page 24 of the 29 July
     1990 NY Times or call the publisher of the Guinness Book (in the
     US, call "Facts on File" @ 212-683-2244).

     According to the 1993 edition of the GBWR, on page 213:
    Craig Shergold (born 1979) of Carshalton, Surrey when
    undergoing cancer chemo-therapy was sent a record 33
    million get-well cards until May 1991 when his mother
    pleaded for no more.  A successful 5 hour operation on
    a brain tumour by neurosurgeon Neal Kassel at Virginia
    University, Charlottesville, USA in March 1991 greatly
    improved his condition.

     If you want to do something noble, donate the cost of a stamp and
     postcard (or more) to a worthwhile charity like UNICEF or the
     International Red Cross (Red Crescent, Red Magen David).  There are
     tens of thousands of children dying around the world daily, and
     they could use more than a postcard.

38.  I just heard about a scheme the FCC has to implement a tax on
     modems!  Where can I post a message so everyone will hear about
     this and do something to prevent it?

     Post it the same place as the articles in response to #37, above.
     This is an old, old story that just won't die.  Something like
     this was proposed many YEARS back and defeated.  However, the
     rumor keeps spreading and people who hear about it for the first
     time get all upset.  Before posting stories like this, check with
     the organizations involved (like the FCC) to see if the story is
     true and current.

39.  Is there a public access Unix system near me?  How can I get
     access to system for news and mail?

     Phil Eschallier posts a list of open access Unix sites (he calls
     them "Nixpub" sites) on a regular basis to the following
     newsgroups: comp.misc and alt.bbs.   Check his posting
     for information on sites you can contact.

     Furthermore, a list of open access sites that are not necessarily
     Unix sites is posted regularly in alt.bbs.lists; see the postings
     entitled "NetPub listing" for more information.

40.  In rec.pets: My pet has suddenly developed the following symptoms
     .... Is it serious?  In sci.med: I have these symptoms .... Is it
     serious?

     Could be.  The only way to tell for sure is to see an expert.  The
     network reaches a vast audience with considerable talent, but that
     can never replace the expert observation and diagnosis of a
     trained professional.  Do yourself or your pet a big favor -- if
     there is a problem, go see an appropriate practitioner.  If there
     is a serious problem, it is important that it is dealt with promptly.

 41. I have this great idea to make money.  Alternatively, wouldn't an
     electronic chain letter be a nifty idea?

     In a few words: don't even think about it.  Trying to use the net
     to make vast sums of money or send chain letters is a very bad
     idea.  First of all, it is an inappropriate use of resources, and
     tends to use up vast amounts of net bandwidth.  Second, such usage
     of the net tends to produce extremely negative reactions by people
     on the net, adding even more to the volume -- most of it directed
     to you.  Users, particular system admins, do not like that kind of
     activity, and they will flood your mailbox with notices to that
     effect.

     And last, and perhaps most important, some of this activity is
     against the law in many places.  In the US, you can (and will) be
     reported by hacked-off system administrators for suspicion of wire
     fraud or mail fraud.  In one incident, at *least* a half dozen
     people reported the poster to Postal Service inspectors; I'm not
     sure what the outcome was, but it probably was not a nice
     experience.

     Bottom line: don't try clever schemes to sell things, solicit
     donations, or run any kind of pyramid or Ponzi scheme.  Also,
     don't start or support electronic chain letters.

 42. Where can I get archives of Usenet postings?

     Most Usenet newsgroups are not archived in any organized fashion,
     though it's likely that if you look hard enough someone will have
     kept much or most of the traffic (either on disk or on some tape
     gathering dust somewhere).  The volume on Usenet is simply too
     high to keep everything on rotating magnetic media forever,
     however.  The signal-to-noise ratio is too low in many groups to
     make them good candidates for archiving.

     One person's signal is another person's noise; if you're lucky,
     you'll find someone who has been keeping the good parts of a
     particular newsgroup in their own personal stash to save up for
     later.  How to get access to a group that *is* archived depends
     on what kind of group it is:

     * The "sources" and "binaries" groups are generally archived at
       multiple sites; for more information about getting access to
       them, see the posting entitled "How to find sources" in
       comp.sources.wanted.

     * Some non-source newsgroups can be found by asking "archie"
       about the group name.  See the comp.sources.wanted posting
       mentioned above for information about how to use "archie."

     * In other groups, if the group has a Frequently Asked Questions
       posting or another periodic posting about the group, check that
       posting to see if it mentions where the group is archived.  If
       not, then you'll have to post a message in the newsgroup and
       ask if it is archived anywhere.

 43. Is it possible to post messages to the Usenet via electronic mail?

     There are a few sites on the Usenet that offer a full-scale mail
     to news gateway, so that you can post via E-mail to any newsgroup
     support.

     One of them is decwrl.dec.com.  To use its gateway, you mail the
     message you wish to post to [e-mail].
     For example, to post to news.newusers.questions, you would send
     your message to [e-mail].

     Mail-to-news gateways of this sort tend to be overloaded.
     Therefore, please do not use this gateway or any other similar
     gateway if you have other posting access to the Usenet.

 44. Is it possible to read Usenet newsgroups via electronic mail?

     Most Usenet newsgroups do not correspond to any mailing list, so
     the conventional answer to this question is "no" for most groups.
     However, there are some newsgroups that are gatewayed to mailing
     lists.  For a list of them, see the "List of Active Newsgroups"
     posting in news.announce.newusers.

     If you know a Usenet site admin who is willing to act as a
     personal gateway for you, you might be able to get him/her to set
     up his/her system to forward messages from individual newsgroups
     to you via E-mail.  However, most admins don't like to do this
     because it adds to the outgoing traffic from their site, so don't
     post messages to the net saying, "Hey, is there someone willing
     to gateway newsgroups to me?"

 45. How do I get the news software to include a signature with my
     postings?

     This is a question that is best answered by examining the
     documentation for the software you're using, as the answer
     varies depending on the software.

     However, if you're reading news on a Unix machine, then you can
     probably get a signature to appear on your outgoing messages by
     creating a file called ".signature" in your home directory.  Two
     important things to remember are:

     1. Many article-posting programs will restrict the length of the

        signature.  For example, the "inews" program will often only
        include the first four lines.  This is not something you
        should be trying to find a way to defeat; it is there for
        a reason.  If your signature is too long, according to the
        software, then shorten it.  Even if the software does not
        complain, keep your .signature under four lines as a courtesy
        to others.

     2. Under some news configurations, your .signature file must be
        world-readable, and your home directory world-executable, for
        your signature to be included correctly in your articles.  If
        your .signature does not get included, try running these
        commands:
           chmod a+x $HOME
           chmod a+r $HOME/.signature

 46. I'm on BitNet -- can I connect to the Usenet?

     Many BitNet sites also have connections to other networks. Some
     of these sites may be receiving Usenet with NNTP or by other
     methods. IBM VM/CMS sites which only have a connection to BitNet
     may still gain access to Usenet if they get a software package
     called NetNews, which is available from Penn State University at
     no charge. The PSU NetNews software allows sites to receive
     Usenet news over BITNET.  Talk to your local site administraters
     to find out if your site has this software installed and how to
     access it from your account.

--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
==============================================================================
·    Subject: Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette

Original-author: [e-mail] (Brad Templeton)
Archive-name: emily-postnews/part1
Last-change: 30 Nov 91 by [e-mail] (Brad Templeton)


**NOTE: this is intended to be satirical.  If you do not recognize
  it as such, consult a doctor or professional comedian.  The
  recommendations in this article should recognized for what
  they are -- admonitions about what NOT to do.


            "Dear Emily Postnews"

    Emily Postnews, foremost authority on proper net behaviour,
    gives her advice on how to act on the net.

============================================================================

Dear Miss Postnews: How long should my signature be? -- verbose@noisy

A: Dear Verbose: Please try and make your signature as long as you
can.  It's much more important than your article, of course, so try
to have more lines of signature than actual text.

Try to include a large graphic made of ASCII characters, plus lots of
cute quotes and slogans.  People will never tire of reading these
pearls of wisdom again and again, and you will soon become personally
associated with the joy each reader feels at seeing yet another
delightful repeat of your signature.

Be sure as well to include a complete map of USENET with each
signature, to show how anybody can get mail to you from any site in
the world.  Be sure to include Internet gateways as well.  Also tell
people on your own site how to mail to you.  Give independent
addresses for Internet, UUCP, and BITNET, even if they're all the
same.

Aside from your reply address, include your full name, company and
organization.  It's just common courtesy -- after all, in some
newsreaders people have to type an *entire* keystroke to go back to
the top of your article to see this information in the header.

By all means include your phone number and street address in every
single article.  People are always responding to usenet articles with
phone calls and letters.  It would be silly to go to the extra trouble
of including this information only in articles that need a response by
conventional channels!
                ------
Dear Emily: Today I posted an article and forgot to include my
signature.  What should I do?  -- forgetful@myvax

A: Dear Forgetful: Rush to your terminal right away and post an
article that says, "Oops, I forgot to post my signature with that last
article.  Here it is."

Since most people will have forgotten your earlier article,
(particularly since it dared to be so boring as to not have a nice,
juicy signature) this will remind them of it.  Besides, people care
much more about the signature anyway.  See the previous letter for
more important details.

Also, be sure to include your signature TWICE in each article.  That
way you're sure people will read it.

                ------
Dear Ms. Postnews: I couldn't get mail through to somebody on another
site.  What should I do? -- [e-mail]

A: Dear Eager: No problem, just post your message to a group that a
lot of people read.  Say, "This is for John Smith.  I couldn't get
mail through so I'm posting it.  All others please ignore."

This way tens of thousands of people will spend a few seconds scanning
over and ignoring your article, using up over 16 man-hours their
collective time, but you will be saved the terrible trouble of
checking through Usenet maps or looking for alternate routes.  Just
think, if you couldn't distribute your message to 30,000 other
computers, you might actually have to (gasp) call directory assistance
for 60 cents, or even phone the person.  This can cost as much as a
few DOLLARS (!) for a 5 minute call!

And certainly it's better to spend 10 to 20 dollars of other people's
money distributing the message then for you to have to waste $9 on an
overnight letter, or even 29 cents on a stamp!

Don't forget.  The world will end if your message doesn't get through,
so post it as many places as you can.

                ------
Q: What about a test message?

A: It is important, when testing, to test the entire net.  Never test
merely a subnet distribution when the whole net can be done.  Also put
"please ignore" on your test messages, since we all know that
everybody always skips a message with a line like that.  Don't use a
subject like "My sex is female but I demand to be addressed as male."
because such articles are read in depth by all USEnauts.

                ------
Q: Somebody just posted that Roman Polanski directed Star Wars.  What
should I do?

A: Post the correct answer at once!  We can't have people go on
believing that!  Very good of you to spot this.  You'll probably be
the only one to make the correction, so post as soon as you can.  No
time to lose, so certainly don't wait a day, or check to see if
somebody else has made the correction.

And it's not good enough to send the message by mail.  Since you're
the only one who really knows that it was Francis Coppola, you have to
inform the whole net right away!

                ------
Q: I read an article that said, "reply by mail, I'll summarize."  What
should I do?

A: Post your response to the whole net.  That request applies only to
dumb people who don't have something interesting to say.  Your
postings are much more worthwhile than other people's, so it would be
a waste to reply by mail.

                ------
Q: I collected replies to an article I wrote, and now it's time to
summarize.  What should I do?

A: Simply concatenate all the articles together into a big file and
post that.  On USENET, this is known as a summary.  It lets people
read all the replies without annoying newsreaders getting in the way.
Do the same when summarizing a vote.

                ------
Q: I saw a long article that I wish to rebut carefully, what should I
do?

A: Include the entire text with your article, particularly the
signature, and include your comments closely packed between the lines.
Be sure to post, and not mail, even though your article looks like a
reply to the original.  Everybody *loves* to read those long
point-by-point debates, especially when they evolve into name-calling
and lots of "Is too!" -- "Is not!" -- "Is too, twizot!" exchanges.

Be sure to follow-up everything, and never let another person get in
the last word on a net debate.  Why, if people let other people have
the last word, then discussions would actually stop!  Remember, other
net readers aren't nearly as clever as you, and if somebody posts
something wrong, the readers can't possibly realize that on their own
without your elucidations.  If somebody gets insulting in their net
postings, the best response is to get right down to their level and
fire a return salvo.  When I read one net person make an insulting
attack on another, I always immediately take it as gospel unless a
rebuttal is posted.  It never makes me think less of the insulter, so
it's your duty to respond.

                ------
Q: How can I choose what groups to post in?

A: Pick as many as you can, so that you get the widest audience.
After all, the net exists to give you an audience.  Ignore those who
suggest you should only use groups where you think the article is
highly appropriate.  Pick all groups where anybody might even be
slightly interested.

Always make sure followups go to all the groups.  In the rare event
that you post a followup which contains something original, make sure
you expand the list of groups.  Never include a "Followup-to:" line in
the header, since some people might miss part of the valuable
discussion in the fringe groups.

                ------
Q: How about an example?

A: Ok.  Let's say you want to report that Gretzky has been traded from
the Oilers to the Kings.  Now right away you might think
rec.sport.hockey would be enough.  WRONG.  Many more people might be
interested.  This is a big trade!  Since it's a NEWS article, it
belongs in the news.* hierarchy as well.  If you are a news admin, or
there is one on your machine, try news.admin.  If not, use news.misc.

The Oilers are probably interested in geology, so try sci.geo.fluids.
He is a big star, so post to sci.astro, and sci.space because they are
also interested in stars.  And of course comp.dcom.telecom because he
was born in the birthplace of the telephone.  And because he's
Canadian, post to soc.culture.Ontario.southwestern.  But that group
doesn't exist, so cross-post to news.groups suggesting it should be
created.  With this many groups of interest, your article will be
quite bizarre, so post to talk.bizarre as well.  (And post to
comp.std.mumps, since they hardly get any articles there, and a "comp"
group will propagate your article further.)

You may also find it is more fun to post the article once in each

group.  If you list all the newsgroups in the same article, some
newsreaders will only show the the article to the reader once!  Don't
tolerate this.

                ------
Q: How do I create a newsgroup?

