Aminet 1 (Walnut Creek)/Aminet - June 1993 [Walnut Creek].iso/usenet/sources/volume90/unix/uucp103d/part13

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Path: xanth!cs.odu.edu!Amiga-Request
From: [e-mail] (Amiga Sources/Binaries Moderator)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.amiga
Subject: v90i057: uucp 1.03D - unix compatible uucp/mail/news system, Part13/16
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 4 Feb 90 02:41:44 GMT
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Approved: [e-mail] (Tad Guy)
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Submitted-by: overload!dillon (Matt Dillon)
Posting-number: Volume 90, Issue 057
Archive-name: unix/uucp-1.03d/part13

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X      in Mark Horton's excellent paper How to Read the Network News; if
X      you have not read that yet, stop here and do so.  A lot  of  what
X      follows  depends on your knowing (at least vaguely) the mechanics
X      of posting news.
X
X           Before we discuss these customs, we ought  to  look  at    the
X      history  of  USENET, what it is today, and why we need these con-
X      ventions.
X
X      2.  All About USENET
X
X           USENET began on a  set  of  computers  in  North  Carolina's
X      Research  Triangle.    The  programs  involved (known as "netnews"
X      then, and "A news" now)  exchanged  messages;  it  was  a  small,
X      multi-computer  bulletin  board system.  As time passed, adminis-
X      trators of other systems began to connect their computers to this
X      bulletin board system.  The network grew.  Then, at Berkeley, the
X
X
X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X
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X
X
X      news programs were rewritten (this version  became  known  as  "B
X      news")  and  the  format  changed  to  conform  to ARPA standards
X      (again, this became the "B protocol for news".*) This version  of
X      news    was very widely distributed, and at this point USENET began
X      to take on its current shape.
X
X           USENET is a logical network (as opposed to a  physical  net-
X      work.)  It  is also a very amorphous network, in that there is no
X      central administration or controlling site.  There is not even an
X      official list of members, although there is a very complete unof-
X      ficial one.  A site gets access to USENET by finding    some  other
X      site    already  on USENET that it can connect to and exchange news
X      articles.  So long as this second site (called a neighbor of  the
X      first site) remains willing and able to pass articles to and from
X      the first site, the first site is on USENET.    A site    leaves    the
X      USENET  only    when no one is willing or able to pass articles to,
X      or accept articles from, it.
X
X           As a result, USENET has no equivalent of a "sysop"  or  cen-
X      tral    authority controlling the bulletin board.  What little con-
X      trol is exercised is wielded by the person at each  site  who  is
X      responsible  for  maintaining the USENET connections (this person
X      is called the "USENET administrator.") Because  most  USENET  ad-
X      ministrators are (relatively) new to USENET, and because adminis-
X      tering USENET locally involves a great deal of work, most  USENET
X      administrators  tend    to  follow  the lead of other, more experi-
X      enced, administrators (often known somewhat irreverently as  "net
X      gurus.") This is not an abdication of responsibility, but a means
X      of keeping the amount of work little enough so  it  can  be  done
X      without  interfering    with  the local USENET administrator's job.
X      An example of this is the list  of  currently  active  newsgroups
X      circulated  every month or so.  It is not "official" - no one has
X      that authority - but as the maintainer is  doing  the  work  that
X      every  other    USENET administrator would have to do otherwise, it
X      is accepted as a valid list.    If the maintainer changes the  list
X      in  a  way  another USENET administrator finds unacceptable, that
X      administrator can simply ignore  the    list.    (Incidentally,  the
X      "net  gurus"  became  known as such because of the work they have
X      contributed to USENET.  Their experience is a  valuable  resource
X      for each USENET administrator.)
X
X           Because the USENET has grown so wildly, a number of problems
X      have    appeared.  One of these problems is technical, and a number
X      of the conventions this document describes spring  from  attempts
X      to keep this problem under control.
X
X           The technical problem arises due to the transport  mechanism
X      used    by most USENET sites.  Most computers on USENET do not have
X      access to large-area networks like ARPANET.  As a result the only
X
X      __________
X
X      * See Standard for Interchange of USENET Messages for a
X        description of the two formats.
X
X
X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X      viable transport mechanism these sites can use is a set  of  pro-
X      grams collectively known as UUCP and which communicate over dial-
X      up telephone lines.  Initially, news programs generated one  UUCP
X      command  per    article.   With  the  explosion  of the USENET, the
X      number of articles simply swamped many sites; phone  lines  would
X      be  tied up all day transmitting news, and many articles would be
X      processed at the same time, slowing down  the  computers  notice-
X      ably.
