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1.1 root 1: .\" @(#)manner.mn 6.1 (Berkeley) 5/26/86
2: .\"
3: .ds .f manner.mn
4: .ds h0 "How to Use USENET Effectively
5: .ds h1
6: .ds h2 USD:10-%
7: .ds f0 "\*(vr
8: .ds f1
9: .ds f2 "February 24, 1986
10: .mt
11: How to Use USENET Effectively
12: .au
13: Matt Bishop
14: .ai
15: Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science
16: Mail Stop 230-5
17: NASA Ames Research Center
18: Moffett Field, CA 94035
19: .bt
20: .hn
21: Introduction
22: .pg
23: USENET is a worldwide bulletin board system
24: in which thousands of computers pass articles back and forth.
25: Of necessity,
26: customs have sprung up enabling very diverse people and groups
27: to communicate peaceably and effectively using USENET.
28: These customs are for the most part written,
29: but are scattered over several documents
30: that can be difficult to find;
31: in any case,
32: even if a new user can find all the documents,
33: he most likely will have neither the time nor the inclination
34: to read them all.
35: This document is intended to collect all these conventions into one place,
36: thereby making it easy for new users
37: to learn about the world of USENET.
38: (Old-timers,
39: too,
40: will benefit from reading this.)
41: .pg
42: You should read this document and understand it thoroughly
43: before you even think about posting anything.
44: If you have questions,
45: please ask your USENET administrator (who
46: can usually be reached by sending mail to
47: .i usenet )
48: or a more knowledgeable USENET user.
49: Believe me,
50: you will save yourself a lot of grief.
51: .pg
52: The mechanics of posting an article to USENET are explained in
53: Mark Horton's excellent paper
54: .i "How to Read the Network News" ;
55: if you have not read that yet,
56: stop here and do so.
57: A lot of what follows depends on your knowing (at least vaguely)
58: the mechanics of posting news.
59: .pg
60: Before we discuss these customs,
61: we ought to look at the history of USENET,
62: what it is today,
63: and why we need these conventions.
64: .hn
65: All About USENET
66: .pg
67: USENET began on a set of computers in North Carolina's Research Triangle.
68: The programs involved
69: (known as \*(lqnetnews\*(rq then,
70: and \*(lqA news\*(rq now)
71: exchanged messages;
72: it was a small, multi-computer bulletin board system.
73: As time passed,
74: administrators of other systems began to connect their computers
75: to this bulletin board system.
76: The network grew.
77: Then,
78: at Berkeley, the news programs were rewritten
79: (this version became known as \*(lqB news\*(rq)
80: and the format changed to conform to ARPA standards
81: (again,
82: this became the \*(lqB protocol for news\*(rq.\*(dg)
83: .fn
84: .lp \*(dg \w'\*(dg\ 'u
85: See
86: .i
87: Standard for Interchange of USENET Messages
88: .r
89: for a description of the two formats.
90: .ef
91: This version of news was very widely distributed,
92: and at this point USENET began to take on its current shape.
93: .pg
94: USENET is a
95: .i logical
96: network
97: (as opposed to a
98: .i physical
99: network.)
100: It is also a very amorphous network,
101: in that there is no central administration or controlling site.
102: There is not even an official list of members,
103: although there is a very complete unofficial one.
104: A site gets access to USENET by finding some other site already on USENET
105: that it can connect to and exchange news articles.
106: So long as this second site (called a
107: .i neighbor
108: of the first site)
109: remains willing and able to pass articles to and from the first site,
110: the first site is on USENET.
111: A site leaves the USENET only when no one is willing or able
112: to pass articles to,
113: or accept articles from,
114: it.
115: .pg
116: As a result,
117: USENET has no equivalent of a \*(lqsysop\*(rq
118: or central authority controlling the bulletin board.
119: What little control is exercised is wielded by the person at each site
120: who is responsible for maintaining the USENET connecions
121: (this person is called the \*(lqUSENET administrator.\*(rq)
122: Because most USENET administrators are (relatively) new to USENET,
123: and because administering USENET locally involves a great deal of work,
124: most USENET administrators tend to follow the lead of other,
125: more experienced,
126: administrators
127: (often known somewhat irreverently as \*(lqnet gurus.\*(rq)
128: This is not an abdication of responsibility,
129: but a means of keeping the amount of work little enough
130: so it can be done without interfering with the local USENET administrator's job.
131: An example of this is the list of currently active newsgroups
132: circulated every month or so.
133: It is not \*(lqofficial\*(rq \-
134: no one has that authority \-
135: but as the maintainer is doing the work that every other USENET administrator
136: would have to do otherwise,
137: it is accepted as a valid list.
138: If the maintainer changes the list in a way
139: another USENET administrator finds unacceptable,
140: that administrator can simply ignore the list.
141: (Incidentally, the \*(lqnet gurus\*(rq became known as such
142: because of the work they have contributed to USENET.
143: Their experience is a valuable resource for each USENET administrator.)
144: .pg
145: Because the USENET has grown so wildly,
146: a number of problems have appeared.
147: One of these problems is technical,
148: and a number of the conventions this document describes
149: spring from attempts to keep this problem under control.
150: .pg
151: The technical problem arises due to the transport mechanism used by most USENET sites.
152: Most computers on USENET do not have access to large-area networks like
153: ARPANET.
154: As a result the only viable transport mechanism these sites can use
155: is a set of programs collectively known as UUCP
156: and which communicate over dialup telephone lines.
157: Initially,
158: news programs generated one UUCP command per article.
159: With the explosion of the USENET,
160: the number of articles simply swamped many sites;
161: phone lines would be tied up all day transmitting news,
162: and many articles would be processed at the same time,
163: slowing down the computers noticeably.