A: The easiest way goes something like "inews -C newgroup ....", and
while that will stir up lots of conversation about your new newsgroup,
it might not be enough.

First post a message in news.groups describing the group.  This is a
"call for discussion."  (If you see a call for discussion, immediately
post a one line message saying that you like or dislike the group.)
When proposing the group, pick a name with a TLA (three-letter
acronym) that will be understood only by "in" readers of the group.

After the call for discussion, post the call for flames, followed by a
call for arguments about the name and a call for run-on puns.
Eventually make a call for "votes." USENET is a democracy, so voters
can now all post their votes to ensure they get to all 30,000 machines
instead of just the person counting. Every few days post a long
summary of all the votes so that people can complain about bad mailers
and double votes.  It means you'll be more popular and get lots of
mail.  At the end of 21 days you can post the vote results so that
people can argue about all the technical violations of the guidelines
you made.  Blame them on the moderator-of-the-week for
news.announce.newgroups.  Then your group might be created.

To liven up discussion, choose a good cross-match for your hierarchy
and group.  For example, comp.race.formula1 or soc.vlsi.design would
be good group names.  If you want your group created quickly, include
an interesting word like "sex" or "activism."  To avoid limiting
discussion, make the name as broad as possible, and don't forget that
TLA.

If possible, count votes from a leaf site with a once-a-week polled
connection to botswanavax.  Schedule the vote during your relay site's
head crash if possible.

Under no circumstances use the trial group method, because it
eliminates the discussion, flame, pun, voting and guideline-violation
accusation phases, thus taking all the fun out of it.  To create an
ALT group, simply issue the creation command.  Then issue an rmgroup
and some more newgroup messages to save other netters the trouble of
doing that part.

                ------
Q: I cant spell worth a dam.  I hope your going too tell me what to
do?

A: Don't worry about how your articles look.  Remember it's the
message that counts, not the way it's presented.  Ignore the fact that
sloppy spelling in a purely written forum sends out the same silent
messages that soiled clothing would when addressing an audience.

                ------
Q: How should I pick a subject for my articles?

A: Keep it short and meaningless.  That way people will be forced to
actually read your article to find out what's in it.  This means a
bigger audience for you, and we all know that's what the net is for.
If you do a followup, be sure and keep the same subject, even if it's
totally meaningless and not part of the same discussion.  If you
don't, you won't catch all the people who are looking for stuff on the
original topic, and that means less audience for you.

                ------
Q: What sort of tone should I take in my article?

A: Be as outrageous as possible.  If you don't say outlandish things,
and fill your article with libelous insults of net people, you may not
stick out enough in the flood of articles to get a response.  The more
insane your posting looks, the more likely it is that you'll get lots
of followups.  The net is here, after all, so that you can get lots of
attention.

If your article is polite, reasoned and to the point, you may only get
mailed replies.  Yuck!

                ------
Q: The posting software suggested I had too long a signature and too
many lines of included text in my article.  What's the best course?

A: Such restrictions were put in the software for no reason at all, so
don't even try to figure out why they might apply to your article.
Turns out most people search the net to find nice articles that
consist of the complete text of an earlier article plus a few lines.

In order to help these people, fill your article with dummy original
lines to get past the restrictions.  Everybody will thank you for it.

For your signature, I know it's tough, but you will have to read it in
with the editor.  Do this twice to make sure it's firmly in there.  By
the way, to show your support for the free distribution of
information, be sure to include a copyright message forbidding
transmission of your article to sites whose USENET politics you don't
like.

Also, if you do have a lot of free time and want to trim down the text
in your article, be sure to delete some of the attribution lines so
that it looks like the original author of -- say -- a plea for world
peace actually wrote the followup calling for the nuking of Bermuda.

                ------
Q: They just announced on the radio that the United States has invaded
Iraq.  Should I post?

A: Of course.  The net can reach people in as few as 3 to 5 days.
It's the perfect way to inform people about such news events long
after the broadcast networks have covered them.  As you are probably
the only person to have heard the news on the radio, be sure to post
as soon as you can.

                ------
Q: I have this great joke.  You see, these three strings walk into a
bar...

A: Oh dear.  Don't spoil it for me.  Submit it to rec.humor, and post
it to the moderator of rec.humor.funny at the same time.  I'm sure
he's never seen that joke.

                ------
Q: What computer should I buy?  An Atari ST or an Amiga?

A: Cross post that question to the Atari and Amiga groups.  It's an
interesting and novel question that I am sure they would love to
investigate in those groups.  There is no need to read the groups in
advance or examine the "frequently asked question" lists to see if the
topic has already been dealt with.  In fact, you don't need to read
the group at all, and you can tell people that in your query.

                ------
Q: What about other important questions?  How should I know when to
post?

A: Always post them.  It would be a big waste of your time to find a
knowledgeable user in one of the groups and ask through private mail
if the topic has already come up.  Much easier to bother thousands of
people with the same question.

                ------
Q: Somebody just posted a query to the net, and I want to get the
answer too.  What should I do?

A: Immediately post a following, including the complete text of the
query.  At the bottom add, "Me too!"  If somebody else has done this,
follow up their article and add "Me three," or whatever number is
appropriate.  Don't forget your full signature.  After all, if you
just mail the original poster and ask for a copy of the answers, you
will simply clutter the poster's mailbox, and save people who do
answer the question the joyful duty of noting all the "me (n)s" and
sending off all the multiple copies.

                ------
Q: What is the measure of a worthwhile group?

A: Why, it's Volume, Volume, Volume.  Any group that has lots of noise
in it must be good.  Remember, the higher the volume of material in a
group, the higher percentage of useful, factual and insightful
articles you will find.  In fact, if a group can't demonstrate a high
enough volume, it should be deleted from the net.

                ------
Q: Emily, I'm having a serious disagreement with somebody on the net.
I tried complaints to his sysadmin, organizing mail campaigns, called
for his removal from the net and phoning his employer to get him
fired.  Everybody laughed at me.  What can I do?

A: Go to the daily papers.  Most modern reporters are top-notch
computer experts who will understand the net, and your problems,
perfectly.  They will print careful, reasoned stories without any
errors at all, and surely represent the situation properly to the
public.  The public will also all act wisely, as they are also fully
cognizant of the subtle nature of net society.

Papers never sensationalize or distort, so be sure to point out things
like racism and sexism wherever they might exist.  Be sure as well
that they understand that all things on the net, particularly insults,
are meant literally.  Link what transpires on the net to the causes of
the Holocaust, if possible.  If regular papers won't take the story,
go to a tabloid paper -- they are always interested in good stories.

By arranging all this free publicity for the net, you'll become very
well known.  People on the net will wait in eager anticipation for
your every posting, and refer to you constantly.  You'll get more mail
than you ever dreamed possible -- the ultimate in net success.

                ------
Q: What does foobar stand for?


A: It stands for you, dear.
--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
==============================================================================
·    Subject: Hints on writing style for Usenet

Archive-name: usenet-writing-style/part1
Original-author: [e-mail] (A. Jeff Offutt VI)
Last-change: 19 July 1992 by [e-mail] (Gene Spafford)

I would like to take a moment to share some of my knowledge of writing
style.  If you read the suggestions below, remember: it's easy to agree
that they make sense but it's much harder to apply them.

References:
 Cunningham and Pearsall, "How to Write For the World of Work"
 Strunk & White, "Elements of Style"

The above references are both excellent books.  Cunningham is a
standard in tech writing classes and won an award for the best tech
writing book from the Association for Teaching of Technical Writing.  I
was lucky enough to take a class from him as an undergraduate.  Strunk
is a standard in college composition classes.  Other ideas here come
from my own experience on the net and hints from other people.

This is a "long article." The rest of it is simply a list of pointers.

               Writing style:

 * Write *below* the readers' reading level.  The avg. person in the US
   reads at a 5th grade level (11 years of age). The avg. professional
   reads at about the 12th grade level (18 years of age).

 * Keep paragraphs short and sweet.  Keep sentences shorter and sweeter.
   This means "concise," not cryptic.

 * White space is not wasted space -- it greatly improves clarity.
   A blank line only adds a byte to the article length, so don't be
   stingy if it will help make your meaning clearer.

 * Pick your words carefully.  Writing with precision is as important
   here as it is in any other kind of discourse.  Consider carefully
   whether what you have written can be misinterpreted, and whether
   that is something you wish to have happen.


 * People can only grasp about seven things at once.  This means ideas in a
   paragraph, major sections, etc..

 * Avoid abbreviations and acronyms, if possible, and define the ones
   you use.

 * There are several variations on any one sentence.  A passive, questioning
   or negative sentence takes longer to read.

 * "Cute" misspellings are difficult to read, especially if the reader
    is not fluent in the language involved.



               Net style:

 * Subtlety is not communicated well in written form - especially over a
   computer.

 * The above applies to humor as well. (rec.humor, of course, not included.)

 * When being especially "flame-boyant", I find it helpful to go to the
   bathroom before actually sending.  Then, I often change the tone
   considerably. :-) Take a break before posting something in anger or that
   might hurt or anger others.

 * Subject lines should be used very carefully.  How much time have you
   wasted reading articles with a misleading subject line?  The "Subject:"
   header line can be edited in all the various posting programs
   (as can the "Distribution:", "Newsgroups:" and "Followup-To:" header
   lines).

 * References need to be made.  When you answer mail, you have the original
   message fresh in your mind.  When I receive your answer, I don't.

 * It's *much* easier to read a mixture of upper and lower case letters.

 * Leaving out articles (such as "the," "a," "an," etc.) for "brevity"
   mangles the meaning of your sentences and takes longer to read. It saves
   you time at the expense of your reader.

 * Be careful of contextual meanings of words. For instance, I used "articles"
   just now.  In the context of netnews, it has a different meaning than I
   intended.

 * Make an effort to spell words correctly.  Obvious misspellings are
   jarring and distract the reader.  Every news posting program allows
   you to edit your article before posting, and most systems have some
   kind of spelling checker program that you can use on your article.

 * Remember - this is an international network.

 * Remember - your current or future employers may be reading your
   articles.  So might your spouse, neighbors, children, and others
   who will long-remember your gaffes.

Enough said.

These suggestions are all easily supported by arguments and research.
There's a lot more to say, but....
--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
==============================================================================
·    Subject: List of Active Newsgroups, Part I

Archive-name: active-newsgroups/part1
Last-change: 10 Jan 1993 by [e-mail] (Gene Spafford)


The following is a list of currently active USENET newsgroups as of
11 Jan 1993.  This list does not include the gatewayed Internet
newsgroups (see below).  The groups distributed worldwide are divided
into seven broad classifications: "news", "soc", "talk", "misc",
"sci", "comp" and "rec".  Each of these classifications is organized
into groups and subgroups according to topic.

"comp"  Topics of interest to both computer professionals and
    hobbyists, including topics in computer science, software
    source, and information on hardware and software systems.

"sci"   Discussions marked by special and usually practical knowledge,
    relating to research in or application of the established
    sciences.

"misc"  Groups addressing themes not easily classified under any of the
    other headings or which incorporate themes from multiple
    categories.

"soc"    Groups primarily addressing social issues and socializing.

"talk"    Groups largely debate-oriented and tending to feature long
    discussions without resolution and without appreciable amounts
    of generally useful information.

"news"    Groups concerned with the news network and software themselves.

"rec"    Groups oriented towards hobbies and recreational activities.

These "world" newsgroups are (usually) circulated around the entire
USENET -- this implies world-wide distribution.  Not all groups
actually enjoy such wide distribution, however.  Some sites take only
a selected subset of the more "technical" groups, and controversial
"noise" groups are often not carried by many sites (these groups are
often under the "talk" and "soc" classifications).  Many sites do not
carry some or all of the comp.binaries groups.

There are groups in other subcategories, but they are local: to
institutions, to geographic regions, etc. and they are not listed
here.  Note that these distribution categories can be used to restrict
the propagation of news articles.  Currently, distributions include:
    world        worldwide distribution (default)
    att        limited to AT&T
    can        limited (mostly) to Canada
    eunet        limited (mostly) to European sites in EUNet
    na        limited (mostly) to North America
    usa        limited (mostly) to the United States
There may be other regional and local distribution categories available
at your site.  Most US states have distribution categories named after
the two letter abbreviation for that state or category (e.g., "ga" for
Georgia, "nj" for New Jersey). Please use an appropriate distribution
category if your article is not likely to be of interest to USENET
readers worldwide.  A companion article to this lists all of the
regional distributions and their newsgroups.

Some groups are moderated or are monitored mailing lists.  They can
only be posted to by mailing submissions to the coordinator (provided
in a companion posting).  Some selected sites provide automatic
remailing in support of B2.11 and C news -- posting to one of these
groups automatically mails the article for the poster. Some of the
moderated groups are gatewayed to USENET from the Internet and appear
as newsgroups to facilitate distribution and posting from the Usenet.
Some of these gatewayed Internet newsgroups are listed below, and the
rest appear in a companion posting that lists alternative newsgroup
hierarchies.  Other of the "world" groups are bidirectionally
gatewayed with Internet mailing lists; items submitted from the
Internet side to the digest are split up and submitted to the USENET
group, while articles submitted on the USENET side are bundled up and
submitted to the mailing list.  A complete list of moderated
newsgroups, submission addresses and moderators is given in a
companion posting.

The following "world" groups have been gatewayed with the listed
Internet lists.  Some of them may not still be gatewayed due to
broken software and/or gateways; such groups are marked with an
asterisk ("*") in the list below.  Please contact me if you should know
of their current status.  Also note that the group "comp.lang.forth" is
gatewayed with the Bitnet discussion list "[e-mail]",
comp.lang.apl is gatewayed with APL-L at the unb.ca node, and
rec.railroad is run from "[e-mail]".
Some of these lists are gated one-way into Usenet groups; those groups
have been marked with a ">" symbol in the list below.

If you are reading this article from a site not on the Usenet, you may
subscribe to Internet lists by writing to the request address.  You
form such an address by putting "-request" before the "@" symbol, as
in "[e-mail]".  This gets your message
directly to the list maintainer instead of broadcasting it to all the
readers of the list.