X
X           The solution was to batch messages.  This way, many articles
X      are  sent  via  UUCP with one command, and the command on the re-
X      ceiving machine would split  the  file  into    separate  articles,
X      which could then be processed individually.  While this increased
X      the size of the files being sent, it cut down on  the  number  of
X      UUCP    commands sent, and since sending a command involves quite a
X      bit of overhead, this decreased the duration of phone calls,    and
X      to a lesser degree the load on the computer.    At some sites, such
X      as Purdue, this was not quite enough, so a simple spooler was im-
X      plemented to process the individual articles one at a time.  This
X      reduced the system load to a very acceptable amount.
X
X           However, the problem has not gone away by any means.  In one
X      sense  it  has  become  worse; as more articles are posted to the
X      network, phone costs and system loads averages increase, and sys-
X      tem  administrators  require USENET administrators to cut back or
X      eliminate newsgroups and to transmit news only  at  night  (which
X      means  long propagation delays).  In short, everyone who has any-
X      thing to do with administering any USENET site is very  concerned
X      about the future of USENET, both in general and at his own site.
X
X           Many of the rules you will read address this  concern.    The
X      fear    that  USENET may collapse is not a bogeyman, but very real.
X      We hope it will not collapse, and the rules  below  outline  some
X      ways    to prevent problems and increase the likelihood that enough
X      sites will remain on USENET to keep it alive.  There is  no  cen-
X      tral authority that can force you to follow them, but by doing so
X      you will help keep USENET a valuable    resource  to  the  computer
X      community.
X
X      3.  Deciding to Post
X
X           Before you decide to post an article, you should consider  a
X      few things.
X
X      3.1.    Do not repeat postings
X
X           This applies even if you did not post  the  information    the
X      first  time around.  If you know the answer to a question someone
X      asked, first read the follow-ups, and if you have something  more
X      to  contribute, mail it to the questioner; if you think it should
X      be seen by others, ask the questioner to summarize the answers he
X      receives in a subsequent article.  One of the biggest problems on
X      USENET is that many copies of the same answer to a  simple  ques-
X      tion are posted.
X
X
X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X           If you want to repost something because you believe  it    did
X      not  get to other USENET sites due to transmission problems (this
X      happens sometimes, but a lot less often than commonly  believed),
X      do  some  checking  before  you  repost.  If you have a friend at
X      another USENET site, call him and ask if the article made  it  to
X      his site.  Ask your USENET administrator if he knows of any prob-
X      lems in the USENET; there are special newsgroups to which  USENET
X      administrators  subscribe  in  which problems are reported, or he
X      can contact his counterparts at other sites for information.    Fi-
X      nally,  if you decide you must repost it, indicate in the article
X      subject that it is a reposting, and say why you are reposting  it
X      (if you don't, you'll undoubtedly get some very nasty mail.)
X
X           Reposting announcements of products or  services  is  flatly
X      forbidden.   Doing  so  may convince other sites to turn off your
X      USENET access.
X
X           When school starts, hoards of new  users  descend  upon    the
X      USENET  asking  questions.   Many  of  these    questions have been
X      asked, and answered, literally thousands of  times  since  USENET
X      began.   The    most  common of these questions, and their answers,
X      have been collected in the hope that the new users will read them
X      and  not  re-post  the  same questions.  So, if you want to ask a
X      question, check Appendix A (Answers  to  Frequently  Asked  Ques-
X      tions)  to  be sure it isn't one that has been asked and answered
X      literally hundreds  of  times  before  you  started  reading    the
X      USENET.
X
X      3.2.    Do not post anything when upset, angry, or intoxicated
X
X           Posting an article is a lot like driving a car - you have to
X      be  in  control of yourself.    Postings which begin "Jane, you ig-
X      norant slut, ..." are very definitely considered in poor  taste*.
X      Unfortunately, they are also far too common.
X
X           The psychology of this is interesting.  One  popular  belief
X      is that since we interact with USENET via computers, we all often
X      forget that a computer did not do the posting; a  human  did.   A
X      contributing    factor is that you don't have to look the target of
X      abuse in the eye when you post  an  abusive  message;  eye-to-eye
X      contact  has    an amazing effect on inhibiting obnoxious behavior.
X      As a result, discussions on the USENET often    degenerate  into  a
X      catfight far more readily than would a face-to-face discussion.
X
X           Before you post an article, think a minute;  decide  whether
X      or not you are upset, angry, or high.  If you are, wait until you
X      calm down (or come down) before deciding to post something.  Then
X      think  about whether or not you really want to post it.  You will
X      be amazed what waiting a day or even a few hours can do for  your
X      perspective.
X
X
X      __________
X      * Unless you are critiquing Saturday Night Live.