164: .pg
165: The solution was to batch messages.
166: This way,
167: many articles are sent via UUCP with one command,
168: and the command on the receiving machine would split the file
169: into separate articles,
170: which could then be processed individually.
171: While this increased the size of the files being sent,
172: it cut down on the number of UUCP commands sent,
173: and since sending a command involves quite a bit of overhead,
174: this decreased the duration of phone calls,
175: and to a lesser degree the load on the computer.
176: At some sites,
177: such as Purdue,
178: this was not quite enough,
179: so a simple spooler was implemented to process the individual articles
180: one at a time.
181: This reduced the system load to a very acceptable amount.
182: .pg
183: However,
184: the problem has not gone away by any means.
185: In one sense it has become worse;
186: as more articles are posted to the network,
187: phone costs and system load averages increase,
188: and system administrators require USENET administrators to cut back
189: or eliminate newsgroups and
190: to transmit news only at night
191: (which means long propagation delays).
192: In short,
193: everyone who has anything to do with administering any USENET site
194: is very concerned about the future of USENET,
195: both in general
196: and at his own site.
197: .pg
198: Many of the rules you will read address this concern.
199: The fear that USENET may collapse is not a bogeyman,
200: but very real.
201: We hope it will not collapse,
202: and the rules below outline some ways to prevent problems
203: and increase the likelihood
204: that enough sites will remain on USENET to keep it alive.
205: There is no central authority that can force you to follow them,
206: but by doing so you will help keep USENET a valuable resource
207: to the computer community.
208: .hn
209: Deciding to Post
210: .pg
211: Before you decide to post an article,
212: you should consider a few things.
213: .hn 2
214: Do not repeat postings
215: .pg
216: This applies even if you did not post the information the first time around.
217: If you know the answer to a question someone asked,
218: first read the followups, and if you have something more to contribute,
219: mail it to the questioner;
220: if you think it should be seen by others,
221: ask the questioner to summarize the answers he receives in a subsequent article.
222: One of the biggest problems on USENET is that
223: many copies of the same answer to a simple question are posted.
224: .pg
225: If you want to repost something because you believe
226: it did not get to other USENET sites due to transmission problems
227: (this happens sometimes,
228: but a lot less often than commonly believed),
229: do some checking before you repost.
230: If you have a friend at another USENET site,
231: call him and ask if the article made it to his site.
232: Ask your USENET administrator if he knows of any problems in the USENET;
233: there are special newsgroups to which USENET administrators subscribe
234: in which problems are reported,
235: or he can contact his counterparts at other sites for information.
236: Finally,
237: if you decide you must repost it,
238: indicate in the article subject that it is a reposting,
239: and say why you are reposting it
240: (if you don't,
241: you'll undoubtedly get some very nasty mail.)
242: .pg
243: Reposting announcements of products or services is flatly forbidden.
244: Doing so may convince other sites to turn off your USENET access.
245: .pg
246: When school starts,
247: hoards of new users descend upon the USENET
248: asking questions.
249: Many of these questions have been asked,
250: and answered,
251: literally thousands of times since USENET began.
252: The most common of these questions,
253: and their answers,
254: have been collected in the hope that
255: the new users will read them and not re-post the same questions.
256: So,
257: if you want to ask a question,
258: check Appendix I
259: .b "Answers to Frequently Asked Questions" ) (
260: to be sure it isn't one that has been asked and answered
261: literally hundreds of times before you started reading the USENET.
262: .hn 2
263: Do not post anything when upset, angry, or intoxicated
264: .pg
265: Posting an article is a lot like driving a car \-
266: you have to be in control of yourself.
267: Postings which begin \*(lqJane,
268: you ignorant slut, ...\*(rq
269: are very definitely considered in poor taste\*(dg.
270: .fn
271: \*(dg Unless you are critiquing
272: .i "Saturday Night Live" .
273: .ef
274: Unfortunately,
275: they are also far too common.
276: .pg
277: The psychology of this is interesting.
278: One popular belief is that since we interact with USENET via computers,
279: we all often forget that a computer did not do the posting;
280: a human did.
281: A contributing factor is that you don't have to look the target of abuse
282: in the eye when you post an abusive message;
283: eye-to-eye contact has an amazing effect on inhibiting obnoxious behavior.
284: As a result,
285: discussions on the USENET often degenerate into a catfight
286: far more readily than would a face-to-face discussion.
287: .pg
288: Before you post an article,
289: think a minute;
290: decide whether or not you are upset,
291: angry,
292: or high.
293: If you are,
294: wait until you calm down (or come down) before deciding to post something.
295: Then think about whether or not you really want to post it.
296: You will be amazed what waiting a day or even a few hours can do
297: for your perspective.
298: .pg
299: Bear in mind that
300: shouting hasn't convinced anyone of anything
301: since the days of Charlemagne,
302: and being abusive makes people hold even more tenaciously
303: to their ideas or opinions.
304: Gentleness,
305: courtesy,
306: and eloquence are far more persuasive;
307: not only do they indicate you have enough confidence in your words
308: to allow them to speak for you,
309: but also they indicate a respect for your audience.
310: This in turn makes it easier for your audience to like or respect you \-
311: and people tend to be far more interested in,
312: and receptive to,
313: arguments advanced by those they like or respect
314: than by writers who are abusive.
315: Finally,
316: remember that some discussions or situations simply cannot be resolved.
317: Because people are different,
318: agreed-upon facts often lead to wildly different feelings and conclusions.
319: These differences are what makes life so wonderful;
320: were we all alike,
321: the world would be a very boring place.
322: So,
323: don't get frantic;
324: relax and enjoy the discussion.