Also note that moderators of Usenet groups may not be in charge of the
corresponding mailing list or gateway.  For example, the moderator of
comp.sources.unix does not have anything to do with the unix-sources
mailing list; matters concerning the mailing list should be addressed
to [e-mail]

    Usenet Group        Internet list
    ------------        -------------
    comp.databases.ingres    [e-mail]
    comp.dcom.modems    [e-mail]
    comp.dcom.telecom    [e-mail]
    comp.emacs        [e-mail]
    *comp.lang.ada        [e-mail]
    comp.lang.c        [e-mail]
    >comp.lang.c++        [e-mail]
    >comp.lang.c++        [e-mail]
    comp.lang.modula2    [e-mail]
    *comp.lang.pascal    [e-mail]
    *comp.lang.prolog    [e-mail]
    comp.mail.mh        [e-mail]
    comp.os.cpm        [e-mail]
    comp.os.minix        [e-mail]
    comp.os.vms        [e-mail]
    comp.protocols.kerberos    [e-mail]
    comp.protocols.tcp-ip    [e-mail]
    comp.society.privacy    [e-mail]
    comp.sources.misc    [e-mail]
    comp.sources.unix    [e-mail]
     comp.specification.z    [e-mail]
    comp.sys.apollo        [e-mail]
    comp.sys.apple2        [e-mail]
    comp.sys.atari.8bit    [e-mail]
    comp.sys.atari.st    [e-mail]
    comp.sys.misc        [e-mail]
    comp.sys.prime        [e-mail]
    comp.sys.tahoe        [e-mail]
    comp.sys.xerox        [e-mail]
    *comp.terminals        [e-mail]
    >comp.text.tex        [e-mail]
    >comp.text.tex        [e-mail]
    comp.unix.questions    [e-mail]
    comp.unix.internals    [e-mail]
    comp.windows.interviews    [e-mail]
    comp.windows.x        [e-mail]
    *rec.arts.sf.misc    [e-mail]
    rec.food.recipes    [e-mail]
        rec.radio.amateur.misc  [e-mail]
        rec.radio.amateur.packet    [e-mail]
    rec.radio.amateur.policy  [e-mail]
    rec.radio.shortwave     [e-mail]
    rec.music.funky        [e-mail]
    rec.music.gdead        [e-mail]
     rec.music.phish        [e-mail]
    rec.music.makers.synth    [e-mail]
    rec.sport.disc        [e-mail]
        rec.video               [e-mail]
    *sci.astro        [e-mail]
    sci.physics        [e-mail]
    sci.physics.fusion    [e-mail]
    sci.space        [e-mail]
    soc.roots        [e-mail]

Please notify me of any errors or changes to the information in this article.

Gene Spafford
[e-mail]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroup        Description
----------------------------------------------------------------------
comp.admin.policy    Discussions of site administration policies.
comp.ai            Artificial intelligence discussions.
comp.ai.genetic        Genetic algorithms in computing.
comp.ai.neural-nets    All aspects of neural networks.
comp.ai.nlang-know-rep    Natural Language and Knowledge Representation. (Moderated
comp.ai.philosophy    Philosophical aspects of Artificial Intelligence.
comp.ai.shells        Artificial intelligence applied to shells.
comp.apps.spreadsheets    Spreadsheets on various platforms.
comp.arch        Computer architecture.
comp.arch.bus.vmebus    Hardware and software for VMEbus Systems.
comp.arch.storage    Storage system issues, both hardware and software.
comp.archives        Descriptions of public access archives. (Moderated)
comp.archives.admin    Issues relating to computer archive administration.
comp.archives.msdos.announce    Announcements about MSDOS archives. (Moderated)
comp.archives.msdos.d    Discussion of materials available in MSDOS archives.
comp.bbs.misc        All aspects of computer bulletin board systems.
comp.bbs.waffle        The Waffle BBS and USENET system on all platforms.
comp.benchmarks        Discussion of benchmarking techniques and results.
comp.binaries.acorn    Binary-only postings for Acorn machines. (Moderated)
comp.binaries.amiga    Encoded public domain programs in binary. (Moderated)
comp.binaries.apple2    Binary-only postings for the Apple II computer.
comp.binaries.atari.st    Binary-only postings for the Atari ST. (Moderated)
comp.binaries.ibm.pc    Binary-only postings for IBM PC/MS-DOS. (Moderated)
comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d    Discussions about IBM/PC binary postings.
comp.binaries.ibm.pc.wanted    Requests for IBM PC and compatible programs.
comp.binaries.mac    Encoded Macintosh programs in binary. (Moderated)
comp.binaries.os2    Binaries for use under the OS/2 ABI. (Moderated)

comp.bugs.2bsd        Reports of UNIX* version 2BSD related bugs.
comp.bugs.4bsd        Reports of UNIX version 4BSD related bugs.
comp.bugs.4bsd.ucb-fixes    Bug reports/fixes for BSD Unix. (Moderated)
comp.bugs.misc        General UNIX bug reports and fixes (incl V7, uucp)
comp.bugs.sys5        Reports of USG (System III, V, etc.) bugs.
comp.cad.cadence    Users of Cadence Design Systems products.
comp.client-server    Topics relating to client/server technology.
comp.cog-eng        Cognitive engineering.
comp.compilers        Compiler construction, theory, etc. (Moderated)
comp.compression    Data compression algorithms and theory.
comp.compression.research    Discussions about data compression research.
comp.databases        Database and data management issues and theory.
comp.databases.informix    Informix database management software discussions.
comp.databases.ingres    Issues relating to INGRES products.
comp.databases.oracle    The SQL database products of the Oracle Corporation.
comp.databases.sybase    Implementations of the SQL Server.
comp.databases.theory    Discussing advances in database technology.
comp.dcom.cell-relay    Forum for discussion of Cell Relay-based products.
comp.dcom.fax        Fax hardware, software, and protocols.
comp.dcom.isdn        The Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).
comp.dcom.lans.ethernet    Discussions of the Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 protocols.
comp.dcom.lans.fddi    Discussions of the FDDI protocol suite.
comp.dcom.lans.misc    Local area network hardware and software.
comp.dcom.modems    Data communications hardware and software.
comp.dcom.servers    Selecting and operating data communications servers.
comp.dcom.sys.cisco    Info on Cisco routers and bridges.
comp.dcom.telecom    Telecommunications digest. (Moderated)
comp.doc        Archived public-domain documentation. (Moderated)
comp.doc.techreports    Lists of technical reports. (Moderated)
comp.dsp        Digital Signal Processing using computers.
comp.edu        Computer science education.
comp.emacs        EMACS editors of different flavors.
comp.fonts        Typefonts -- design, conversion, use, etc.
comp.graphics        Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing.
comp.graphics.animation    Technical aspects of computer animation.
comp.graphics.avs    The Application Visualization System.
comp.graphics.explorer    The Explorer Modular Visualisation Environment (MVE).
comp.graphics.gnuplot    The GNUPLOT interactive function plotter.
comp.graphics.opengl    The OpenGL 3D application programming interface.
comp.graphics.research    Highly technical computer graphics discussion. (Moderated
comp.graphics.visualization    Info on scientific visualization.
comp.groupware        Software and hardware for shared interactive environments.
comp.human-factors    Issues related to human-computer interaction (HCI).
comp.infosystems    Any discussion about information systems.
comp.infosystems.gis    All aspects of Geographic Information Systems.
comp.infosystems.gopher    Discussion of the gopher information service.
comp.infosystems.wais    The Z39.50-based WAIS full-text search system.
comp.internet.library    Discussing electronic libraries. (Moderated)
comp.ivideodisc        Interactive videodiscs -- uses, potential, etc.
comp.lang.ada        Discussion about Ada*.
comp.lang.apl        Discussion about APL.
comp.lang.c        Discussion about C.
comp.lang.c++        The object-oriented C++ language.
comp.lang.clos        Common Lisp Object System discussions.
comp.lang.eiffel    The object-oriented Eiffel language.
comp.lang.forth        Discussion about Forth.
comp.lang.fortran    Discussion about FORTRAN.
comp.lang.functional    Discussion about functional languages.
comp.lang.hermes    The Hermes language for distributed applications.
comp.lang.idl-pvwave    IDL and PV-Wave language discussions.
comp.lang.lisp        Discussion about LISP.
comp.lang.lisp.mcl    Discussing Apple's Macintosh Common Lisp.
comp.lang.logo        The Logo teaching and learning language.
comp.lang.misc        Different computer languages not specifically listed.
comp.lang.modula2    Discussion about Modula-2.
comp.lang.modula3    Discussion about the Modula-3 language.
comp.lang.objective-c    The Objective-C language and environment.
comp.lang.pascal    Discussion about Pascal.
comp.lang.perl        Discussion of Larry Wall's Perl system.
comp.lang.pop        Pop11 and the Plug user group.
comp.lang.postscript    The PostScript Page Description Language.
comp.lang.prolog    Discussion about PROLOG.
comp.lang.scheme    The Scheme Programming language.
comp.lang.sigplan    Info & announcements from ACM SIGPLAN. (Moderated)
comp.lang.smalltalk    Discussion about Smalltalk 80.
comp.lang.tcl        The Tcl programming language and related tools.
comp.lang.verilog    Discussing Verilog and PLI.
comp.lang.vhdl        VHSIC Hardware Description Language, IEEE 1076/87.
comp.laser-printers    Laser printers, hardware & software. (Moderated)
comp.lsi        Large scale integrated circuits.
comp.lsi.testing    Testing of electronic circuits.
comp.mail.elm        Discussion and fixes for ELM mail system.
comp.mail.headers    Gatewayed from the Internet header-people list.
comp.mail.maps        Various maps, including UUCP maps. (Moderated)
comp.mail.mh        The UCI version of the Rand Message Handling system.
comp.mail.mime        Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions of RFC 1341.
comp.mail.misc        General discussions about computer mail.
comp.mail.mush        The Mail User's Shell (MUSH).
comp.mail.sendmail    Configuring and using the BSD sendmail agent.
comp.mail.uucp        Mail in the uucp network environment.
comp.misc        General topics about computers not covered elsewhere.
comp.multimedia        Interactive multimedia technologies of all kinds.
comp.newprod        Announcements of new products of interest. (Moderated)
comp.object        Object-oriented programming and languages.
comp.org.acm        Topics about the Association for Computing Machinery.
comp.org.decus        Digital Equipment Computer Users' Society newsgroup.
comp.org.eff.news    News from the Electronic Frontiers Foundation. (Moderated)
comp.org.eff.talk    Discussion of EFF goals, strategies, etc.
comp.org.fidonet    FidoNews digest, official news of FidoNet Assoc. (Moderated)
comp.org.ieee        Issues and announcements about the IEEE & its members.
comp.org.issnnet    The International Student Society for Neural Networks.
comp.org.sug        Talk about/for the The Sun User's Group.
comp.org.usenix        USENIX Association events and announcements.
comp.org.usenix.roomshare    Finding lodging during Usenix conferences.
comp.os.coherent    Discussion and support of the Coherent operating system.
comp.os.cpm        Discussion about the CP/M operating system.
comp.os.linux        The free UNIX-clone for the 386/486, LINUX.
comp.os.linux.announce    Announcements important to the Linux community. (Moderate
comp.os.mach        The MACH OS from CMU & other places.
comp.os.minix        Discussion of Tanenbaum's MINIX system.
comp.os.misc        General OS-oriented discussion not carried elsewhere.
comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy    Speculation and debate about Microsoft Windows.
comp.os.ms-windows.announce    Announcements relating to Windows. (Moderated)
comp.os.ms-windows.apps        Applications in the Windows environment.
comp.os.ms-windows.misc        General discussions about Windows issues.
comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.misc    Programming Microsoft Windows.
comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.tools    Development tools in Windows.
comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.win32    32-bit Windows programming interfaces.
comp.os.ms-windows.setup    Installing and configuring Microsoft Windows.
comp.os.msdos.apps    Discussion of applications that run under MS-DOS.
comp.os.msdos.desqview    QuarterDeck's Desqview and related products.
comp.os.msdos.misc    Miscellaneous topics about MS-DOS machines.
comp.os.msdos.pcgeos    GeoWorks PC/GEOS and PC/GEOS-based packages.
comp.os.msdos.programmer    Programming MS-DOS machines.
comp.os.os2.advocacy    Supporting and flaming OS/2.
comp.os.os2.apps    Discussions of applications under OS/2.
comp.os.os2.misc    Miscellaneous topics about the OS/2 system.
comp.os.os2.networking    Networking in OS/2 environments.
comp.os.os2.programmer    Programming OS/2 machines.
comp.os.os9        Discussions about the os9 operating system.
comp.os.research    Operating systems and related areas. (Moderated)
comp.os.vms        DEC's VAX* line of computers & VMS.
comp.os.vxworks        The VxWorks real-time operating system.
comp.os.xinu        The XINU operating system from Purdue (D. Comer).
comp.parallel        Massively parallel hardware/software. (Moderated)
comp.patents        Discussing patents of computer technology. (Moderated)
comp.periphs        Peripheral devices.
comp.periphs.scsi    Discussion of SCSI-based peripheral devices.
comp.programming    Programming issues that transcend languages and OSs.
comp.protocols.appletalk    Applebus hardware & software.
comp.protocols.ibm    Networking with IBM mainframes.
comp.protocols.iso    The ISO protocol stack.
comp.protocols.kerberos    The Kerberos authentication server.
comp.protocols.kermit    Info about the Kermit package. (Moderated)
comp.protocols.misc    Various forms and types of FTP protocol.
comp.protocols.nfs    Discussion about the Network File System protocol.
comp.protocols.ppp    Discussion of the Internet Point to Point Protocol.
comp.protocols.tcp-ip    TCP and IP network protocols.
comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc    TCP/IP for IBM(-like) personal computers.
comp.realtime        Issues related to real-time computing.
comp.research.japan    The nature of research in Japan. (Moderated)
comp.risks        Risks to the public from computers & users. (Moderated)
comp.robotics        All aspects of robots and their applications.
comp.security.misc    Security issues of computers and networks.
comp.simulation        Simulation methods, problems, uses. (Moderated)
comp.society        The impact of technology on society. (Moderated)
comp.society.cu-digest    The Computer Underground Digest. (Moderated)
comp.society.development    Computer technology in developing countries.
comp.society.folklore    Computer folklore & culture, past & present. (Moderated)
comp.society.futures    Events in technology affecting future computing.
comp.society.privacy    Effects of technology on privacy. (Moderated)
comp.soft-sys.khoros    The Khoros X11 visualization system.
comp.software-eng    Software Engineering and related topics.
comp.software.licensing    Software licensing technology.
comp.sources.3b1    Source code-only postings for the AT&T 3b1. (Moderated)
comp.sources.acorn    Source code-only postings for the Acorn. (Moderated)
comp.sources.amiga    Source code-only postings for the Amiga. (Moderated)
comp.sources.apple2    Source code and discussion for the Apple2. (Moderated)
comp.sources.atari.st    Source code-only postings for the Atari ST. (Moderated)
comp.sources.bugs    Bug reports, fixes, discussion for posted sources.
comp.sources.d        For any discussion of source postings.
comp.sources.games    Postings of recreational software. (Moderated)
comp.sources.games.bugs    Bug reports and fixes for posted game software.
comp.sources.hp48    Programs for the HP48 and HP28 calculators. (Moderated)
comp.sources.mac    Software for the Apple Macintosh. (Moderated)
comp.sources.misc    Posting of software. (Moderated)
comp.sources.reviewed    Source code evaluated by peer review. (Moderated)
comp.sources.sun    Software for Sun workstations. (Moderated)
comp.sources.testers    Finding people to test software.
comp.sources.unix    Postings of complete, UNIX-oriented sources. (Moderated)
comp.sources.wanted    Requests for software and fixes.
comp.sources.x        Software for the X windows system. (Moderated)
comp.speech        Research & applications in speech science & technology.
comp.specification    Languages and methodologies for formal specification.
comp.specification.z    Discussion about the formal specification notation Z.
comp.std.c        Discussion about C language standards.
comp.std.c++        Discussion about C++ language, library, standards.
comp.std.internat    Discussion about international standards.
comp.std.misc        Discussion about various standards.
comp.std.mumps        Discussion for the X11.1 committee on Mumps. (Moderated)