X
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X           Bear in mind that shouting hasn't convinced anyone  of  any-
X      thing since the days of Charlemagne, and being abusive makes peo-
X      ple hold even more tenaciously to their ideas or opinions.   Gen-
X      tleness,  courtesy,  and  eloquence  are far more persuasive; not
X      only do they indicate you have enough confidence in your words to
X      allow them to speak for you, but also they indicate a respect for
X      your audience.  This in turn makes it easier for your audience to
X      like    or  respect you - and people tend to be far more interested
X      in, and receptive to, arguments advanced by those  they  like  or
X      respect  than by writers who are abusive.  Finally, remember that
X      some discussions or situations simply cannot    be  resolved.    Be-
X      cause people are different, agreed-upon facts often lead to wild-
X      ly different feelings and  conclusions.   These  differences    are
X      what    makes life so wonderful; were we all alike, the world would
X      be a very boring place.  So, don't get frantic; relax  and  enjoy
X      the discussion.  Who knows, you might even learn something!
X
X      3.3.    Be sure your posting is appropriate to USENET
X
X           Some things are inappropriate to post to USENET.  Discussing
X      whether  or not some other discussion is appropriate, or if it is
X      in the right newsgroup, is an example.   Invariably,    the  "meta-
X      discussion"  generates  so  many  articles that the discussion is
X      simply overwhelmed and vanishes; but the meta-discussion  lingers
X      on  for  several weeks, driving most of the readers of that news-
X      group out of their collective minds.    Help preserve the sanity of
X      your fellow USENET readers by mailing such comments to the people
X      involved, rather than posting them.
X
X           Another example of inappropriate postings  is  the  infamous
X      "spelling  flame."  Every few months someone takes another poster
X      to task for poor spelling or grammar.  Soon,    everyone  jumps  on
X      the  bandwagon, tearing apart one another's postings for such er-
X      rors.  To put it mildly, this angers almost everyone involved for
X      no  real  reason.  Please remember that we all make mistakes, and
X      there are a lot of people for whom English is a second  language.
X      So,  try to keep your spelling and grammar comments to yourself -
X      but if you find you simply cannot, mail them to the poster rather
X      than posting them.
X
X           Far more insidious are requests similar to "How can I splice
X      into    the local cable TV transmission line?" Posting to USENET is
X      akin to publishing, so don't ask for or post instructions on  how
X      to do something illegal.  And please don't quote the First Amend-
X      ment, or the laws allowing freedom of  speech  in  your  country;
X      while the posting programs will not stop you, the aftermath could
X      be very unpleasant - lawsuits and court trials usually  are,    and
X      the  USENET  would certainly collapse as sites dropped from it to
X      protect themselves from legal liability.  You wouldn't want  that
X      on your conscience, would you?  Of course not.
X
X           Related to this is the next rule.
X
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X      3.4.    Do not post other people's work without permission
X
X           Posting something to USENET puts it in the public domain for
X      all practical purposes.  So, be careful about posting things like
X      UNIX*-related material (specifically source code) or company  do-
X      cuments;  consider  licensing and nondisclosure agreements first.
X      Some people regard the posting of  "diffs" based on licensed code
X      to be a suitable compromise, as they are only useful to those who
X      have the base code already.
X
X           Copyrighted works  are  a  separate  problem.   Both  United
X      States  and  international law provide protection for copyrighted
X      works; other than short extracts for purposes of  criticism,    you
X      cannot  copy    a copyrighted work in whole or in part without per-
X      mission of the copyright holder (who may, or may not, be the  au-
X      thor.)  Without this protection, artists could not make any money
X      and hence would have limited incentive  to  make  the  fruits  of
X      their  art  available at all.  Posting a copyrighted work without
X      permission is theft, even though the property stolen is not  tan-
X      gible in most cases.    Hence, posting movie and book reviews, song
X      lyrics, or anything else which is copyrighted without the permis-
X      sion    of  the  copyright holder, could cause you personally, your
X      company, or the USENET itself to  be    held  liable  for  damages.
X      Please  be  very  careful that you obey the law when posting such
X      material!
X
X      3.5.    Don't forget that opinions are those of the poster and  not
X      his employer.
X
X           Every so often, someone will post a particularly  disgusting
X      article,  and  a number of responses will ask if all employees of
X      the original poster's company share his (revolting)  opinion,  or
X      suggest  that  action  be  taken  against  that  company.  Please
X      remember that all opinions or statements in articles    are  to  be
X      attributed  to  the poster only, and in particular, do not neces-
X      sarily represent the opinions of the poster's employer, the owner
X      of  the  computer  on which the article originated, or anyone in-
X      volved with any aspect of USENET - and consequently the responsi-
X      bility  for  any USENET message rests with the poster and with no
X      one else.  The appropriate response is not to attack the  company
X      or its other employees; let the poster know what you think of his
X      posting via mail.  If the postings continue,    take  advantage  of
X      the news software's presenting you with the author's name and the
X      subject line and then asking if you  want  to  see  the  article;
X      start  looking  for the poster's name or the offensive subject in
X      the articles presented to you and skip them. If  you    really    get
X      offended, you can unsubscribe from a newsgroup.