325: Who knows,
326: you might even learn something!
327: .hn 2
328: Be sure your posting is appropriate to USENET
329: .pg
330: Some things are inappropriate to post to USENET.
331: Discussing whether or not some other discussion is appropriate,
332: or if it is in the right newsgroup,
333: is an example.
334: Invariably,
335: the \*(lqmeta-discussion\*(rq generates so many articles
336: that the discussion is simply overwhelmed and vanishes;
337: but the meta-discussion lingers on for several weeks,
338: driving most of the readers of that newsgroup
339: out of their collective minds.
340: Help preserve the sanity of your fellow USENET readers
341: by mailing such comments to the people involved,
342: rather than posting them.
343: .pg
344: Another example of inappropriate postings is the infamous
345: \*(lqspelling flame.\*(rq
346: Every few months someone takes another poster to task
347: for poor spelling or grammar.
348: Soon,
349: everyone jumps on the bandwagon,
350: tearing apart one another's postings for such errors.
351: To put it mildly,
352: this angers almost everyone involved
353: for no real reason.
354: Please remember that we all make mistakes,
355: and there are a lot of people for whom English is a second language.
356: So,
357: try to keep your spelling and grammar comments to yourself \-
358: but if you find you simply cannot,
359: mail them to the poster rather than posting them.
360: .pg
361: Far more insidious are requests similar to
362: \*(lqHow can I splice into the local cable TV transmission line?\*(rq
363: Posting to USENET is akin to publishing,
364: so don't ask for or post instructions on how to do something illegal.
365: And please don't quote the First Amendment,
366: or the laws allowing freedom of speech in your country;
367: while the posting programs will not stop you,
368: the aftermath could be very unpleasant \-
369: lawsuits and court trials usually are,
370: and the USENET would certainly collapse as sites dropped from it
371: to protect themselves from legal liability.
372: You wouldn't want that on your conscience,
373: would you?
374: Of course not.
375: .pg
376: Related to this is the next rule.
377: .hn 2
378: Do not post other people's work without permission
379: .pg
380: Posting something to USENET puts it in the public domain
381: for all practical purposes.
382: So,
383: be careful about posting things like
384: .ux -related
385: material (specifically source code) or company documents;
386: consider licensing and nondisclosure agreements first. Some people regard
387: the posting of \*(lqdiffs\*(rq based on licensed code to be a suitable
388: compromise, as they are only useful to those who have the base code already.
389: .pg
390: Copyrighted works are a separate problem.
391: Both United States and international law provide protection
392: for copyrighted works;
393: other than short extracts for purposes of criticism,
394: you cannot copy a copyrighted work in whole or in part
395: without permission of the copyright holder
396: (who may,
397: or may not,
398: be the author.)
399: Without this protection,
400: artists could not make any money and hence would have limited incentive
401: to make the fruits of their art available at all.
402: Posting a copyrighted work without permission is theft,
403: even though the property stolen is not tangible in most cases.
404: Hence,
405: posting movie and book reviews,
406: song lyrics,
407: or anything else which is copyrighted
408: without the permission of the copyright holder,
409: could cause you personally,
410: your company,
411: or the USENET itself
412: to be held liable for damages.
413: Please be very careful that you obey the law
414: when posting such material!
415: .hn 2
416: Don't forget that opinions are those of the poster and not his employer.
417: .pg
418: Every so often,
419: someone will post a particularly disgusting article,
420: and a number of responses will ask
421: if all employees of the original poster's company
422: share his (revolting) opinion,
423: or suggest that action be taken against that company.
424: Please remember that all opinions or statements in articles
425: are to be attributed to the poster
426: .i only ,
427: and in particular, do not necessarily represent the opinions
428: of the poster's employer,
429: the owner of the computer on which the article originated,
430: or anyone involved with any aspect of USENET \-
431: and consequently the responsibility for any USENET message
432: rests with the poster and with no one else.
433: The appropriate response is not to attack the company
434: or its other employees;
435: let the poster know what you think of his posting via mail.
436: If the postings continue,
437: take advantage of the news software's presenting you
438: with the author's name and the subject line
439: and then asking if you want to see the article;
440: start looking for the poster's name or the offensive subject
441: in the articles presented to you
442: and skip them. If you really get offended, you can unsubscribe from a newsgroup.
443: .pg
444: Part of the price of freedom is allowing others to make fools of themselves.
445: You wouldn't like to be censored,
446: so don't advocate censorship of others.
447: No one is forcing you to read the postings.
448: .pg
449: In some countries,
450: posting or receiving certain types of articles may be a criminal offense.
451: As a result,
452: certain newsgroups which circulate freely within the United States
453: may not be circulated in other nations
454: without risking civil or criminal liabilities.
455: In this case,
456: the appropriate action for sites in that country
457: is neither to accept nor to transmit the newsgroup.
458: No site is
459: .i ever
460: forced to accept or pass on
461: .i any
462: newsgroup.
463: .hn 1
464: Where to Post
465: .pg
466: The various newsgroups and distributions
467: have various rules associated with their use.
468: This section will describe these rules
469: and offer suggestions on which newsgroups to post your message.
470: .hn 2
471: Keep the distribution as limited as possible
472: .pg
473: A basic principle of posting is to keep the distribution of your article
474: as limited as possible.
475: Like our modern society,
476: USENET is suffering from both an information glut and information pollution.
477: It is widely believed that the USENET will cease to function
478: unless we are able to cut down the quantity of articles.
479: One step in this direction is not to post something to places
480: where it will be worthless.
481: For example,
482: if you live in Hackensack,
483: New Jersey,
484: the probability of anyone in Korea wanting to buy your
485: 1972 Toyota is about as close to zero as you can get.