comp.std.unix        Discussion for the P1003 committee on UNIX. (Moderated)
comp.sw.components    Software components and related technology.
comp.sys.3b1        Discussion and support of AT&T 7300/3B1/UnixPC.
comp.sys.acorn        Discussion on Acorn and ARM-based computers.
comp.sys.acorn.advocacy    Why Acorn computers and programs are better.
comp.sys.acorn.announce    Announcements for Acorn and ARM users. (Moderated)
comp.sys.acorn.tech    Software and hardware aspects of Acorn and ARM products.
comp.sys.alliant    Info and discussion about Alliant computers.
comp.sys.amiga.advocacy    Why an Amiga is better than XYZ.
comp.sys.amiga.announce    Announcements about the Amiga. (Moderated)
comp.sys.amiga.applications    Miscellaneous applications.
comp.sys.amiga.audio    Music, MIDI, speech synthesis, other sounds.
comp.sys.amiga.datacomm    Methods of getting bytes in and out.
comp.sys.amiga.emulations    Various hardware & software emulators.
comp.sys.amiga.games    Discussion of games for the Commodore Amiga.
comp.sys.amiga.graphics    Charts, graphs, pictures, etc.
comp.sys.amiga.hardware    Amiga computer hardware, Q&A, reviews, etc.
comp.sys.amiga.introduction    Group for newcomers to Amigas.
comp.sys.amiga.marketplace    Where to find it, prices, etc.
comp.sys.amiga.misc    Discussions not falling in another Amiga group.
comp.sys.amiga.multimedia    Animations, video, & multimedia.
comp.sys.amiga.programmer    Developers & hobbyists discuss code.
comp.sys.amiga.reviews        Reviews of Amiga software, hardware. (Moderated)
comp.sys.apollo        Apollo computer systems.
comp.sys.apple2        Discussion about Apple II micros.
comp.sys.apple2.gno    The AppleIIgs GNO multitasking environment.
comp.sys.atari.8bit    Discussion about 8 bit Atari micros.
comp.sys.atari.st    Discussion about 16 bit Atari micros.
comp.sys.atari.st.tech    Technical discussions of Atari ST hard/software.
comp.sys.att        Discussions about AT&T microcomputers.
comp.sys.cbm        Discussion about Commodore micros.
comp.sys.concurrent    The Concurrent/Masscomp line of computers. (Moderated)
comp.sys.convex        Convex computer systems hardware and software.
comp.sys.dec        Discussions about DEC computer systems.
comp.sys.dec.micro    DEC Micros (Rainbow, Professional 350/380)
comp.sys.encore        Encore's MultiMax computers.
comp.sys.hp        Discussion about Hewlett-Packard equipment.
comp.sys.hp48        Hewlett-Packard's HP48 and HP28 calculators.
comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest    The IBM PC, PC-XT, and PC-AT. (Moderated)
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games    Games for IBM PCs and compatibles.
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware    XT/AT/EISA hardware, any vendor.
comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc    Discussion about IBM personal computers.
comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt    Topics related to IBM's RT computer.
comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard    Hardware and software aspects of PC sound cards.
comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware    Microchannel hardware, any vendor.
comp.sys.intel        Discussions about Intel systems and parts.
comp.sys.isis        The ISIS distributed system from Cornell.
comp.sys.laptops    Laptop (portable) computers.
comp.sys.m6809        Discussion about 6809's.
comp.sys.m68k        Discussion about 68k's.
comp.sys.m68k.pc    Discussion about 68k-based PCs. (Moderated)
comp.sys.m88k        Discussion about 88k-based computers.
comp.sys.mac.advocacy    The Macintosh computer family compared to others.
comp.sys.mac.announce    Important notices for Macintosh users. (Moderated)
comp.sys.mac.apps    Discussions of Macintosh applications.
comp.sys.mac.comm    Discussion of Macintosh communications.
comp.sys.mac.databases    Database systems for the Apple Macintosh.
comp.sys.mac.digest    Apple Macintosh: info&uses, but no programs. (Moderated)
comp.sys.mac.games    Discussions of games on the Macintosh.
comp.sys.mac.hardware    Macintosh hardware issues & discussions.
comp.sys.mac.hypercard    The Macintosh Hypercard: info & uses.
comp.sys.mac.misc    General discussions about the Apple Macintosh.
comp.sys.mac.oop.macapp3    Version 3 of the MacApp object oriented system.
comp.sys.mac.oop.misc    Object oriented programming issues on the Mac.
comp.sys.mac.programmer    Discussion by people programming the Apple Macintosh.
comp.sys.mac.system    Discussions of Macintosh system software.
comp.sys.mac.wanted    Postings of "I want XYZ for my Mac."
comp.sys.mentor        Mentor Graphics products & the Silicon Compiler System.
comp.sys.mips        Systems based on MIPS chips.
comp.sys.misc        Discussion about computers of all kinds.
comp.sys.ncr        Discussion about NCR computers.
comp.sys.next.advocacy    The NeXT religion.
comp.sys.next.announce    Announcements related to the NeXT computer system. (Moder
comp.sys.next.bugs    Discussion and solutions for known NeXT bugs.
comp.sys.next.hardware    Discussing the physical aspects of NeXT computers.
comp.sys.next.marketplace    NeXT hardware, software and jobs.
comp.sys.next.misc    General discussion about the NeXT computer system.
comp.sys.next.programmer    NeXT related programming issues.
comp.sys.next.software    Function, use and availability of NeXT programs.
comp.sys.next.sysadmin    Discussions related to NeXT system administration.
comp.sys.novell        Discussion of Novell Netware products.
comp.sys.nsc.32k    National Semiconductor 32000 series chips.
comp.sys.palmtops    Super-powered calculators the palm of your hand.
comp.sys.pen        Interacting with computers through pen gestures.
comp.sys.prime        Prime Computer products.
comp.sys.proteon    Proteon gateway products.
comp.sys.pyramid    Pyramid 90x computers.
comp.sys.ridge        Ridge 32 computers and ROS.
comp.sys.sequent    Sequent systems, (Balance and Symmetry).
comp.sys.sgi.admin    System administration on Silicon Graphics's Irises.
comp.sys.sgi.announce    Announcements for the SGI community. (Moderated)
comp.sys.sgi.apps    Applications which run on the Iris.
comp.sys.sgi.bugs    Bugs found in the IRIX operating system.
comp.sys.sgi.graphics    Graphics packages and issues on SGI machines.
comp.sys.sgi.hardware    Base systems and peripherals for Iris computers.
comp.sys.sgi.misc    General discussion about Silicon Graphics's machines.
comp.sys.stratus    Stratus products, incl. System/88, CPS-32, VOS and FTX.
comp.sys.sun.admin    Sun system administration issues and questions.
comp.sys.sun.announce    Sun announcements and Sunergy mailings. (Moderated)
comp.sys.sun.apps    Software applications for Sun computer systems.
comp.sys.sun.hardware    Sun Microsystems hardware.
comp.sys.sun.misc    Miscellaneous discussions about Sun products.
comp.sys.sun.wanted    People looking for Sun products and support.
comp.sys.tahoe        CCI 6/32, Harris HCX/7, & Sperry 7000 computers.
comp.sys.tandy        Discussion about Tandy computers: new & old.
comp.sys.ti        Discussion about Texas Instruments.
comp.sys.transputer    The Transputer computer and OCCAM language.
comp.sys.unisys        Sperry, Burroughs, Convergent and Unisys* systems.
comp.sys.xerox        Xerox 1100 workstations and protocols.
comp.sys.zenith.z100    The Zenith Z-100 (Heath H-100) family of computers.
comp.terminals        All sorts of terminals.
comp.text        Text processing issues and methods.
comp.text.desktop    Technology & techniques of desktop publishing.
comp.text.frame        Desktop publishing with FrameMaker.
comp.text.interleaf    Applications and use of Interleaf software.
comp.text.sgml        ISO 8879 SGML, structured documents, markup languages.
comp.text.tex        Discussion about the TeX and LaTeX systems & macros.
comp.theory.info-retrieval    Information Retrieval topics. (Moderated)
comp.unix.admin        Administering a Unix-based system.
comp.unix.aix        IBM's version of UNIX.
comp.unix.amiga        Minix, SYSV4 and other *nix on an Amiga.
comp.unix.aux        The version of UNIX for Apple Macintosh II computers.
comp.unix.bsd        Discussion of Berkeley Software Distribution UNIX.
comp.unix.dos-under-unix    MS-DOS running under UNIX by whatever means.
comp.unix.internals    Discussions on hacking UNIX internals.
comp.unix.large        UNIX on mainframes and in large networks.
comp.unix.misc        Various topics that don't fit other groups.
comp.unix.osf.misc    Various aspects of Open Software Foundation products.
comp.unix.osf.osf1    The Open Software Foundation's OSF/1.
comp.unix.pc-clone.16bit    UNIX on 286 architectures.
comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit    UNIX on 386 and 486 architectures.
comp.unix.programmer    Q&A for people programming under Unix.
comp.unix.questions    UNIX neophytes group.
comp.unix.shell        Using and programming the Unix shell.
comp.unix.sys3        System III UNIX discussions.
comp.unix.sys5.misc    Versions of System V which predate Release 3.
comp.unix.sys5.r3    Discussing System V Release 3.
comp.unix.sys5.r4    Discussing System V Release 4.
comp.unix.ultrix    Discussions about DEC's Ultrix.
comp.unix.wizards    Questions for only true Unix wizards.
comp.unix.xenix.misc    General discussions regarding XENIX (except SCO).
comp.unix.xenix.sco    XENIX versions from the Santa Cruz Operation.
comp.virus        Computer viruses & security. (Moderated)
comp.windows.garnet    The Garnet user interface development environment.
comp.windows.interviews    The InterViews object-oriented windowing system.
comp.windows.misc    Various issues about windowing systems.
comp.windows.news    Sun Microsystems' NeWS window system.
comp.windows.open-look    Discussion about the Open Look GUI.
comp.windows.x        Discussion about the X Window System.
comp.windows.x.apps    Getting and using, not programming, applications for X.
comp.windows.x.i386unix    The XFree86 window system and others.
comp.windows.x.intrinsics    Discussion of the X toolkit.
comp.windows.x.pex    The PHIGS extension of the X Window System.

misc.activism.progressive    Information for Progressive activists. (Moderated)
misc.books.technical    Discussion of books about technical topics.
misc.consumers        Consumer interests, product reviews, etc.
misc.consumers.house    Discussion about owning and maintaining a house.
misc.education        Discussion of the educational system.
misc.emerg-services    Forum for paramedics & other first responders.
misc.entrepreneurs    Discussion on operating a business.
misc.fitness        Physical fitness, exercise, etc.
misc.forsale        Short, tasteful postings about items for sale.
misc.forsale.computers.d    Discussion of misc.forsale.computers.*.
misc.forsale.computers.mac    Apple Macintosh related computer items.
misc.forsale.computers.other    Selling miscellaneous computer stuff.
misc.forsale.computers.pc-clone    IBM PC related computer items.
misc.forsale.computers.workstation    Workstation related computer items.
misc.handicap        Items of interest for/about the handicapped. (Moderated)
misc.headlines        Current interest: drug testing, terrorism, etc.
misc.health.alternative    Alternative, complementary and holistic health care.
misc.int-property    Discussion of intellectual property rights.
misc.invest        Investments and the handling of money.
misc.invest.real-estate    Property investments.
misc.jobs.contract    Discussions about contract labor.
misc.jobs.misc        Discussion about employment, workplaces, careers.
misc.jobs.offered    Announcements of positions available.
misc.jobs.offered.entry    Job listings only for entry-level positions.
misc.jobs.resumes    Postings of resumes and "situation wanted" articles.
misc.kids        Children, their behavior and activities.
misc.legal        Legalities and the ethics of law.
misc.legal.computing    Discussing the legal climate of the computing world.
misc.misc        Various discussions not fitting in any other group.
misc.news.east-europe.rferl    Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Daily Report. (Moder
misc.news.southasia    News from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, etc. (Moderated)
misc.rural        Devoted to issues concerning rural living.
misc.taxes        Tax laws and advice.
misc.test        For testing of network software.  Very boring.
misc.wanted        Requests for things that are needed (NOT software).
misc.writing        Discussion of writing in all of its forms.