X
X           Part of the price of freedom  is  allowing  others  to  make
X      fools  of themselves.  You wouldn't like to be censored, so don't
X      advocate censorship of others.  No one is forcing you to read the
X
X      __________
X      *UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T.
X
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X      postings.
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X           In some countries, posting or receiving certain types of ar-
X      ticles  may  be  a  criminal offense.  As a result, certain news-
X      groups which circulate freely within the United States may not be
X      circulated in other nations without risking civil or criminal li-
X      abilities.  In this case, the appropriate  action  for  sites  in
X      that    country is neither to accept nor to transmit the newsgroup.
X      No site is ever forced to accept or pass on any newsgroup.
X
X      4.  Where to Post
X
X           The various newsgroups and distributions have various  rules
X      associated  with  their  use.   This    section will describe these
X      rules and offer suggestions on which newsgroups to post your mes-
X      sage.
X
X      4.1.    Keep the distribution as limited as possible
X
X           A basic principle of posting is to keep the distribution  of
X      your    article  as  limited as possible.  Like our modern society,
X      USENET is suffering from both an information glut and information
X      pollution.   It  is widely believed that the USENET will cease to
X      function unless we are able to cut down the quantity of articles.
X      One  step  in  this  direction is not to post something to places
X      where it will be worthless.  For example, if you live in  Hacken-
X      sack,  New  Jersey, the probability of anyone in Korea wanting to
X      buy your 1972 Toyota is about as close to zero as  you  can  get.
X      So confine your posting to the New Jersey area.
X
X           To do this, you can either post to a local group, or post to
X      a  net-wide  group  and use the distribution feature to limit how
X      widely your article will go.    When you give your posting  program
X      (usually postnews(1)) a distribution, you are (in essence) saying
X      that machines which do not recognize that distribution should not
X      get  the  article.   (Think of it as a subgroup based on locality
X      and you'll get the idea.) For example, if you are posting in  the
X      San Francisco Bay Area, and you post your article to rec.auto but
X      give ba as the distribution, the article will not be sent  beyond
X      the  San  Francisco Bay Area (to which the ba distribution is lo-
X      cal) even though you put it in a  net-wide  newsgroup.   Had    you
X      given  the distribution as ca (the California distribution), your
X      article would have been sent to all Californian sites on  USENET.
X      Had  you given the distribution as world, your article would have
X      been sent to all sites on USENET.
X
X      4.2.    Do not post the same article twice to different groups
X
X           If you have an article that you want to post  to  more  than
X      one  group, post to both at the same time.  Newer versions of the
X      news software will show an article only once    regardless  of    how
X      many    newsgroups  it appears in.  But if you post it once to each
X      different group, all versions of news software will show it  once
X      for  each  newsgroup.   This    angers    a  lot of people and wastes
X
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X      everybody's time.
X
X      4.3.    Do not post to moderated newsgroups.
X
X           You may not post directly to certain newsgroups; you  cannot
X      post    to  some  at all.  Newer versions of the news software will
X      inform you when either of these  restrictions  apply,  but  older
X      versions of news software will not.
X
X           If you want to have the    appropriate  moderator    post  some-
X      thing,  mail    it  to    the moderator.    (If you do not know the ad-
X      dress,  ask  your  USENET  administrator.   In  some    cases,    the
X      software  will automatically mail, rather than post, your article
X      to the moderator.)
X
X      4.4.    Ask someone if you can't figure out where to post your  ar-
X      ticle
X
X           If you cannot figure out where to post  something,  look  in
X      news.announce.newusers  for the list of active newsgroups.  (This
X      is posted biweekly.  If you can't find it, look at  the  list  in
X      How  to Read the Network News; but be aware that list is undoubt-
X      edly out of date already.) If your article does not seem  to    fit
X      in  any  of the listed groups, post it to misc.misc or don't post
X      it.
X
X           If you still are not sure which newsgroup to post your arti-
X      cle  to,  ask  an  old-timer.  If your site doesn't have any old-
X      timers (or none of  the  old-timers  will  admit  to  being  old-
X      timers), contact any of the following people:
X
X           Gene Spafford ([e-mail], [e-mail])
X           Mark Horton ([e-mail])
X           Rick Adams ([e-mail], [e-mail])
X           Chuq Von Rospach ([e-mail])
X           Matt Bishop ([e-mail], [e-mail])
X
X      We will be happy to help you.  But, please, do not post the arti-
X      cle to the net before you ask us!
X
X      4.5.    Be sure there is a consensus before creating  a  new  news-
X      group
X
X           Creating a new newsgroup is, in general, a  very  bad  idea.