486: So confine your posting to the New Jersey area.
487: .pg
488: To do this,
489: you can either post to a local group,
490: or post to a net-wide group and use the
491: .i distribution
492: feature to limit how widely your article will go.
493: When you give your posting program
494: (usually
495: .i postnews (1))
496: a distribution,
497: you are (in essence) saying that
498: machines which do not recognize that distribution
499: should not get the article.
500: (Think of it as a subgroup based on locality and you'll get the idea.)
501: For example,
502: if you are posting in the San Francisco Bay Area,
503: and you post your article to
504: .ng net.auto
505: but give
506: .ng ba
507: as the distribution,
508: the article will not be sent beyond the San Francisco Bay Area
509: (to which the
510: .ng ba
511: distribution is local)
512: even though you put it in a net-wide newsgroup.
513: Had you given the distribution as
514: .ng ca
515: (the California distribution),
516: your article would have been sent to all Californian sites on USENET.
517: Had you given the distribution as
518: .ng net ,
519: your article would have been sent to all sites on USENET.
520: .hn 2
521: Do not post the same article twice to different groups
522: .pg
523: If you have an article that you want to post to more than one group,
524: post to both at the same time.
525: Newer versions of the news software will show an article only once
526: regardless of how many newsgroups it appears in.
527: But if you post it once to each different group,
528: all versions of news software will show it once for each newsgroup.
529: This angers a lot of people
530: and wastes everybody's time.
531: .hn 2
532: Do not post to \*(lqmod.\*(rq
533: or \*(lqnet.announce\*(rq newsgroups
534: .pg
535: You may not post directly to certain newsgroups;
536: you cannot post to some at all.
537: Newer versions of the news software will inform you
538: when either of these restrictions apply,
539: but older versions of news software will not.
540: .pg
541: The
542: .ng mod.
543: newsgroups are
544: .i "bona fide"
545: moderated newsgroups.
546: If you want to have the appropriate moderator post something,
547: mail it to him.
548: (If you do not know his address,
549: ask your USENET administrator.
550: In some cases,
551: the software will automatically mail,
552: rather than post,
553: your article to the moderator.)
554: .pg
555: The newsgroup
556: .ng net.announce
557: and its subgroups are moderated newsgroups
558: designed for important announcements.
559: It is used to post important announcements that everyone on USENET can read.
560: .ng Net.general "" (
561: was meant to provide such a place,
562: but so many inappropriate messages have been posted there
563: that a lot of people began to unsubscribe;
564: hence,
565: this moderated newsgroup was set up.
566: Very few messages are posted to it,
567: so don't be afraid to subscribe;
568: you will not be overwhelmed.)
569: To post to this group,
570: mail your announcement to the moderator,
571: and he will either post it or suggest an alternative
572: (such as a more appropriate newsgroup.)
573: Messages for
574: .ng net.announce
575: should be short,
576: important enough so that everyone on USENET should see the headers,
577: not cross-posted to any other newsgroup,
578: and signed;
579: messages which are political,
580: commercial,
581: or religious in nature will be rejected.
582: .hn 2
583: Do not post to \*(lqnet.general\*(rq
584: .pg
585: Of course,
586: there are exceptions to this rule,
587: but almost all articles posted to
588: .ng net.general
589: do not belong there.
590: Only articles of general interest and importance to
591: .i everyone
592: on USENET should be posted there.
593: \*(lqEveryone\*(rq includes the USENET readers in Europe,
594: Asia,
595: Australia,
596: Canada,
597: the United States,
598: and possibly other places.
599: .pg
600: This means that announcements of services or products,
601: test messages,
602: seminar announcements,
603: program sources and bug reports,
604: requests for addresses,
605: and so forth do
606: .i not
607: go to
608: .ng net.general .
609: If you wish to post a follow-up to an article you saw in
610: .ng net.general ,
611: put the followup posting in
612: .ng net.followup .
613: (Again,
614: newer versions of news software will do this automatically,
615: but do not rely on this feature as your software
616: may be old.)
617: .pg
618: Similarly,
619: never post to
620: .ng net.general
621: and another newsgroup.
622: If your article belongs in any other newsgroup,
623: put it there,
624: and not in
625: .ng net.general .
626: (There is one exception to this rule \-
627: articles may be cross-posted to
628: .ng net.general
629: and
630: .ng net.announce .
631: Since
632: .ng net.announce
633: is moderated,
634: though,
635: the exception does not matter to you.)
636: .hn 2
637: Ask someone if you can't figure out where to post your article
638: .pg
639: If you cannot figure out where to post something,
640: look in
641: .ng net.announce.newusers
642: for the list of active newsgroups.
643: (This is posted biweekly.
644: If you can't find it,
645: look at the list in
646: .i "How to Read the Network News" ;
647: but be aware that list is undoubtedly out of date already.)
648: If your article does not seem to fit in any of the listed groups,
649: post it to
650: .ng net.misc
651: or don't post it.
652: .pg
653: If you still are not sure which newsgroup to post your article to,
654: ask an old-timer.
655: If your site doesn't have any old-timers
656: (or none of the old-timers will admit to being old-timers),
657: contact any of the following people:
658: .sd
659: Gene Spafford ([email protected], [email protected])
660: Mark Horton ([email protected])
661: Rick Adams ([email protected], [email protected])
662: Chuq Von Rospach ([email protected])
663: Matt Bishop ([email protected], [email protected])
664: .ed
665: We will be happy to help you.
666: But,
667: please,
668: do not post the article to the net before you ask us!
669: .hn 2
670: Be sure there is a consensus before creating a new newsgroup
671: .pg
672: Creating a new newsgroup is,
673: in general,
674: a very bad idea.