news.admin.misc        General topics of network news administration.
news.admin.policy    Policy issues of USENET.
news.admin.technical    Technical aspects of maintaining network news. (Moderated)
news.announce.conferences    Calls for papers and conference announcements. (Modera
news.announce.important    General announcements of interest to all. (Moderated)
news.announce.newgroups    Calls for newgroups & announcements of same. (Moderated)
news.announce.newusers    Explanatory postings for new users. (Moderated)
news.answers        Repository for periodic USENET articles. (Moderated)
news.config        Postings of system down times and interruptions.
news.future        The future technology of network news systems.
news.groups        Discussions and lists of newsgroups.
news.lists        News-related statistics and lists. (Moderated)
news.lists.ps-maps    Maps relating to USENET traffic flows. (Moderated)
news.misc        Discussions of USENET itself.
news.newsites        Postings of new site announcements.
news.newusers.questions    Q & A for users new to the Usenet.
news.software.anu-news    VMS B-news software from Australian National Univ.
news.software.b        Discussion about B-news-compatible software.
news.software.nn    Discussion about the "nn" news reader package.
news.software.notes    Notesfile software from the Univ. of Illinois.
news.software.readers    Discussion of software used to read network news.
rec.antiques        Discussing antiques and vintage items.
rec.aquaria        Keeping fish and aquaria as a hobby.
rec.arts.animation    Discussion of various kinds of animation.
rec.arts.anime        Japanese animation fen discussion.
rec.arts.bodyart    Tattoos and body decoration discussions.
rec.arts.books        Books of all genres, and the publishing industry.
rec.arts.cinema        Discussion of the art of cinema. (Moderated)
rec.arts.comics.info    Reviews, convention information and other comics news. (Mod
rec.arts.comics.marketplace    The exchange of comics and comic related items.
rec.arts.comics.misc    Comic books, graphic novels, sequential art.
rec.arts.comics.strips    Discussion of short-form comics.
rec.arts.comics.xbooks    The Mutant Universe of Marvel Comics.
rec.arts.dance        Any aspects of dance not covered in another newsgroup.
rec.arts.disney        Discussion of any Disney-related subjects.
rec.arts.drwho        Discussion about Dr. Who.
rec.arts.erotica    Erotic fiction and verse. (Moderated)
rec.arts.fine        Fine arts & artists.
rec.arts.int-fiction    Discussions about interactive fiction.
rec.arts.manga        All aspects of the Japanese storytelling art form.
rec.arts.marching.drumcorps    Drum and bugle corps.
rec.arts.marching.misc    Marching-related performance activities.
rec.arts.misc        Discussions about the arts not in other groups.
rec.arts.movies        Discussions of movies and movie making.
rec.arts.movies.reviews    Reviews of movies. (Moderated)
rec.arts.poems        For the posting of poems.
rec.arts.sf.announce    Major announcements of the SF world. (Moderated)
rec.arts.sf.fandom    Discussions of SF fan activities.
rec.arts.sf.marketplace    Personal forsale notices of SF materials.
rec.arts.sf.misc    Science fiction lovers' newsgroup.
rec.arts.sf.movies    Discussing SF motion pictures.
rec.arts.sf.reviews    Reviews of science fiction/fantasy/horror works. (Moderated)
rec.arts.sf.science    Real and speculative aspects of SF science.
rec.arts.sf.starwars    Discussion of the Star Wars universe.
rec.arts.sf.tv        Discussing general television SF.
rec.arts.sf.written    Discussion of written science fiction and fantasy.
rec.arts.startrek.current    New Star Trek shows, movies and books.
rec.arts.startrek.fandom    Star Trek conventions and memorabilia.
rec.arts.startrek.info    Information about the universe of Star Trek. (Moderated)
rec.arts.startrek.misc        General discussions of Star Trek.
rec.arts.startrek.tech        Star Trek's depiction of future technologies.
rec.arts.theatre    Discussion of all aspects of stage work & theatre.
rec.arts.tv        The boob tube, its history, and past and current shows.
rec.arts.tv.soaps    Postings about soap operas.
rec.arts.tv.uk        Discussions of telly shows from the UK.
rec.arts.wobegon    "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show discussion.
rec.audio        High fidelity audio.
rec.audio.car        Discussions of automobile audio systems.
rec.audio.high-end    High-end audio systems. (Moderated)
rec.audio.pro        Professional audio recording and studio engineering.
rec.autos        Automobiles, automotive products and laws.
rec.autos.antique    Discussing all aspects of automobiles over 25 years old.
rec.autos.driving    Driving automobiles.
rec.autos.sport        Discussion of organized, legal auto competitions.
rec.autos.tech        Technical aspects of automobiles, et. al.
rec.autos.vw        Issues pertaining to Volkswagen products.
rec.aviation.announce    Events of interest to the aviation community. (Moderated)
rec.aviation.answers    Frequently asked questions about aviation. (Moderated)
rec.aviation.homebuilt    Selecting, designing, building, and restoring aircraft.
rec.aviation.ifr    Flying under Instrument Flight Rules.
rec.aviation.military    Military aircraft of the past, present and future.
rec.aviation.misc    Miscellaneous topics in aviation.
rec.aviation.owning    Information on owning airplanes.
rec.aviation.piloting    General discussion for aviators.
rec.aviation.products    Reviews and discussion of products useful to pilots.
rec.aviation.simulators    Flight simulation on all levels.
rec.aviation.soaring    All aspects of sailplanes and hang-gliders.
rec.aviation.stories    Anecdotes of flight experiences. (Moderated)
rec.aviation.student    Learning to fly.
rec.backcountry        Activities in the Great Outdoors.
rec.bicycles.marketplace    Buying, selling & reviewing items for cycling.
rec.bicycles.misc    General discussion of bicycling.
rec.bicycles.racing    Bicycle racing techniques, rules and results.
rec.bicycles.rides    Discussions of tours and training or commuting routes.
rec.bicycles.soc    Societal issues of bicycling.
rec.bicycles.tech    Cycling product design, construction, maintenance, etc.
rec.birds        Hobbyists interested in bird watching.
rec.boats        Hobbyists interested in boating.
rec.boats.paddle    Talk about any boats with oars, paddles, etc.
rec.climbing        Climbing techniques, competition announcements, etc.
rec.collecting        Discussion among collectors of many things.
rec.collecting.cards    Collecting all sorts of sport and non-sport cards.
rec.crafts.brewing    The art of making beers and meads.
rec.crafts.metalworking    All aspects of working with metal.
rec.crafts.misc        Handiwork arts not covered elsewhere.
rec.crafts.textiles    Sewing, weaving, knitting and other fiber arts.
rec.equestrian        Discussion of things equestrian.
rec.folk-dancing    Folk dances, dancers, and dancing.
rec.food.cooking    Food, cooking, cookbooks, and recipes.
rec.food.drink        Wines and spirits.
rec.food.historic    The history of food making arts.
rec.food.recipes    Recipes for interesting food and drink. (Moderated)
rec.food.restaurants    Discussion of dining out.
rec.food.sourdough    Making and baking with sourdough.
rec.food.veg        Vegetarians.
rec.gambling        Articles on games of chance & betting.
rec.games.abstract    Perfect information, pure strategy games.
rec.games.backgammon    Discussion of the game of backgammon.
rec.games.board        Discussion and hints on board games.
rec.games.board.ce    The Cosmic Encounter board game.
rec.games.bridge    Hobbyists interested in bridge.
rec.games.chess        Chess & computer chess.
rec.games.corewar    The Core War computer challenge.
rec.games.cyber        Discussions of cyberpunk related games. (Moderated)
rec.games.design    Discussion of game design related issues.
rec.games.diplomacy    The conquest game Diplomacy.
rec.games.empire    Discussion and hints about Empire.
rec.games.frp.advocacy    Flames and rebuttals about various role-playing systems.
rec.games.frp.announce    Announcements of happenings in the role-playing world. (M
rec.games.frp.archives    Archivable fantasy stories and other projects. (Moderated
rec.games.frp.dnd    Fantasy role-playing with TSR's Dungeons and Dragons.
rec.games.frp.marketplace    Role-playing game materials wanted and for sale.
rec.games.frp.misc    General discussions of role-playing games.
rec.games.go        Discussion about Go.
rec.games.hack        Discussion, hints, etc. about the Hack game.
rec.games.int-fiction    All aspects of interactive fiction games.
rec.games.mecha        Giant robot games.
rec.games.misc        Games and computer games.
rec.games.moria        Comments, hints, and info about the Moria game.
rec.games.mud.admin    Admnistrative issues of multiuser dungeons.
rec.games.mud.announce    Informational articles about multiuser dungeons. (Moderat
rec.games.mud.diku    All about DikuMuds.
rec.games.mud.lp    Discussions of the LPMUD computer role playing game.
rec.games.mud.misc    Various aspects of multiuser computer games.
rec.games.mud.tiny    Discussion about Tiny muds, like MUSH, MUSE and MOO.
rec.games.netrek    Discussion of the X window system game Netrek (XtrekII).
rec.games.pbm        Discussion about Play by Mail games.
rec.games.pinball    Discussing pinball-related issues.
rec.games.programmer    Discussion of adventure game programming.
rec.games.rogue        Discussion and hints about Rogue.
rec.games.trivia    Discussion about trivia.
rec.games.video        Discussion about video games.
rec.games.video.arcade    Discussions about coin-operated video games.
rec.games.xtank.play    Strategy and tactics for the distributed game Xtank.
rec.games.xtank.programmer    Coding the Xtank game and its robots.
rec.gardens        Gardening, methods and results.
rec.guns        Discussions about firearms. (Moderated)
rec.heraldry        Discussion of coats of arms.
rec.humor        Jokes and the like.  May be somewhat offensive.
rec.humor.d        Discussions on the content of rec.humor articles.
rec.humor.funny        Jokes that are funny (in the moderator's opinion). (Moderated)
rec.humor.oracle    Sagacious advice from the USENET Oracle. (Moderated)
rec.humor.oracle.d    Comments about the USENET Oracle's comments.
rec.hunting        Discussions about hunting. (Moderated)
rec.juggling        Juggling techniques, equipment and events.
rec.kites        Talk about kites and kiting.
rec.mag            Magazine summaries, tables of contents, etc.
rec.martial-arts    Discussion of the various martial art forms.
rec.misc        General topics about recreational/participant sports.
rec.models.railroad    Model railroads of all scales.
rec.models.rc        Radio-controlled models for hobbyists.
rec.models.rockets    Model rockets for hobbyists.
rec.models.scale    Construction of models.
rec.motorcycles        Motorcycles and related products and laws.
rec.motorcycles.dirt    Riding motorcycles and ATVs off-road.
rec.motorcycles.harley    All aspects of Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
rec.motorcycles.racing    Discussion of all aspects of racing motorcycles.
rec.music.afro-latin    Music with afro-latin, African and Latin influences.
rec.music.beatles    Postings about the Fab Four & their music.
rec.music.bluenote    Discussion of jazz, blues, and related types of music.
rec.music.cd        CDs -- availability and other discussions.
rec.music.christian    Christian music, both contemporary and traditional.
rec.music.classical    Discussion about classical music.
rec.music.compose    Creating musical and lyrical works.
rec.music.country.western    C&W music, performers, performances, etc.
rec.music.dementia    Discussion of comedy and novelty music.
rec.music.dylan        Discussion of Bob's works & music.
rec.music.early        Discussion of pre-classical European music.
rec.music.folk        Folks discussing folk music of various sorts.
rec.music.funky        Funk, rap, hip-hop, house, soul, r&b and related.
rec.music.gaffa        Discussion of Kate Bush & other alternative music. (Moderated)
rec.music.gdead        A group for (Grateful) Dead-heads.
rec.music.indian.classical    Hindustani and Carnatic Indian classical music.
rec.music.indian.misc        Discussing Indian music in general.
rec.music.industrial    Discussion of all industrial-related music styles.
rec.music.info        News and announcements on musical topics. (Moderated)
rec.music.makers    For performers and their discussions.
rec.music.makers.bass    Upright bass and bass guitar techniques and equipment.
rec.music.makers.guitar    Electric and acoustic guitar techniques and equipment.
rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature    Guitar tablature/chords.
rec.music.makers.percussion    Drum & other percussion techniques & equipment.
rec.music.makers.synth        Synthesizers and computer music.
rec.music.marketplace    Records, tapes, and CDs: wanted, for sale, etc.
rec.music.misc        Music lovers' group.
rec.music.newage    "New Age" music discussions.