X      Currently,  there  are  so  many  articles  being posted that the
X      USENET is in danger of collapse as site  after  site    decides  to
X      cease  to  accept  and  retransmit certain newsgroups.  Moreover,
X      there is no established procedure for deleting  a  newsgroup,  so
X      once    created, newsgroups tend to stay around.  They also tend to
X      encourage people to think up new newsgroups, and  the  cycle    re-
X      peats.  Try to avoid thinking up new newsgroups.
X
X           If, however, you believe a new group should be  created,  be
X      sure    you  have  a  consensus  that the group is needed (either a
X
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X      mailing list has enough traffic and readers to justify turning it
X      into    a newsgroup, or a discussion in a current newsgroup becomes
X      so large for a period of time long enough to warrant splitting it
X      into    a newsgroup.) Then post an article to news.group as well as
X      any other groups related to your proposed new group, and  discuss
X      the  topics  you are proposing be covered in your new group, what
X      it should be called, whether it is really needed, and  so  forth.
X      Try  to resolve all objections, and take into account all sugges-
X      tions and comments; finally, have everyone mail you  a  "yes"  or
X      "no"  vote on whether the group should be created.  Try to get at
X      least 40 or 50 "yes" votes before creating the group; if you want
X      to be safe, get around 100.
X
X      4.6.    Watch out for newsgroups which    have  special  rules  about
X      posting
X
X           Some newsgroups have special rules.  This section summarizes
X      them.
X
X      rec.arts.books      Do not post anything revealing a    plot  or  a
X                  plot twist without putting the word "spoiler"
X                  somewhere in the "Subject" field.  This  will
X                  let  those who do not wish to have a surprise
X                  spoiled skip the article.
X
X      rec.humor          If you want to post an offensive    joke  (this
X                  includes    racial, religious, sexual, and sca-
X                  tological humor, among  other  kinds)  rotate
X                  it.   (If  you  do  not know what this means,
X                  look in the section Writing Your Posting.)
X
X      rec.arts.movies     Do not post anything revealing a    plot  or  a
X                  plot twist without putting the word "spoiler"
X                  in the "Subject" field.  This will let  those
X                  who  do  not  wish to have a surprise spoiled
X                  skip the article.
X
X      news.group          Discussions about whether or  not  to  create
X                  new  groups,  and what to name them, go here.
X                  Please mail your votes to the proposer; don't
X                  post them.
X
X      comp.sources          Source code postings  go    here.    Discussions
X                  are not allowed.    Do not post bug fixes here.
X
X      comp.sources.bugs   Bug reports and bug fixes to  sources  posted
X                  in comp.sources go here.
X
X      comp.sources.wanted Requests for sources go here.
X
X      misc.test          Use the smallest distribution  possible.     In
X                  the  body  of  the  message, say what you are
X                  testing.
X
X
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X      misc.wanted          Requests for things other than source code go
X                  here.   Please  use the smallest distribution
X                  possible.  Post offers here, too.
X
X      5.  Writing the Article
X
X           Here are some suggestions to help you communicate effective-
X      ly  with others on the USENET.  Perhaps the best advice is not to
X      be afraid to consult a book on writing style; two of the best are
X      How  to  Write  for the World of Work by Cunningham and Pearsall,
X      and Elements of Style by Strunk and White.
X
X      5.1.    Write for your audience
X
X           USENET is an international network, and any article you post
X      will be very widely read.  Even more importantly, your future em-
X      ployers may be among the readers!  So, try to make a good impres-
X      sion.
X
X           A basic principle  of  all  writing  is    to  write  at  your
X      readers'  reading  level.   It  is better to go below than above.
X      Aiming where "their heads ought to be" may be fine if you  are  a
X      college  professor (and a lot of us would dispute even that), but
X      it is guaranteed to cause people to ignore your article.  Studies
X      have    shown  that  the  average American reads at the fifth grade
X      level and the average professional reads  at    the  twelfth  grade
X      level.
X
X      5.2.    Be clear and concise
X
X           Remember that you are writing for a very busy audience; your
X      readers  will not puzzle over your article.  So be very clear and
X      very concise.  Be precise as well;  choose  the  least  ambiguous
X      word    you  can,  taking into account the context in which you are
X      using the word.  Split your posting into sections and  paragraphs
X      as  appropriate.  Use a descriptive title in the "Subject" field,
X      and be sure that the title is related to the body of the article.
X      If  the  title  is not related, feel free to change it to a title
X      that is.
X
X      5.3.    Proofread your article
X
X           This is a matter of courtesy; since you want others to  read
X      your article, the least you can do is check that it says what you
X      mean in a clear, concise manner.  Check for typographical errors,
X      silly  grammar  errors,  and misspellings; if you have a spelling
X      checking program, use it.  Also be sure the article  is  easy  to
X      read.   Use  white  space - blanks, tabs, and newlines - and both
X      upper and lower case letters.  Do not omit the definite and inde-
X      finite  articles, either; not only do "a", "an", and "the" make a
X      posting much easier to read, their omission can  make  a  posting
X      ambiguous.