675: Currently,
676: there are so many articles being posted that the USENET is in dange of collapse
677: as site after site decides to cease to accept and retransmit certain newsgroups.
678: Moreover,
679: there is no established procedure for deleting a newsgroup,
680: so once created,
681: newsgroups tend to stay around.
682: They also tend to encourage people to think up new newsgroups,
683: and the cycle repeats.
684: Try to avoid thinking up new newsgroups.
685: .pg
686: If,
687: however,
688: you believe a new group should be created,
689: be sure you have a consensus that the group is needed
690: (either a mailing list has enough traffic and readers
691: to justify turning it into a newsgroup,
692: or a discussion in a current newsgroup
693: becomes so large for a period of time long enough
694: to warrant splitting it into a newsgroup.)
695: Then post an article to
696: .ng net.news.group
697: as well as any other groups related to your proposed new group,
698: and discuss the topics you are proposing be covered in your new group,
699: what it should be called,
700: whether it is
701: .i really
702: needed,
703: and so forth.
704: Try to resolve all objections,
705: and take into account all suggestions and comments;
706: finally,
707: have everyone mail you a \*(lqyes\*(rq or \*(lqno\*(rq vote
708: on whether the group should be created.
709: Try to get at least 40 or 50 \*(lqyes\*(rq votes before creating the group;
710: if you want to be safe,
711: get around 100.
712: .hn 2
713: Watch out for newsgroups which have special rules about posting
714: .pg
715: Some newsgroups have special rules.
716: This section summarizes them.
717: .lp net.books 20
718: Do not post anything revealing a plot or a plot twist
719: without putting the word
720: .cf spoiler
721: somewhere in the
722: .hf Subject
723: field.
724: This will let those who do not wish to have a surprise spoiled
725: skip the article.
726: .lp net.followup 20
727: This group is for followups to articles posted in
728: .ng net.general
729: or for results of surveys.
730: No discussions are allowed.
731: .lp net.jokes 20
732: If you want to post an offensive joke
733: (this includes racial,
734: religious,
735: sexual,
736: and scatalogical humor,
737: among other kinds)
738: rotate it.
739: (If you do not know what this means,
740: look in the section
741: .b "Writing Your Posting" .)
742: .lp net.movies 20
743: Do not post anything revealing a plot or a plot twist
744: without putting the word
745: .cf spoiler
746: in the
747: .hf Subject
748: field.
749: This will let those who do not wish to have a surprise spoiled
750: skip the article.
751: .lp net.news.group 20
752: Discussions about whether or not to create new groups,
753: and what to name them,
754: go here.
755: Please mail your votes to the proposer;
756: don't post them.
757: .lp net.sources 20
758: Source code postings go here.
759: Discussions are not allowed.
760: Do not post bug fixes here.
761: .lp net.sources.bugs 20
762: Bug reports and bug fixes to sources posted in
763: .ng net.sources
764: go here.
765: .lp net.test 20
766: Use the smallest distribution possible.
767: In the body of the message,
768: say what you are testing.
769: .lp net.wanted 20
770: Requests for things other than source code go here.
771: Please use the smallest distribution possible.
772: Post offers here,
773: too.
774: .lp net.wanted.sources 20
775: Requests for sources go here.
776: .hn 1
777: Writing the Article
778: .pg
779: Here are some suggestions to help you communicate effectively
780: with others on the USENET.
781: Perhaps the best advice is not to be afraid to consult a book on
782: writing style;
783: two of the best are
784: .i "How to Write for the World of Work"
785: by Cunningham and Pearsall,
786: and
787: .i "Elements of Style"
788: by Strunk and White.
789: .hn 2
790: Write for your audience
791: .pg
792: USENET is an international network,
793: and any article you post will be
794: .i very
795: widely read.
796: Even more importantly,
797: your future employers may be among the readers!
798: So,
799: try to make a good impression.
800: .pg
801: A basic principle of all writing is to write at your readers' reading level.
802: It is better to go below than above.
803: Aiming where \*(lqtheir heads ought to be\*(rq may be fine
804: if you are a college professor (and a lot of us would dispute even that),
805: but it is guaranteed to cause people to ignore your article.
806: Studies have shown that the average American reads at the fifth grade level
807: and the average professional reads at the twelfth grade level.
808: .hn 2
809: Be clear and concise
810: .pg
811: Remember that you are writing for a very busy audience;
812: your readers will not puzzle over your article.
813: So be very clear and very concise.
814: Be precise as well;
815: choose the least ambiguous word you can,
816: taking into account the context in which you are using the word.
817: Split your posting into sections and paragraphs as appropriate.
818: Use a descriptive title in the
819: .hf Subject
820: field,
821: and be sure that the title is related to the body of the article.
822: If the title is not related,
823: feel free to change it to a title that is.
824: .hn 2
825: Proofread your article
826: .pg
827: This is a matter of courtesy;
828: since you want others to read your article,
829: the least you can do is check that it says what you mean in a clear,
830: concise manner.
831: Check for typographical errors,
832: silly grammar errors,
833: and misspellings;
834: if you have a spelling checking program,
835: use it.
836: Also be sure the article is easy to read.
837: Use white space \- blanks, tabs, and newlines \-
838: and both upper and lower case letters.
839: Do not omit the definite and indefinite articles,
840: either;
841: not only do \*(lqa\*(rq,
842: \*(lqan\*(rq,
843: and \*(lqthe\*(rq make a posting much easier to read,
844: their omission can make a posting ambiguous.
845: .hn 2
846: Be extra careful with announcements of products or services
847: .pg
848: When writing a product or service announcement,
849: bear in mind that others will be paying most of the telephone bills.