rec.music.phish        Discussing the musical group Phish.
rec.music.reggae    The melodies of the Caribbean.
rec.music.reviews    Reviews of music of all genres and mediums. (Moderated)
rec.music.video        Discussion of music videos and music video software.
rec.nude        Hobbyists interested in naturist/nudist activities.
rec.org.mensa        Talking with members of the high IQ society Mensa.
rec.org.sca        Society for Creative Anachronism.
rec.outdoors.fishing    All aspects of sport and commercial fishing.
rec.pets        Pets, pet care, and household animals in general.
rec.pets.birds        The culture and care of indoor birds.
rec.pets.cats        Discussion about domestic cats.
rec.pets.dogs        Any and all subjects relating to dogs as pets.
rec.pets.herp        Reptiles, amphibians and other exotic vivarium pets.
rec.photo        Hobbyists interested in photography.
rec.puzzles        Puzzles, problems, and quizzes.
rec.puzzles.crosswords    Making and playing gridded word puzzles.
rec.pyrotechnics    Fireworks, rocketry, safety, & other topics.
rec.radio.amateur.misc    Amateur radio practices, contests, events, rules, etc.
rec.radio.amateur.packet    Discussion about packet radio setups.
rec.radio.amateur.policy    Radio use & regulation policy.
rec.radio.broadcasting    Local area broadcast radio. (Moderated)
rec.radio.cb        Citizen-band radio.
rec.radio.noncomm    Topics relating to noncommercial radio.
rec.radio.shortwave    Shortwave radio enthusiasts.
rec.radio.swap        Offers to trade and swap radio equipment.
rec.railroad        Real and model train fans' newsgroup.
rec.roller-coaster    Roller coasters and other amusement park rides.
rec.running        Running for enjoyment, sport, exercise, etc.
rec.scouting        Scouting youth organizations worldwide.
rec.scuba        Hobbyists interested in SCUBA diving.
rec.skate        Ice skating and roller skating.
rec.skiing        Hobbyists interested in snow skiing.
rec.skydiving        Hobbyists interested in skydiving.
rec.sport.baseball    Discussion about baseball.
rec.sport.baseball.college    Baseball on the collegiate level.
rec.sport.baseball.fantasy    Rotisserie (fantasy) baseball play.
rec.sport.basketball.college    Hoops on the collegiate level.
rec.sport.basketball.misc    Discussion about basketball.
rec.sport.basketball.pro    Talk of professional basketball.
rec.sport.cricket    Discussion about the sport of cricket.
rec.sport.cricket.scores    Scores from cricket matches around the globe. (Moderate
rec.sport.disc        Discussion of flying disc based sports.
rec.sport.fencing    All aspects of swordplay.
rec.sport.football.australian    Discussion of Australian (Rules) Football.
rec.sport.football.college    US-style college football.
rec.sport.football.misc    Discussion about American-style football.
rec.sport.football.pro    US-style professional football.
rec.sport.golf        Discussion about all aspects of golfing.
rec.sport.hockey    Discussion about ice hockey.
rec.sport.hockey.field    Discussion of the sport of field hockey.
rec.sport.misc        Spectator sports.
rec.sport.olympics    All aspects of the Olympic Games.
rec.sport.paintball    Discussing all aspects of the survival game paintball.
rec.sport.pro-wrestling    Discussion about professional wrestling.
rec.sport.rugby        Discussion about the game of rugby.
rec.sport.soccer    Discussion about soccer (Association Football).
rec.sport.swimming    Training for and competing in swimming events.
rec.sport.table-tennis    Things related to table tennis (aka Ping Pong).
rec.sport.tennis    Things related to the sport of tennis.
rec.sport.triathlon    Discussing all aspects of multi-event sports.
rec.sport.volleyball    Discussion about volleyball.
rec.travel        Traveling all over the world.
rec.travel.air        Airline travel around the world.
rec.travel.marketplace    Tickets and accomodations wanted and for sale.
rec.video        Video and video components.
rec.video.cable-tv    Technical and regulatory issues of cable television.
rec.video.production    Making professional quality video productions.
rec.video.releases    Pre-recorded video releases on laserdisc and videotape.
rec.video.satellite    Getting shows via satellite.
rec.windsurfing        Riding the waves as a hobby.
rec.woodworking        Hobbyists interested in woodworking.

sci.aeronautics        The science of aeronautics & related technology.
sci.aeronautics.airliners    Airliner technology. (Moderated)
sci.anthropology    All aspects of studying humankind.
sci.aquaria        Only scientifically-oriented postings about aquaria.
sci.archaeology        Studying antiquities of the world.
sci.astro        Astronomy discussions and information.
sci.astro.fits        Issues related to the Flexible Image Transport System.
sci.astro.hubble    Processing Hubble Space Telescope data. (Moderated)
sci.bio            Biology and related sciences.
sci.chem        Chemistry and related sciences.
sci.chem.organomet    Organometallic chemistry.
sci.classics        Studying classical history, languages, art and more.
sci.cognitive        Perception, memory, judgement and reasoning.
sci.comp-aided        The use of computers as tools in scientific research.
sci.cryonics        Theory and practice of biostasis, suspended animation.
sci.crypt        Different methods of data en/decryption.
sci.econ        The science of economics.
sci.edu            The science of education.
sci.electronics        Circuits, theory, electrons and discussions.
sci.energy        Discussions about energy, science & technology.
sci.engr        Technical discussions about engineering tasks.
sci.engr.biomed        Discussing the field of biomedical engineering.
sci.engr.chem        All aspects of chemical engineering.
sci.engr.civil        Topics related to civil engineering.
sci.engr.control    The engineering of control systems.
sci.engr.mech        The field of mechanical engineering.
sci.environment        Discussions about the environment and ecology.
sci.fractals        Objects of non-integral dimension and other chaos.
sci.geo.fluids        Discussion of geophysical fluid dynamics.
sci.geo.geology        Discussion of solid earth sciences.
sci.geo.meteorology    Discussion of meteorology and related topics.
sci.image.processing    Scientific image processing and analysis.
sci.lang        Natural languages, communication, etc.
sci.lang.japan        The Japanese language, both spoken and written.
sci.logic        Logic -- math, philosophy & computational aspects.
sci.materials        All aspects of materials engineering.
sci.math        Mathematical discussions and pursuits.
sci.math.research    Discussion of current mathematical research. (Moderated)
sci.math.stat        Statistics discussion.
sci.math.symbolic    Symbolic algebra discussion.
sci.med            Medicine and its related products and regulations.
sci.med.aids        AIDS: treatment, pathology/biology of HIV, prevention. (Moderated)
sci.med.nutrition    Physiological impacts of diet.
sci.med.occupational    Preventing, detecting & treating occupational injuries.
sci.med.physics        Issues of physics in medical testing/care.
sci.military        Discussion about science & the military. (Moderated)
sci.misc        Short-lived discussions on subjects in the sciences.
sci.nanotech        Self-reproducing molecular-scale machines. (Moderated)
sci.optics        Discussion relating to the science of optics.
sci.philosophy.tech    Technical philosophy: math, science, logic, etc.
sci.physics        Physical laws, properties, etc.
sci.physics.fusion    Info on fusion, esp. "cold" fusion.
sci.psychology        Topics related to psychology.
sci.psychology.digest    PSYCOLOQUY: Refereed Psychology Journal and Newsletter. (M
sci.research        Research methods, funding, ethics, and whatever.
sci.research.careers    Issues relevant to careers in scientific research.
sci.skeptic        Skeptics discussing pseudo-science.
sci.space        Space, space programs, space related research, etc.
sci.space.news        Announcements of space-related news items. (Moderated)
sci.space.shuttle    The space shuttle and the STS program.
sci.systems        The theory and application of systems science.
sci.virtual-worlds    Modelling the universe. (Moderated)
sci.virtual-worlds.apps    Current and future uses of virtual-worlds technology. (M

soc.bi            Discussions of bisexuality.
soc.college        College, college activities, campus life, etc.
soc.college.grad    General issues related to graduate schools.
soc.college.gradinfo    Information about graduate schools.
soc.couples        Discussions for couples (cf. soc.singles).
soc.culture.afghanistan    Discussion of the Afghan society.
soc.culture.african    Discussions about Africa & things African.
soc.culture.african.american    Discussions about Afro-American issues.
soc.culture.arabic    Technological & cultural issues, *not* politics.
soc.culture.asean    Countries of the Assoc. of SE Asian Nations.
soc.culture.asian.american    Issues & discussion about Asian-Americans.
soc.culture.australian        Australian culture and society.
soc.culture.bangladesh    Issues & discussion about Bangladesh.
soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna    The indepedent state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
soc.culture.brazil    Talking about the people and country of Brazil.
soc.culture.british    Issues about Britain & those of British descent.
soc.culture.bulgaria    Discussing Bulgarian society.
soc.culture.canada    Discussions of Canada and its people.
soc.culture.caribbean    Life in the Caribbean.
soc.culture.celtic    Irish, Scottish, Breton, Cornish, Manx & Welsh.
soc.culture.china    About China and Chinese culture.
soc.culture.croatia    The lives of people of Croatia.
soc.culture.czecho-slovak    Bohemian, Slovak, Moravian and Silesian life.
soc.culture.europe    Discussing all aspects of all-European society.
soc.culture.filipino    Group about the Filipino culture.
soc.culture.french    French culture, history, and related discussions.
soc.culture.german    Discussions about German culture and history.
soc.culture.greek    Group about Greeks.
soc.culture.hongkong    Discussions pertaining to Hong Kong.
soc.culture.indian    Group for discussion about India & things Indian.
soc.culture.indian.telugu    The culture of the Telugu people of India.
soc.culture.iranian    Discussions about Iran and things Iranian/Persian.
soc.culture.italian    The Italian people and their culture.
soc.culture.japan    Everything Japanese, except the Japanese language.
soc.culture.jewish    Jewish culture & religion. (cf. talk.politics.mideast)
soc.culture.korean    Discussions about Korean & things Korean.
soc.culture.latin-america    Topics about Latin-America.
soc.culture.lebanon    Discussion about things Lebanese.
soc.culture.magyar    The Hungarian people & their culture.
soc.culture.mexican    Discussion of Mexico's society.
soc.culture.misc    Group for discussion about other cultures.
soc.culture.nepal    Discussion of people and things in & from Nepal.
soc.culture.netherlands    People from the Netherlands and Belgium.
soc.culture.new-zealand    Discussion of topics related to New Zealand.
soc.culture.nordic    Discussion about culture up north.
soc.culture.pakistan    Topics of discussion about Pakistan.
soc.culture.polish    Polish culture, Polish past, and Polish politics.
soc.culture.portuguese    Discussion of the people of Portugal.
soc.culture.romanian    Discussion of Romanian and Moldavian people.
soc.culture.soviet    Topics relating to Russian or Soviet culture.
soc.culture.spain    Discussion of culture on the Iberian peninsula.
soc.culture.sri-lanka    Things & people from Sri Lanka.
soc.culture.taiwan    Discussion about things Taiwanese.
soc.culture.tamil    Tamil language, history and culture.

soc.culture.thai    Thai people and their culture.
soc.culture.turkish    Discussion about things Turkish.
soc.culture.usa        The culture of the United States of America.
soc.culture.vietnamese    Issues and discussions of Vietnamese culture.
soc.culture.yugoslavia    Discussions of Yugoslavia and its people.
soc.feminism        Discussion of feminism & feminist issues. (Moderated)
soc.history        Discussions of things historical.
soc.libraries.talk    Discussing all aspects of libraries.
soc.men            Issues related to men, their problems & relationships.
soc.misc        Socially-oriented topics not in other groups.
soc.motss        Issues pertaining to homosexuality.
soc.net-people        Announcements, requests, etc. about people on the net.
soc.penpals        In search of net.friendships.
soc.politics        Political problems, systems, solutions. (Moderated)
soc.politics.arms-d    Arms discussion digest. (Moderated)
soc.religion.bahai    Discussion of the Baha'i Faith. (Moderated)
soc.religion.christian    Christianity and related topics. (Moderated)
soc.religion.eastern    Discussions of Eastern religions. (Moderated)
soc.religion.islam    Discussions of the Islamic faith. (Moderated)
soc.religion.quaker    The Religious Society of Friends.
soc.rights.human    Human rights & activism (e.g., Amnesty International).
soc.roots        Genealogical matters.
soc.singles        Newsgroup for single people, their activities, etc.
soc.veterans        Social issues relating to military veterans.
soc.women        Issues related to women, their problems & relationships.

talk.abortion        All sorts of discussions and arguments on abortion.
talk.bizarre        The unusual, bizarre, curious, and often stupid.
talk.environment    Discussion the state of the environment & what to do.
talk.origins        Evolution versus creationism (sometimes hot!).
talk.philosophy.misc    Philosophical musings on all topics.
talk.politics.animals    The use and/or abuse of animals.
talk.politics.china    Discussion of political issues related to China.
talk.politics.drugs    The politics of drug issues.
talk.politics.guns    The politics of firearm ownership and (mis)use.
talk.politics.medicine    The politics and ethics involved with health care.
talk.politics.mideast    Discussion & debate over Middle Eastern events.
talk.politics.misc    Political discussions and ravings of all kinds.
talk.politics.soviet    Discussion of Soviet politics, domestic and foreign.
talk.politics.space    Non-technical issues affecting space exploration.
talk.politics.theory    Theory of politics and political systems.
talk.rape        Discussions on stopping rape; not to be crossposted.
talk.religion.misc    Religious, ethical, & moral implications.
talk.religion.newage    Esoteric and minority religions & philosophies.
talk.rumors        For the posting of rumors.
--------------------
* UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc.
* DEC and Ultrix are Trademarks of the Digital Equipment Corporation.
* VAX is a Trademark of the Digital Equipment Corporation.
* Ada is a registered Trademark of the Ada Joint Program Office of the
   United States Department of Defense.
* Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corporation.
--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
==============================================================================
·    Subject: How to Construct the Mailpaths File

Archive-name: mailpaths/part1
Original-author: Gene Spafford ([e-mail])
Last-change: 10 Jan 1993 by [e-mail] (Gene Spafford)

News software after B-news version 2.10 -- including C news and INN --
has been designed to make it simpler to submit articles to moderated
newsgroups and to reply via mail to posted articles.  For these
functions to work, the file "mailpaths" must exist in the news library
and contain current information.  This file describes the syntax of
the contents of the file and how to construct it for your site.

Note that the method described below works for most of the popular
news postings software packages in use.  Some systems may not work in
precisely the manner described here.  In particular, some user-agent
programs may consult a file of moderator addresses directly.  The
system news administrator should consult the documentation and man
pages to determine if this description applies to the local
configuration and modify it accordiningly.

Syntax
------
All lines in the file consist of a keyword followed by whitespace,
followed by a printf-style format string which is used to encode a mail
address.  The format string should be constructed so that there is a
single "%s" in the field, and other information necessary to construct
a valid address to the appropriate site (see below).

The keyword field consists of either the word "internet", the word
"backbone", or some newsgroup pattern.  These are examined by the
software to determine which format-string to use.  Note that the FIRST
appropriate line matched is the one used -- thus, the "backbone"
keyword line should be placed last in the line if regional or local
moderated groups are supported.

Also note that the match software quits if it runs out of newsgroup
pattern, and if the pattern present matches the newsgroup.  Thus,
having the entries:
    comp.foo        [e-mail]
    comp.foo.bar    [e-mail]
would always send mail to the moderator of "comp.foo" and not to the
moderator of "comp.foo.bar", no matter which of the two newsgroups was
specified!   For proper operation, you would need to list them thusly:
    comp.foo.bar    [e-mail]
    comp.foo        [e-mail]

Addresses that end up with both "!" and "@" symbols in the resulting
address get converted so that only "!" symbols appear in the final
address.  An address of the form "foo!bar!baz@barf" will get converted
to "foo!bar!barf!baz" and then mailed.  This should work properly, for
"dumb" mailers but you should test it to make sure; "smart" mailers
should have the format fields encoded as a simple "%s". Note that *any*
address with more than a single "@" in it is illegal.