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X      5.4.    Be extra careful with announcements of products or services
X
X           When writing a product or service announcement, bear in mind
X      that    others    will be paying most of the telephone bills.  So, if
X      you are announcing several things, combine all the  announcements
X      into    one  article.  Mark the posting as a product or service an-
X      nouncement in the title in the "Subject" field.  Advertising  hy-
X      perbole  is  not appropriate here; remember that your audience is
X      to a large degree technically literate,  and    your  product  will
X      stand or fall on its technical merits.  Be aware that posting ob-
X      noxious or inappropriate advertisements is very  serious  and  if
X      you  do  it,    you may find your neighbors yanking your USENET ac-
X      cess.
X
X      5.5.    Indicate sarcasm and humor
X
X           Remember that people cannot see    you  when  they  read  your
X      posting;  hence, all the subtle nuances of body and facial motion
X      are hidden.  It can be quite difficult to tell when you are being
X      sarcastic  or  humorous.   To  deal with this problem, the USENET
X      readers and posters have developed a special sign.  Mark passages
X      you  intend to be taken as humorous with the "smiley face", while
X      looks like this: ":-)".  (Think of a head facing you lying on its
X      right side and look again if you don't understand why that symbol
X      was chosen.) As for sarcasm, there is  no  universal    symbol    for
X      that    (unless  the sarcasm is meant humorously, in which case use
X      the smiley face again.) But mark your passage  so  everyone  will
X      realize you are being sarcastic.
X
X      5.6.    Mark postings which spoil surprises
X
X           High on the list of obnoxious messages are those that  spoil
X      the  plot of a book or movie by giving away an unexpected detail.
X      If you post such an article, please put the word "spoiler" in the
X      "Subject"  field  of  your  posting, so people who do not wish to
X      have a surprise ruined can skip the article.
X
X      5.7.    Rotate offensive postings
X
X           If you feel you must post a message that may offend  people,
X      you  can  take  steps to be sure the message will only be read by
X      those who explicitly ask for it to be shown to them.    The  USENET
X      convention  is  to encrypt these messages by shifting each letter
X      13 characters, so that (for example) "a" becomes "n".   (In  more
X      precise  terms,  this  is  a    Caesar    cipher    of shift 13; on the
X      USENET, it is called rot13.) When  you  do  this,  put  the  word
X      "rot13"  in  the  "Subject" field.  The news reader you are using
X      almost certainly has a command to encrypt and decrypt  such  mes-
X      sages; if not, use the UNIX command
X
X                   tr a-zA-Z n-za-mN-ZA-M
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X      5.8.    The shorter your signature, the better
X
X           Keep signatures concise; 2 or 3 lines  are  usually  plenty.
X      Include  your  name  and addresses on any major networks (such as
X      ARPANET, BITNET, or CSNET).  This helps people contact you quick-
X      ly  and easily, usually more so than by following the return path
X      of the article.  Do not include pictures, graphics or clever quo-
X      tations that make the signature longer; this is not the appropri-
X      ate place for them, and many sites resent paying the phone  bills
X      for such signatures.
X
X      6.  Conclusion and Summary
X
X           Here is a list of the rules given above:
X
X           => Deciding to post
X
X            + Do not repeat postings
X
X            + Do not post anything when upset, angry, or intoxicat-
X              ed
X
X            + Be sure your posting is appropriate to USENET
X
X            + Do not post other people's work without permission
X
X            + Don't forget that opinions are those  of  the  poster
X              and not his company
X
X           => Where to Post
X
X            + Keep the distribution as limited as possible
X
X            + Do not post  the    same  article  twice  to  different
X              groups
X
X            + Do not post to news.announce newsgroups
X
X            + Ask someone if you can't figure  out  where  to  post
X              your article
X
X            + Be sure there is a consensus before  creating  a    new
X              newsgroup
X
X            + Watch out for newsgroups    which  have  special  rules
X              about posting
X
X           => Writing the Article
X
X            + Write for your audience
X
X            + Be clear and concise
X
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X            + Proofread your article
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X            + Be extra careful with announcements  of  products  or
X              services
X
X            + Indicate sarcasm and humor
X
X            + Mark postings which spoil surprises
X
X            + Rotate offensive postings
X
X            + The shorter your signature, the better
X
X           The USENET can be a great place    for  us  all.    Sadly,    not
X      enough  people  are  following  the  customs that have been esta-
X      blished to keep the USENET civilized.  This document was  written
X      to  educate  all  users  of the USENET on their responsibilities.