850: So,
851: if you are announcing several things,
852: combine all the announcements into one article.
853: Mark the posting as a product or service announcement
854: in the title in the
855: .hf Subject
856: field.
857: Advertising hyperbole is not appropriate here;
858: remember that your audience is to a large degree technically literate,
859: and your product will stand or fall on its technical merits.
860: Be aware that posting obnoxious or inappropriate advertisements
861: is very serious and if you do it,
862: you may find your neighbors yanking your USENET access.
863: .hn 2
864: Indicate sarcasm and humor
865: .pg
866: Remember that people cannot see you when they read your posting;
867: hence,
868: all the subtle nuances of body and facial motion are hidden.
869: It can be quite difficult to tell when you are being sarcastic or humorous.
870: To deal with this problem,
871: the USENET readers and posters have developed a special sign.
872: Mark passages you intend to be taken as humorous with the
873: \*(lqsmiley face\*(rq,
874: while looks like this: \*(lq:\-)\*(rq.
875: (Think of a head facing you lying on its right side and look again
876: if you don't understand why that symbol was chosen.)
877: As for sarcasm,
878: there is no universal symbol for that
879: (unless the sarcasm is meant humorously,
880: in which case use the smiley face again.)
881: But mark your passage so everyone will realize you are being sarcastic.
882: .hn 2
883: Mark postings which spoil surprises
884: .pg
885: High on the list of obnoxious messages
886: are those that spoil the plot of a book or movie
887: by giving away an unexpected detail.
888: If you post such an article,
889: please put the word
890: .cf spoiler
891: in the
892: .hf Subject
893: field of your posting,
894: so people who do not wish to have a surprise ruined can skip the article.
895: .hn 2
896: Rotate offensive postings
897: .pg
898: If you feel you must post a message that may offend people,
899: you can do one of two things.
900: You can post it to the newsgroup
901: .ng net.flame
902: or you can take steps to be sure the message will only be read
903: by those who explicitly ask for it to be shown to them.
904: In the latter case,
905: the USENET convention is to encrypt these messages
906: by shifting each letter 13 characters,
907: so that
908: (for example)
909: \*(lqa\*(rq becomes \*(lqn\*(rq.
910: (In more precise terms,
911: this is a Caesar cipher of shift 13;
912: on the USENET,
913: it is called
914: .i rot13 .)
915: When you do this,
916: put the word
917: .cf rot13
918: in the
919: .hf Subject
920: field.
921: The news reader you are using almost certainly has a command
922: to encrypt and decrypt such messages;
923: if not,
924: use the
925: .ux
926: command
927: .sd c
928: tr a\-zA\-Z n\-za\-mN\-ZA\-M
929: .ed
930: .hn 2
931: The shorter your signature, the better
932: .pg
933: Keep signatures concise;
934: 2 or 3 lines are usually plenty.
935: Include your name and addresses on any major networks
936: (such as ARPANET,
937: BITNET,
938: or CSNET).
939: This helps people contact you quickly and easily,
940: usually more so than by following the return path of the article.
941: Do not include pictures, graphics or clever quotations that make the
942: signature longer; this is not the appropriate place for them,
943: and many sites resent paying the phone bills for such signatures.
944: .hn 1
945: Conclusion and Summary
946: .pg
947: Here is a list of the rules given above:
948: .si
949: .lp \(rh \w'\(rh\ 'u
950: Deciding to post
951: .si
952: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
953: Do not repeat postings
954: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
955: Do not post anything when upset, angry, or intoxicated
956: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
957: Be sure your posting is appropriate to USENET
958: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
959: Do not post other people's work without permission
960: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
961: Don't forget that opinions are those of the poster and not his company
962: .ei
963: .lp \(rh \w'\(rh\ 'u
964: Where to Post
965: .si
966: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
967: Keep the distribution as limited as possible
968: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
969: Do not post the same article twice to different groups
970: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
971: Do not post to
972: .ng mod. ,
973: or
974: .ng net.announce
975: newsgroups
976: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
977: Do not post to
978: .ng net.general
979: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
980: Ask someone if you can't figure out where to post your article
981: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
982: Be sure there is a consensus before creating a new newsgroup
983: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
984: Watch out for newsgroups which have special rules about posting
985: .ei
986: .lp \(rh \w'\(rh\ 'u
987: Writing the Article
988: .si
989: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
990: Write for your audience
991: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
992: Be clear and concise
993: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
994: Proofread your article
995: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
996: Be extra careful with announcements of products or services
997: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
998: Indicate sarcasm and humor
999: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
1000: Mark postings which spoil surprises
1001: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
1002: Rotate offensive postings
1003: .lp \(bu \w'\(bu\ 'u
1004: The shorter your signature, the better
1005: .ei
1006: .ei
1007: .pg
1008: The USENET can be a great place for us all.
1009: Sadly,
1010: not enough people are following the customs that have been established
1011: to keep the USENET civilized.
1012: This document was written to educate all users of the USENET
1013: on their responsibilities.
1014: Let's clean up the USENET,
1015: and turn it into a friendly,
1016: helpful community again!
1017: .sp
1018: .bi Acknowledgements:
1019: The writing of this document was inspired by Chuq von Rospach's posting
1020: on USENET etiquette,
1021: and it draws on previous work by Mark Horton,
1022: A. Jeff Offutt,
1023: Gene Spafford,
1024: and
1025: Chuq von Rospach.
1026: .bp
1027: .hu 1
1028: Appendix I. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
1029: .pg l
1030: .i
1031: originally from Jerry Schwarz ([email protected])
1032: .br
1033: modified by Gene Spafford ([email protected])
1034: .br
1035: modified by Matt Bishop ([email protected])
1036: .r
1037: .sp
1038: .pg
1039: This document discusses some items that occur repeatedly on USENET.