Submissions to moderated groups
-------------------------------
When you attempt to post to a moderated newsgroup (indicated by the
letter "m" in the 4th field of the "active" file for that group),
the action of "inews" is to mail the submission to the moderator.
This is done by searching through "mailpaths" file for a keyword
matching the newgroup being posted to, or, by default, the keyword
"backbone".  Matching occurs as in the "sys" file -- thus,
"world" and "all" will also match everything, while "news" or
"news.all" will only match articles posted in the "news" category.
This feature can be used to support local moderated groups.

Once a line has been matched, the name of the moderated group is
transformed into an address.  This is done by first turning all the
imbedded periods within the newsgroup name into hyphens (e.g.,
"news.lists" becomes "news-lists") because many mailers mishandle
addresses with periods in the username (periods are supposed to be
delimiters only in the host/domain part of RFC822 addresses, but some
mailers "overreact").  Next, the transformed group name is encoded into
an address using the format-string present on the line matched from
"mailpaths" and the article is mailed.  Thus, a posting to "news.lists"
from a site with the line
    backbone        emory!gatech!%s
in the mailpaths file would have the article mailed to
"emory!gatech!news-lists".  Likewise, a line like
    backbone    [e-mail]
would result in the article being mailed to "[e-mail]".
To make the mechanism for moderated postings simpler, a subset of the
best-connected sites (plus some others) have committed to keeping a complete
up-to-date set of mail aliases for the moderated groups.  Therefore, to
build this line in your "mailpaths" file, you need only construct
an address to get the mail to one of these sites.  In turn, once the
submission reaches that site, it will be forwarded on to the
appropriate moderator's mailbox.

The sites currently maintaining these lists are given in the following
list.  Pick the one that is "closest" to your site and use it in your
"backbone" format string:

    ames.arc.nasa.gov       beaver.cs.washington.edu  cis.ohio-state.edu
    decuac.dec.com          decwrl.dec.com          eddie.mit.edu
    kddlab.kddlabs.co.jp    linus.b.mitre.org       math.waterloo.edu
    mcnc.org                ncar.ucar.edu           rutgers.edu
    tektronix.tek.com       ucbvax.berkeley.edu     ucsd.edu
    uflorida.cis.ufl.edu    uunet.uu.net            wrdis01.af.mil


Internet Mail
-------------
If you define the "INTERNET" flag when you build 2.11 news, the
software will use the internet-style "From:" header when addressing
replies mailed to postings.  If your mailer does not have this capability,
you can still (possibly) achieve the same thing by defining the
"internet" line in your "mailpaths" file to forward such mail to
a host that does have a mailer which understands internet-style addresses.

The format of this line is very similar to the "backbone" line.  As an
example, consider:
    internet    emory!gatech!mcnc!%s
Thus, if "INTERNET" was defined when this version of news was built,
any reply to a news article would not travel along the "Path:", but
would instead be sent to "mcnc" for interpretation and remailing.
For example, to reply to this article, the mail would be sent to
"emory!gatech!mcnc![e-mail]"  ->
"emory!gatech!mcnc!cs.purdue.edu!spaf"

Note:  This is being provided as a service to sites which do not
have routing mailers or which have difficulty replying to articles.
It is *NOT* intended for everyone to pass mail to other sites to send.
Excessive use of this feature may result in severe problems for
the sites doing the relaying, so please simply define this field to
be "%s" if your mailer understands domain-style (internet-style)
addressing.

The following sites will accept internet-format mail for forwarding:

    beaver.cs.washington.edu    decuac.dec.com  kddlab.kddlabs.co.jp
    math.waterloo.edu           mcnc.org        ucsd.edu
    uunet.uu.net

--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
==============================================================================
·    Subject: List of Moderators for Usenet

Archive-name: moderator-list/part1
Original-author: Gene Spafford ([e-mail])
Last-change: 10 Jan 1993 by [e-mail] (Gene Spafford)

A number of moderated groups exist on the net.  These are groups which
usually have one or more individuals (acting as editors and/or
moderators) who must approve articles before they are published to the
net.  In general, these groups fall into one of five categories:

1) Groups with postings of an informative nature not suited to
   discussion and always originating from the same (very small) group
   of posters.  Groups within this category include news.lists,
   news.announce.newusers, and comp.mail.maps.

2) Groups derived from regular groups with such a high volume that
   it is hard for the average reader to keep up.  The moderated
   versions of these groups are an attempt to provide a lower volume
   and higher quality version of the same forum.  An example of
   this category is news.announce.newgroups (a reduced form of
   news.groups).

3) Groups derived from regular groups which have often been abused.
   That is, the regular groups often received postings of items which
   were not germane to the stated topic of the group (or sometimes even
   within the realm of politeness for the net).  This also includes
   groups suffering from an annoying number of duplicate postings and
   inappropriate followups.  Moderated groups in this category include
   comp.sources.unix.

4) Groups designed to serve also as direct feedback to an off-the-net
   group.  The discussion in comp.std.mumps is an example of this.

5) Groups which are gatewayed into the Usenet from an Internet
   mailing list.  These groups are moderated by someone on the Internet
   side but are shared with the Usenet population.  Submissions mailed
   to the proper addresses, given below, will appear in both the group
   on Usenet, and the Internet list.  This includes some groups in
   the "inet" distribution which are listed here for completeness:
   comp.ai.vision and rec.mag.fsfnet.

To post to a moderated group, write your article and mail it to the
listed SUBMISSION address.  The moderator will then do the actual
posting of the article.  The news software on the Usenet will not
allow direct posting to moderated newsgroups, nor will it forward
unauthorized articles to other sites.  The only way to post to a
moderated group is to mail it to the moderator.  If your system is
running a version of news more recent than B news 2.10 -- including C
News and INN -- your news software will automatically mail your
article to the moderator if you attempt to post it.  Thus, posting to
a moderated newsgroup should appear the same as posting to any other
group (except you don't see the posting right away).

Depending on the newsgroup involved, if the moderator feels that your
article is inappropriate for the group, s/he will return the article to
you with a suggestion for other newsgroups in which to post it, and/or
an explanation of why it is not appropriate for the moderated group.
You may still post such articles to the regular groups as you currently
do, if such groups exist.

If you have questions or complaints about the way a moderated group is
run, contact the moderator by mail.  Alternatively, you can send mail
to the mailing list "[e-mail]" and it will be
rebroadcast to all of the current Usenet-only newsgroup moderators.

Below is a list of the current moderated groups and the moderators of
those groups. Included in that list are the addresses to use if you
have questions of comments about the groups. After that is given a
list of addresses for submissions of articles to those groups. These
addresses can be used to build the "moderators" file so that
"postnews" can automatically mail an article to the correct moderator.

Note that many of the aliases at the end of this file are for
newsgroups in hierarchies other than the "main Usenet."  These aliases
have been collected from a number of different sources, including the
alias file at uunet.uu.net, and they may not be completely accurate
over time.  You may wish to trim some of these aliases if you don't
get the newsgroups indicated.

If your system is running a version of news more recent than B news
2.10 -- including C News and INN -- posting to moderated newsgroups is
done by mailing your submission to well-defined aliases at a nearby
well-connected site.  The mail path to that site should be in your
news library, in the file "mailpaths" -- there is no need to update a
moderators file with the information in this article, nor is there a
need for you to mail your articles individually.  Information on how
to construct the paths in the "mailpaths" file so this works correctly
are posted in a companion article.

If you are NOT running a recent version of news, you are *STRONGLY*
advised to upgrade to it so as to take advantage of this feature, as
well as the numerous bug fixes and other enhancements.

The addresses below are given in Internet/domain form.  If you are a
UUCP-only site, you can mail to an Internet (EDU, GOV, etc.)-only site
by mailing through the gateways using a uucp-style path, e.g.:
    ...!{mcnc,rutgers,ucsd,uunet,uw-beaver,watmath}!site.domain!address

Gene Spafford
11 Jan 1993
------------------------------------------------------------------
Group
    Moderator or Coordinator    Requests, Comments, etc.
------------------------------------------------------------------
comp.ai.nlang-know-rep
    Christopher Welty    [e-mail]
comp.ai.vision
    Tod Levitt        [e-mail]
comp.archives
    Edward Vielmetti    [e-mail]
comp.archives.msdos.announce
    Keith Petersen,
      Brian O'Neill, Timo Salmi,
      & Harri Valkama    [e-mail]
comp.binaries.acorn
    Jason Williams &
      Edouard Poor        [e-mail]
comp.binaries.amiga
    Michael 'Moose' Dinn    [e-mail]
comp.binaries.atari.st
    Steven Grimm        [e-mail]
comp.binaries.ibm.pc
    Brian O'Neill        [e-mail]
comp.binaries.mac
    Roger Long        [e-mail]
comp.binaries.os2
    Michael D. Kretzer    [e-mail]
comp.bugs.4bsd.ucb-fixes
    Keith Bostic        [e-mail]
comp.compilers
    John Levine        [e-mail]
comp.dcom.telecom
    Patrick Townson        [e-mail]
comp.doc
    Brian Kantor        [e-mail]
comp.doc.techreports
    Richard Golding        [e-mail]
comp.graphics.research
    John R. Murray        [e-mail]
comp.internet.library
    Yoshiyasu Takefuji    [e-mail]
comp.lang.sigplan
    Stu Feldman        [e-mail]
comp.laser-printers
    Richard Furuta        [e-mail]
comp.mail.maps
    Mel Pleasant        [e-mail]
comp.networks.noctools.announce
    ??            [e-mail]
comp.networks.noctools.tools
    ??            [e-mail]
comp.newprod
    Ron Heiby        [e-mail]
comp.org.eff.news
    Christopher Davis &
      Helen Rose        [e-mail]
comp.org.fidonet
    Tim Pozar        [e-mail]
comp.os.linux.announce
    Matt Welsh         [e-mail]
comp.os.ms-windows.announce
    Todd J. Derr        [e-mail]
comp.os.research
    Darrell Long        [e-mail]
comp.parallel
    Dennis Stevenson    [e-mail]
comp.patents
    Peter John Treloar    [e-mail]
comp.protocols.kermit
    Frank da Cruz        [e-mail]
comp.research.japan
    Rick Schlichting    [e-mail]
comp.risks
    Peter G. Neumann    [e-mail]
comp.simulation
    Paul A. Fishwick    [e-mail]
comp.society
    Greg Welsh        [e-mail]
comp.society.cu-digest
    Jim Thomas &
      Gordon Meyer        [e-mail]
comp.society.folklore
    Eric Raymond        [e-mail]
comp.society.privacy
    Dennis G. Rears        [e-mail]
comp.sources.3b1
    David H. Brierley    [e-mail]
comp.sources.acorn
    Jason Williams &
      Edouard Poor        [e-mail]
comp.sources.amiga

    Michael 'Moose' Dinn    [e-mail]
comp.sources.apple2
    Jonathan Chandross    [e-mail]
comp.sources.atari.st
    Steven Grimm        [e-mail]
comp.sources.games
    Bill Randle        [e-mail]
comp.sources.hp48
    Chris Spell        [e-mail]
comp.sources.mac
    Roger Long        [e-mail]
comp.sources.misc
    Kent Landfield &    [e-mail]
      Alec David Muffett
comp.sources.reviewed
    Kevin Braunsdorf    [e-mail]
comp.sources.sun
    Charles McGrew        [e-mail]
comp.sources.unix
    Paul Vixie, Mike Stump
       and Nick Lai        [e-mail]
comp.sources.x
    David C. Martin        [e-mail]
comp.std.announce
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comp.std.mumps
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comp.std.unix
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comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest
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comp.sys.m68k.pc
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comp.sys.mac.digest
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comp.theory.info-retrieval
    ??            [e-mail]
comp.virus
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comp.windows.x.announce
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misc.activism.progressive
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misc.handicap
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misc.news.southasia
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news.announce.conferences
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rec.arts.cinema
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soc.politics
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alt.gourmand
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alt.binaries.pictures.fine-art.d
    Laurence Leff        [e-mail]
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bionet.announce