X      Let's clean up the USENET, and turn it into a  friendly,  helpful
X      community again!
X
X      Acknowledgements: The writing of this document  was  inspired  by
X      Chuq    von  Rospach's posting on USENET etiquette, and it draws on
X      previous work by Mark Horton, A. Jeff Offutt, Gene Spafford,    and
X      Chuq von Rospach.
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X      Appendix A.  Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
X
X      originally from Jerry Schwarz ([e-mail])
X      modified by Gene Spafford ([e-mail])
X      modified by Matt Bishop ([e-mail])
X
X
X           This document discusses some items that occur repeatedly  on
X      USENET.   They  frequently are submitted by new users, and result
X      in many follow-ups, sometimes swamping  groups  for  weeks.    The
X      purpose  of  this  note  is  to head off these annoying events by
X      answering some questions and warning about the inevitable  conse-
X      quence  of  asking  others.  If you don't like my answers, let me
X      know and I may include revisions in future versions of this note.
X
X       1. What does UNIX stand for?
X
X          It is not an acronym, but is a pun on "MULTICS." MULTICS is a
X          large  operating    system that was being developed shortly be-
X          fore UNIX was created.
X
X       2. What is the derivation of "foo" as a filler word?
X
X          The favorite story is that it comes from "fubar" which is  an
X          acronym for "fouled up beyond all recognition," which is sup-
X          posed to be a military term.  (Various forms of  this  exist,
X          "fouled"  usually  being  replaced by a stronger word.) "Foo"
X          and "Bar" have the same derivation.
X
X       3. Is a machine at "foo" on the net?
X
X          These questions belong in news.config  if  anywhere,  but  in
X          fact  your  best bet is usually to phone somebody at "foo" to
X          find out.  If you don't know anybody at "foo" you can  always
X          try  calling  and asking for the "computer center." Also, see
X          the newsgroup mod.map, where maps of USENET and the UUCP net-
X          work are posted regularly.
X
X       4. What does "rc" at the end of files like .newsrc mean?
X
X          According to Dennis Ritchie, "The name rc comes from  RUNCOM,
X          which was the rough equivalent on the MIT CTSS system of what
X          UNIX calls shell scripts.  Of course, RUNCOM derives from run
X          commands."
X
X       5. What do "- (nf)" and "Orphaned Response" in an  item's  title
X          mean?
X
X          It means that the item was created by "notefiles," an  alter-
X          native  news  handling interface that many people prefer.  If
X          you want to find out more you can read the  Notesfile  System
X          Reference Manual" or contact uiucdcs!essick.
X
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X       6. What does ":-)" mean?
X
X          This is the net convention for a "smiley face." It means that
X          something  is  being said in jest.  If it doesn't look like a
X          smiley face to you, flop your head over to the left and  look
X          again.
X
X       7. How do I decrypt jokes in rec.humor?
X
X          The standard cipher used in rec.humor in called "rot13." Each
X          letter  is replaced by the letter 13 further along in the al-
X          phabet (cycling around at the  end).   Most  systems  have  a
X          built  in  command  to decrypt such articles; readnews(1) and
X          vnews(1) have the D command, rn(1) (another  popular  public-
X          domain full screen news reader) has the X or <CONTROL-X> com-
X          mands, notes(1) has % or R.  If your system  doesn't  have  a
X          program  to encrypt and decrypt these, you can quickly create
X          a shell script using tr(1):
X
X                   tr A-Za-z N-ZA-Mn-za-m
X
X          On some versions of UNIX, the tr command    should    be  written
X          as:
X
X          tr "[a-m][n-z][A-M][N-Z]" "[n-z][a-m][N-Z][A-M]"
X
X       8. soc.net-people: Is John Doe out there anywhere?
X
X          I suspect that these items are people  looking  for  freshman
X          roommates  that  they haven't seen in ten years.  If you have
X          some idea where the person is you are usually better off cal-
X          ling  the  organization.     For  example, if you call any Bell
X          Labs location and request John Doe's number.  They  can  give
X          it to you even if he works at a different location.
X
X       9. sci.math: Proofs that 1 = 0.
X
X          Almost everyone has seen one or more of these in high school.
X          They  are almost always based on either division by 0 or tak-
X          ing the square root of a negative number.
X
X      10. rec.games: Where can I get the source for  empire(6)  or  ro-
X          gue(6)?
X
X          You can't.  The authors of these games, as  is  their  right,
X          have chosen not to make the sources available.
X
X      11. comp.unix.wizards: How do I remove files with non-ASCII char-
X          acters in their names?
X
X          You can try to find a pattern that  uniquely  identifies    the
X          file.   This  sometimes  fails  because a peculiarity of some
X          shells is that they strip off the high-order bit    of  charac-
X          ters  in command lines.  Next, you can try an "rm -i", or "rm
X
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X      News Version B 2.11                   October 19, 1986
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X          -r" (see rm(1).) Finally, you can  mess  around  with  i-node
X          numbers and find(1).