1040: They frequently are submitted by new users,
1041: and result in many followups,
1042: sometimes swamping groups for weeks.
1043: The purpose of this note is to head off these annoying events
1044: by answering some questions
1045: and warning about the inevitable consequence of asking others.
1046: If you don't like my answers,
1047: let me know and I may include revisions in future versions of this note.
1048: .nr Qs \w'\0\0.\ 'u
1049: .de Lp
1050: .lp "\\$1" \\n(Qsu
1051: ..
1052: .Lp \01.
1053: What does
1054: .ux
1055: stand for?
1056: .Lp
1057: It is not an acronym,
1058: but is a pun on \*(lqMULTICS.\*(rq
1059: MULTICS is a large operating system that was being developed shortly before
1060: .ux
1061: was created.
1062: .Lp \02.
1063: What is the derivation of \*(lqfoo\*(rq as a filler word?
1064: .Lp ""
1065: The favorite story is that it comes from \*(lqfubar\*(rq
1066: which is an acronym for \*(lqfouled up beyond all recognition,\*(rq
1067: which is supposed to be a military term.
1068: (Various forms of this exist,
1069: \*(lqfouled\*(rq usually being replaced by a stronger word.)
1070: \*(lqFoo\*(rq and \*(lqBar\*(rq have the same derivation.
1071: .Lp \03.
1072: Is a machine at \*(lqfoo\*(rq on the net?
1073: .Lp
1074: These questions belong in
1075: .ng net.news.config
1076: if anywhere,
1077: but in fact your best bet is usually to phone somebody
1078: at \*(lqfoo\*(rq to find out.
1079: If you don't know anybody at \*(lqfoo\*(rq you can always try calling
1080: and asking for the \*(lqcomputer center.\*(rq
1081: Also,
1082: see the newsgroup
1083: .ng mod.map ,
1084: where maps of USENET and the UUCP network are posted regularly.
1085: .Lp \04.
1086: What does \*(lqrc\*(rq at the end of files like
1087: .i .newsrc
1088: mean?
1089: .Lp
1090: According to Dennis Ritchie,
1091: \*(lqThe name
1092: .i rc
1093: comes from RUNCOM, which was the rough equivalent
1094: on the MIT CTSS system of what
1095: .ux
1096: calls shell scripts. Of course
1097: RUNCOM derives from
1098: .i "run commands.\*(rq"
1099: .Lp \05.
1100: What do \*(lq- (nf)\*(rq and \*(lqOrphaned Response\*(rq in an item's title mean?
1101: .Lp
1102: It means that the item was created by \*(lqnotefiles,\*(rq
1103: an alternative news handling interface that many people prefer.
1104: If you want to find out more you can read the
1105: .i \*(lqNotesfile
1106: System Reference Manual\*(rq or contact
1107: .cn uiucdcs!essick .
1108: .Lp \06.
1109: What does \*(lq:\-)\*(rq mean?
1110: .Lp
1111: This is the net convention for a \*(lqsmiley face.\*(rq
1112: It means that something is being said in jest.
1113: If it doesn't look like a smiley face to you,
1114: flop your head over to the left and look again.
1115: .Lp \07.
1116: How do I decrypt jokes in
1117: .ng net.jokes ?
1118: .Lp
1119: The standard cipher used in
1120: .ng net.jokes
1121: in called \*(lqrot13.\*(rq
1122: Each letter is replaced by the letter 13 further along in the alphabet
1123: (cycling around at the end).
1124: Most systems have a built in command to decrypt such articles;
1125: .i readnews (1)
1126: and
1127: .i vnews (1)
1128: have the
1129: .qp D
1130: command,
1131: .i rn (1)
1132: (another popular public-domain full screen news reader) has the
1133: .qp X
1134: or
1135: .qc CONTROL-X
1136: commands,
1137: .i notes (1)
1138: has
1139: .qp %
1140: or
1141: .qp R .
1142: If your system doesn't have a program to encrypt and decrypt these,
1143: you can quickly create a shell script using
1144: .i tr (1):
1145: .sd c
1146: tr A\-Za\-z N\-ZA\-Mn\-za\-m
1147: .ed
1148: On some versions of
1149: .ux ,
1150: the
1151: .i tr
1152: command should be written as:
1153: .sd c
1154: tr \*(lq[a\-m][n\-z][A\-M][N\-Z]\*(rq \*(lq[n\-z][a\-m][N\-Z][A\-M]\*(rq
1155: .ed
1156: .Lp \08.
1157: .ng net.general :
1158: Is John Doe out there anywhere?
1159: .Lp
1160: I suspect that these items are people looking for freshman roommates
1161: that they haven't seen in ten years.
1162: If you have some idea where the person is
1163: you are usually better off calling the organization.
1164: For example,
1165: if you call any Bell Labs location and request John Doe's number.
1166: They can give it to you even if he works at a different location.
1167: If you must try the net,
1168: use newsgroup
1169: .ng net.net-people ,
1170: .i not
1171: .ng net.general .
1172: .Lp \09.
1173: .ng net.math :
1174: Proofs that 1 \(eq 0.
1175: .Lp
1176: Almost everyone has seen one or more of these in high school.
1177: They are almost always based on either division by 0
1178: or taking the square root of a negative number.
1179: .Lp 10.
1180: .ng net.games :
1181: Where can I get the source for
1182: .i empire (6)
1183: or
1184: .i rogue (6)?
1185: .Lp
1186: You can't.
1187: The authors of these games,
1188: as is their right,
1189: have chosen not to make the sources available.
1190: .Lp 11.