    Kenton Hoover        [e-mail]
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    Rob Harper        [e-mail]
bit.listserv.big-lan
        John Wobus              [e-mail]
bit.listserv.christia
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bit.listserv.edtech
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bit.listserv.gaynet
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bit.listserv.libres
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bit.listserv.new-list
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gnu.*
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vmsnet.announce
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------------------------------------------------------------------
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:-----------------------------------------------------------------
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comp.sys.concurrent        [e-mail]
comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest        [e-mail]
comp.sys.m68k.pc        [e-mail]
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comp.sys.next.announce        [e-mail]
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comp.virus            [e-mail]
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rec.arts.cinema            [e-mail]
rec.arts.comics.info        [e-mail]
rec.arts.erotica        [e-mail]
rec.arts.movies.reviews        [e-mail]
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rec.arts.startrek.info        [e-mail]
rec.audio.high-end        [e-mail]
rec.aviation.announce        [e-mail]
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rec.aviation.stories        [e-mail]
rec.food.recipes        [e-mail]
rec.games.cyber            [e-mail]
rec.games.frp.announce        [e-mail]
rec.games.frp.archives        [e-mail]
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rec.guns            [e-mail]
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rec.humor.oracle        [e-mail]
rec.hunting            [e-mail]
rec.mag.fsfnet            [e-mail]
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rec.music.info            [e-mail]
rec.music.reviews        [e-mail]
rec.radio.broadcasting        [e-mail]
rec.sport.cricket.scores    [e-mail]
sci.aeronautics.airliners    [e-mail]
sci.astro.hubble        [e-mail]
sci.math.research        [e-mail]
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sci.military            [e-mail]
sci.nanotech            [e-mail]
sci.psychology.digest        [e-mail]
sci.space.news            [e-mail]
sci.virtual-worlds        [e-mail]
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soc.feminism            [e-mail]
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soc.politics.arms-d        [e-mail]
soc.religion.bahai        [e-mail]
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alt.comp.acad-freedom.news    [e-mail]
alt.dev.null            /dev/null
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alt.politics.democrats        [e-mail]
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alt.politics.democrats.house    [e-mail]
alt.politics.democrats.senate    [e-mail]

alt.security.index        [e-mail]
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bionet.software.sources        [e-mail]
bit.listserv.big-lan        [e-mail]
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biz.dec.decnews            [e-mail]
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biz.sco.binaries        [e-mail]
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biz.zeos.announce        [e-mail]
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info.nysersnmp            [e-mail]
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info.sun.managers        [e-mail]
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maus.gatebau            [e-mail]
mi.map                [e-mail]
opinions.supreme-court        [e-mail]
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relcom.postmasters        [e-mail]
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resif.oracle            [e-mail]
sfnet.atk.flpf.tiedotukset    [e-mail]
sfnet.csc.tiedotukset        [e-mail]
sfnet.funet.tiedotukset        [e-mail]
sfnet.fuug.tiedotukset        [e-mail]
sfnet.harrastus.astronomia    [e-mail]
sfnet.harrastus.mensa        [e-mail]
sfnet.lists.sunflash        [e-mail]
sfnet.opiskelu.ymp.kurssit    [e-mail]
sfnet.tiede.tilastotiede.jatkokoulutus    [e-mail]
sura.announce            [e-mail]
sura.noc.status            [e-mail]
sura.security            [e-mail]
tamu.religion.christian        [e-mail]
tx-thenet-managers        [e-mail]
tx.maps                [e-mail]
uiuc.org.men            [e-mail]
@UPBYTES@@NUMTIMESON@@LASTDATEON@@EXPDATE@@SECURITY@@HOMEPHONE@@DATAPHONE@uunet.
uunet.announce            [e-mail]
uunet.products            [e-mail]
uunet.status            [e-mail]
uunet.tech            [e-mail]
vmsnet.announce            [e-mail]
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vmsnet.decus.journal        [e-mail]
vmsnet.sources            [e-mail]
--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
==============================================================================
·    Subject: How to Get Information about Networks

Archive-name: network-info/part1
Original-author: Randall Atkinson <[e-mail]>
Last-change: 5 May 1992 by [e-mail] (Gene Spafford)

This is a periodic posting on how to get information about the
Internet and how to get information about connecting to the (US)
National Science Foundation's NSFNET through an NSF-affiliated
regional network, or to get commercial Internet service through a
commercial service provider.

I. The NSFNET Network Service Center (NNSC) makes current documentation
   on the NSFNET available via a mail server and by anonymous ftp.

   Because the contents of the documents are constantly being updated,
   this posting only describes how to obtain a current copy rather than
   providing the data directly.

   Using the mail server: Send mail to the address shown below
   (nnsc.nsf.net) and leave the "Subject;" line blank.
   The first line of the message body should contain a "Request:"
   line, followed by a "Topic:" line, as described below.  You do not
   need a "Subject:" line, but be sure your mailer puts out a valid
   "From:" line that the server can respond to!

  To obtain current contact information on the NSFNET and its affiliated
  regional networks, send the following mail message to the mail-server:
  "[e-mail]":

    Request: NSFNET
    Topic:   NNSC

  To obtain information on how to connect to the Internet through the
  NSFNET or an NSF-affiliated network, send the following mail message
  to the mail-server "[e-mail]":

    Request: NSFNET
    Topic:   CONNECTING

  To obtain information on the documents currently available on the
  NSFNET from the info-server, send the following mail message to the
  mail server "[e-mail]":

    Request: NSFNET
    Topic:   NSFNET-HELP


  If you need to contact the people at the NNSC directly, you can either
  send mail or call them.  It would be a good idea to read the NSFNET
  documents first though.

    Electronic Mail:  <[e-mail]>
        Telephone:        [phone].

II.  General Internet information documents are available from the
   DDN Network Information Center (which is part of the Internet).
   There are several "For Your Information (FYI)" documents
   published as part of the Internet "Request For Comments (RFC)"
   series of documents.  These can be helpful in getting a better
   understanding of the Internet and its services and organization.
   Experienced, novice, and would-be Internet users can all benefit
   from reading these documents.

 Included among these are:

  RFC-1208 Glossary of Networking Terms
  RFC-1207 FYI: Answers to commonly asked "experienced Internet user" questions
  RFC-1206 FYI: Answers to commonly asked "new Internet user" questions
  RFC-1178 Choosing a Name for your Computer
  RFC-1150 FYI on FYI: Introduction to the FYI notes

  These RFCs can be obtained by anonymous ftp from nic.ddn.mil or via
  email server from nisc.sri.com.  To use the RFC email server, send
  an email message to [e-mail] with the subject line
  blank and the message body indicating the RFC desired.  The NIC
  service will email the requested RFC back to you.

  For example, to get a copy of RFC-1208 send an email message to
  [e-mail] with no subject line, and a message body
  containing:

  send rfc/RFC1208.txt


III. The Internet is composed of many networks, not just those
   sponsored or affiliated with the US Government. There are also
   commercial Internet service providers.  Commercial firms that might
   not meet requirements for connecting to a US Government-related
   network can still connect to the TCP/IP Internet via commercial
   service providers not affiliated with the NSFNET or the DDN
   Internet:

   UUNET Communications Services (UUNET)
   [e-mail]

   Performance Systems, Inc. (PSI)
   [e-mail]

   You should contact them directly to obtain more information about
   their services. Nothing in this posting is intended or should be construed as
   an endorsement of any commercial service or commercial firm.

--
Gene Spafford
Software Engineering Research Center & Dept. of Computer Sciences
Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-1398
Internet:  [e-mail]    phone:  [phone]
==============================================================================
·    Subject: A Guide to Social Newsgroups and Mailing Lists

Archive-name: social-newsgroups/part1
Original-author: [e-mail] (Dave Taylor)
Last-change: 2 Mar 1992 by [e-mail] (Dave Taylor)


     A Brief Guide to Social Newsgroups and Mailing Lists
                on the Usenet


INTRODUCTION

The Usenet distributed conferencing system is a terrific way to meet
new friends and engage in many interesting topics of conversation, but
people just joining our on-line community often have a difficult time
figuring out which group is which and what groups they could join to
find like-minded individuals.

To try to help this situation, this article is intended to be one of
a group of regularly posted articles that are given to new users to
aid you in deciding where you might have the best luck finding new
electronic friends that share your interests both socially and sexually.

Disclaimer: some of what is said on Usenet might be offensive to you as
some of the groups discuss topics that are, well, a bit unusual.
Fortunately it's easy to avoid this problem; don't read that group.  Also
please keep in mind that the more controversial the subject, the more
likely the group is awash in inane, unrelated discussion, partially
due to the nature of the Usenet community and partially perhaps due to
how uncomfortable most people are with these subjects.

To reiterate this point, please do NOT join a group to find a forum for
arguing or demonstrating righteous indignation over a particular belief,
behavior, or desire.  Those discussions are almost always completely
inappropriate and the more controversial the subject, the more likely
the participants in a group are going to dislike judgemental postings.
Also, there is a good chance that you have misunderstood either the
offending article or the responses of other readers.  In other words,
you may well be alone in your indignation.

Finally, as with all groups on the Usenet, once you find one that
seems of interest, please try to spend a week or two just reading
the group and learning how conversations proceed in that particular
forum before you jump in.  It'll save you, and others, a lot of grief
and unpleasantness.

THE GROUPS

alt.romance

   One of the nicest things about any relationship, be it the beginning of
   a courtship or years into a more serious commitment, are the little
   things that you do for each other, the romance.  If you're interested
   in chatting with people about what is considered romantic, talking about
   a particular romantic thing that you've done, or even just reading
   stories about what other couples have done to 'be romantic' or 'have a
   romantic liaison', then this is the group.

alt.sex

   What's a relationship without sex?  For that matter, how many of us
   would be around without our parents having had sex?  This group is one of
   the most controversial on the net, not surprisingly, and while the
   actual number of articles that discuss sex or sexuality is distressingly
   low, the group is still an interesting place to find the occasional
   horror story of a sexual rendezvous gone bad, to read debates about
   what type of birth control (or condom) is best, or even to read some
   surprisingly revealing details about the sex lives of people on the net.

alt.sex.bestiality

   While bestiality refers to engaging in sexual activity with an animal,
   the articles in this group seem to talk about everything but that.

alt.sex.bondage

   The best spin-off discussion from alt.sex, this group has a higher level
   of interesting articles, which talk about bondage and related topics,
   ranging from the psychology of being confined by another during sexual
   play to the mechanics of different bondage devices.  It also occasionally
   delves into sadism and masochism, so as with any other group, if you don't
   like what you're reading, be prepared to unsubscribe.

rec.arts.erotica

   A moderated group with long, but infrequent articles, rec.arts.erotica
   is the main focus for erotica and pornography, depending on your
   standards.  Most are explicit, and some demonstrate a surprising writing
   ability, but many also seem rather sleazy and variously demeaning.  Just
   like reading the Letters to Penthouse, it's a mixed bag as to whether any
   of it will be exciting or erotic to you.

soc.couples

   Being in a short or long term relationship offers much in the way of
   joy, pleasure, and emotional satisfaction, but it also offers the
   chance for major arguments and other problems.  This group is where
   you can talk about the relationship you're in with others that are also
   in relationships of their own.

soc.feminism

   Soc.feminism is a moderated newsgroup for the discussion of feminist
   issues.  Both men and women are encouraged to post to it and discussion
   is not limited to the pro-feminist viewpoint.

   This group differs from soc.women in that moderation keeps out the
   flames and inappropriate cross-posts.  In addition, there are several
   subjects appropriate for soc.women but not soc.feminism (e.g.  the
   sporadic "where do I find comfortable shoes?"  discussion that turns up
   in soc.women or discussions of women's health, other than policy issues
   related to it).

soc.men

   This group discusses similar issues to soc.women, but from the
   male perspective.  Topics include equal rights, child support,
   custody of children, relationships and so on.  In addition, there
   are often topics specific to men including shaving in the shower,
   post-workout skin care, and similar.  Both men and women are active
   participants in this group.

soc.motss

   While the Usenet community is pretty open minded, many of the
   aforementioned social groups tend to be populated primarily by
   the heterosexual community.  Soc.motss (Members of the Same Sex)
   is where people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or just interested and
   sympathetic can share conversation about relationships, dating, travel,
   and the like.  Discussion of the validity or appropriateness of
   homosexuality is inappropriate, however, and will not be appreciated.

soc.singles

   Of all the things that people seem to have in common, perhaps the most
   common thread of all is the bouts of being single, and the hunting and
   searching for relationships that this implies.  This group is a forum
   for all discussions even vaguely related to either being single or the
   quest for a relationship.  Indeed, it has been likened to an electronic
   cocktail party, where people have known each other (electronically,
   usually) for years.  There are also a number of people in relationships
   that share their thoughts, as well as a high level of aggression between
   some of the contributors.

soc.women

   Soc.women is an unmoderated group that discusses similar issues to
   soc.men, but from the female perspective.  Topics include equal rights,
   child support, custody of children, relationships and so on.  In addition,
   there are often topics specific to women including shaving legs, finding
   comfortable shoes, and so on.  Both men and women are active participants
   in this group.

OTHER PLACES TO LOOK

In addition to these Usenet groups, there are many other forums on
Usenet where you can make new friends and share conversations about
topics of interest to yourself.  Among them are the many "soc.culture"
groups for specific ethnic/geographic cultures, the "soc.religion" and
"talk.religion" groups for those interested in meeting friends of a
specific religious background, the "rec.*" groups oriented about a
specific recreational activity and many more.

Also, there are a number of different private mailing lists for specific
sexual and social orientations, including:

  alternates
      Contact: [e-mail]

      Purpose: Alternates is a mailing list for people who advocate, and/or
      practice an alternate sexual lifestyle. Alternates is intended as a
      forum and support group for adult men and women who espouse their
      freedom of choice and imagination in human sexual relations, no matter
      what their orientaion. Those who are offended by frank, and
      uninhibited discussions relating to sexual issues should not
      subscribe.

      Moderator/Editor: <[e-mail]>

  bears
      Contact: [e-mail] (Steve Dyer & Brian Gollum)
               ...!{harvard,ima,linus,mirror}!spdcc!bears-request

      Purpose: Mail.bears is a mailing list in digest format for gay
      and bisexual men who are bears themselves and for those who enjoy
      the company of bears.  The exact definition of a "bear" seems to
      be a personal one, but it encompasses men who are variously cuddly,
      furry, perhaps stocky, or bearded.  Mail.bears is designed to be a
      forum to bring together folks with similar interests for conversation,
      friendship and sharing of experiences.  The tone of mail.bears
      will be determined by its members, but people uncomfortable with

      discussing sexually explicit topics via electronic mail should
      not subscribe.

  cdforum
      Contact: uunet!samsung!wizvax!cdforum-request  (Stephanie Gilgut)

      Purpose: To provide support/discuss/share experiences about gender
      related issues; Crossdressing, Transvestism, Transsexualism, etc.
      This list is in Digest Format.

  feminists
      Contact: [e-mail] (Patricia Collins)

      Purpose: The feminist mailing list is intended to provide a forum
      for discussion of issues of interest to women, in a friendly
      atmosphere. The basic tenets of feminism and the day-to-day
      experiences of women do not have to be explained or defended.  Men
      and women can join, but everyone requesting to be added to the
      mailing list MUST provide the moderator with: 1) a full name; 2) a
      complete uucp path to a well-known host or a fully specified
      Internet address; 3) the correspondent's gender (for records and
      statistics only).  NO exceptions.

  men
      Contact: attunix!mail-men-request
           [e-mail] (Marcel Franck Simon)

      Purpose: This digested mailing list discusses "men's issues."
      Both women and men may join. Mail-men is a place where men and
      women can discuss men's issues in an atmosphere of openness and
      support. Men's issues are those problems and experiences that
      affect male humans.

  sappho
      Contact:  [e-mail]
        [e-mail] (Regis)

      Purpose: A forum and support group for gay and bisexual women.
      The list is not moderated, but may become so if the volume and/or
      content