X
X      12. comp.unix.wizards: There is a bug in  the  way  UNIX  handles
X          protection for programs that run setuid.
X
X          There are indeed problems with the treatment of protection in
X          setuid  programs.   When    this is brought up, suggestions for
X          changes range from implementing a full  capability  list    ar-
X          rangement  to new kernel calls for allowing more control over
X          when the effective id is used and when the real id is used to
X          control  accesses.  Sooner or later you can expect this to be
X          improved.  For now you just have to live with it.
X
X      13. soc.women: What do you think about abortion?
X
X          Although abortion might appear to be an appropriate topic for
X          soc.women,  more    heat  than  light  is  generated when it is
X          brought up.   Since  the    newsgroup  talk.abortion  has  been
X          created,    all  abortion-related  discussion should take place
X          there.
X
X      14. soc.singles: What do "MOTOS,"  "MOTSS,",  "MOTAS",  and  "SO"
X          stand for?
X
X          Member of the opposite sex, member of the same sex, member of
X          the appropriate sex, and significant other, respectively.
X
X      15. How do I use the "Distribution" feature?
X
X          When postnews(1) prompts you for a distribution, it's  asking
X          how  widely  distributed    you  want your article.  The set of
X          possible replies is different, depending on  where  you  are,
X          but  at  Bell  Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey, possibilities
X          include:
X
X               local   local to this machine
X               mh      Bell Labs, Murray Hill Branch
X               nj      all sites in New Jersey
X               btl     All Bell Labs machines
X               att     All AT&T machines
X               usa     Everywhere in the USA
X               na      Everywhere in North America
X               world   Everywhere on USENET in the world
X
X          If you hit <RETURN>, you'll get the  default,  which  is  the
X          first  part of the newsgroup name.  This default is often not
X          appropriate - please take a moment to  think  about  how    far
X          away  people  are likely to be interested in what you have to
X          say.  Used car ads, housing wanted ads, and things  for  sale
X          other  than  specialized    equipment  like computers certainly
X          shouldn't be distributed to Europe and Korea, or even to  the
X          next state.
X
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X          The newsgroup misc.forsale exists for postings  of  sale    an-
X          nouncements.   Its  distribution is limited to North America;
X          posters should restrict this distribution  even  further,  if
X          possible and appropriate.
X
X      16. Why do some people put funny lines ("bug killers") at the be-
X          ginning of their articles?
X
X          Some earlier versions of news had a bug which would drop    the
X          first 512 or 1024 bytes of text of certain articles.  The bug
X          was triggered whenever the article started with  white  space
X          (a  blank  or a tab).  A fix many people adopted was to begin
X          their articles with a line containing a character other  than
X          white  space.   This  gradually evolved into the habit of in-
X          cluding amusing first lines.
X
X          The original bug has since been fixed  in  newer    version  of
X          news, and sites running older versions of news have applied a
X          patch to prevent articles from losing text.  The "bug-killer"
X          lines  are  therefore  probably  no  longer  needed, but they
X          linger on.
X
X      17. What is the address or phone number of the "foo" company?
X
X          Try the white and  yellow  pages    of  your  phone  directory,
X          first; a sales representative will surely know, and if you're
X          a potential customer they will be  who  you're  looking  for.
X          Phone  books  for  other    cities are usually available in li-
X          braries of any size.  Whoever buys or recommends    things    for
X          your  company  will  probably have some buyer's guides or na-
X          tional company directories.  Call or visit the reference desk
X          of  your    library; they have several company and organization
X          directories and many will answer questions like this over the
X          phone.   Remember if you only know the city where the company
X          is, you can telephone to find out their  full  address  or  a
X          dealer.    The network is not a free resource, although it may
X          look like that to some people.  It is far better to  spend  a
X          few  minutes  of    your  own time researching an answer rather
X          than broadcast your laziness and/or ineptness to the net.
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END_OF_FILE
if test 41486 -ne `wc -c <'man/Standards.ab'`; then
    echo shar: \"'man/Standards.ab'\" unpacked with wrong size!
fi
# end of 'man/Standards.ab'
fi
echo shar: End of archive 13 \(of 16\).
cp /dev/null ark13isdone
MISSING=""
for I in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 ; do
    if test ! -f ark${I}isdone ; then
    MISSING="${MISSING} ${I}"
    fi
done
if test "${MISSING}" = "" ; then
    echo You have unpacked all 16 archives.
    rm -f ark[1-9]isdone ark[1-9][0-9]isdone
else
    echo You still need to unpack the following archives:
    echo "        " ${MISSING}
fi
##  End of shell archive.
exit 0
--
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