1191: .ng net.unix-wizards :
1192: How do I remove files with
1193: .sm ASCII "" non-
1194: characters in their names?
1195: .Lp
1196: You can try to find a pattern that uniquely identifies the file.
1197: This sometimes fails because a peculiarity of some shells is that
1198: they strip off the high-order bit of characters in command lines.
1199: Next,
1200: you can try an \*(lqrm \-i\*(rq, or \*(lqrm \-r\*(rq
1201: (see
1202: .i rm (1).)
1203: Finally,
1204: you can mess around with i-node numbers and
1205: .i find (1).
1206: .Lp 12.
1207: .ng net.unix-wizards :
1208: There is a bug in the way
1209: .ux
1210: handles protection for programs that run setuid.
1211: .Lp
1212: There are indeed problems with the treatment of protection in setuid programs.
1213: When this is brought up,
1214: suggestions for changes range from implementing a full capability list
1215: arrangement to new kernel calls for allowing more control over when
1216: the effective id is used and when the real id is used to control accesses.
1217: Sooner or later you can expect this to be improved.
1218: For now you just have to live with it.
1219: .Lp 13.
1220: .ng net.women :
1221: What do you think about abortion?
1222: .Lp
1223: Although abortion might appear to be an appropriate topic for
1224: .ng net.women ,
1225: more heat than light is generated when it is brought up.
1226: Since the newsgroup
1227: .ng net.abortion
1228: has been created,
1229: all abortion-related discussion should take place there.
1230: .Lp 14.
1231: .ng net.singles :
1232: What do \*(lqMOTOS,\*(rq
1233: \*(lqMOTSS,\*(rq, \*(lqMOTAS\*(rq,
1234: and \*(lqSO\*(rq stand for?
1235: .Lp
1236: Member of the opposite sex,
1237: member of the same sex,
1238: member of the appropriate sex,
1239: and significant other,
1240: respectively.
1241: .Lp 15
1242: .ng net.columbia :
1243: Shouldn't this name be changed?
1244: .Lp
1245: The name was devised to honor the first space shuttle.
1246: It was realized at the time the group began that
1247: the name would quickly become out of date.
1248: The intent was to create a bit of instant nostalgia.
1249: .Lp 16.
1250: .ng net.columbia :
1251: Shouldn't this group be merged with
1252: .ng net.space ?
1253: No.
1254: .ng Net.columbia
1255: is for timely news bulletins.
1256: .ng Net.space
1257: is for discussions.
1258: .Lp 17.
1259: How do I use the
1260: .hf Distribution
1261: feature?
1262: .Lp
1263: When
1264: .i postnews (1)
1265: prompts you for a distribution,
1266: it's asking how widely distributed you want your article.
1267: The set of possible replies is different,
1268: depending on where you are,
1269: but at Bell Labs in Murray Hill,
1270: New Jersey,
1271: possibilities include:
1272: .sd c
1273: \!.ta 8n
1274: mh3bc1\tlocal to this machine
1275: mh\tBell Labs, Murray Hill Branch
1276: nj\tall sites in New Jersey
1277: btl\tAll Bell Labs machines
1278: att\tAll AT&T machines
1279: usa\tEverywhere in the USA
1280: na\tEverywhere in North America
1281: net\tEverywhere on USENET in the world (same as "world")
1282: .ed
1283: If you hit
1284: .qc RETURN ,
1285: you'll get the default,
1286: which is the first part of the newsgroup name.
1287: This default is often not appropriate \-
1288: .i please
1289: take a moment to think about how far away people are likely
1290: to be interested in what you have to say.
1291: Used car ads,
1292: housing wanted ads,
1293: and things for sale other than specialized equipment like computers
1294: certainly shouldn't be distributed to Europe and Korea,
1295: or even to the next state.
1296: .Lp
1297: The newsgroup
1298: .ng na.forsale
1299: exists for postings of sale announcements.
1300: Its distribution is limited to North America;
1301: posters should restrict this distribution even further,
1302: if possible and appropriate.
1303: .Lp 18.
1304: Why do some people put funny lines
1305: (\*(lqbug killers\*(rq)
1306: at the beginning of their articles?
1307: .Lp
1308: Some earlier versions of news had a bug which would drop
1309: the first 512 or 1024 bytes of text of certain articles.
1310: The bug was triggered whenever the article started with whitespace
1311: (a blank or a tab).
1312: A fix many people adopted was to begin their articles
1313: with a line containing a character other than white space.
1314: This gradually evolved into the habit of including amusing first lines.
1315: .Lp
1316: The original bug has since been fixed in newer version of news,
1317: and sites running older versions of news have applied a patch
1318: to prevent articles from losing text.
1319: The \*(lqbug-killer\*(rq lines are therefore probably no longer needed,
1320: but they linger on.
1321: .Lp 19.
1322: What is the address or phone number of the \*(lqfoo\*(rq company?
1323: .Lp
1324: Try the white and yellow pages of your phone directory,
1325: first;
1326: a sales representative will surely know,
1327: and if you're a potential customer they will be who you're looking for.
1328: Phone books for other cities are usually available in libraries of any size.
1329: Whoever buys or recommends things for your company
1330: will probably have some buyer's guides or national company directories.
1331: Call or visit the reference desk of your library;
1332: they have several company and organization directories
1333: and many will answer questions like this over the phone.
1334: Remember if you only know the city where the company is,
1335: you can telephone to find out their full address or a dealer.
1336: The network is
1337: .i not
1338: a free resource,
1339: although it may look like that to some people.
1340: It is far better to spend a few minutes of your own time
1341: researching an answer rather than broadcast
1342: your laziness and/or ineptitude to the net.
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