Re: New comp.sys.apple2 groups!

[taob@r-node.hub.org (Brian Tao)]

[I should have set followups to comp.sys.apple2 only to begin with...]

In article <C8Dryt.B8K@cbnewsd.cb.att.com>, j.l.walters writes...
> 
> I've been meaning to send mail to the keeper of the faq for some time
> with a suggestion that we need more sections to the faq i.e.:
> 
> 1. Apple ][
> 
> 2. Apple //e
> 
> 3. Apple IIgs
> 
> 4. Applesoft hints
> 
> 5. Peeks pokes, etc.
> 
> 6. Telecommunications - Programs, modes, Internet, BBS, etc.

    Maintaining a FAQ is hard work if you want to do a good job at it. 
I think the once-monthly posting tradition has evolved so that the
maintainer doesn't have to worry about when to post what.  You just
upload the whole shot all at once.

    Now's a good time to rethink the FAQ format.  I haven't looked at
the csa2 FAQ recently, but I think recomposing it in news-digest format
would be a good idea.  This makes it easier to search for pertinent
information and some news reader software can break down a digest into
individual "articles" for easy browsing.  Each mini-article has its own
set of headers.  For example:

------------------------------
Subject: [2.1.1] Transferring files from Apple II to Macintosh
From: taob@r-node.hub.org (Brian Tao)
Date: Fri Jun 11 00:50:01 1993 EST
Keywords: apple file exchange, hfs fst, macintosh, file transfers

<Text goes here...>

------------------------------
Subject: [2.1.2] Transferring files from Apple II to MS-DOS
<etc.>

    The "Subject" header will contain the section number in square
brackets and a descriptive title which matches its entry in the table of
contents.  The "From" header will contain the address of whoever
contributed the article (not necessarily the maintainer).  The "Date"
header shows the last time the article was updated, and the optional
"Keywords" field will help in text searches.

    There is a specific news-digest format outlined in one of the RFC's.
Anyone using software that recognizes news-digest format (e.g., nn) will
get a nice list of subjects and authors and can choose any article as if
they were in separate messages.  Most of the csa2 FAQ is already
compartmentalized, so converting it to news-digest form shouldn't be too
difficult.  Comments?
-- 
Brian Tao:: taob@r-node.hub.org (r-Node BBS, 416-249-5366, FREE!)
::::::::::: 90taobri@wave.scar.utoronto.ca (University of Toronto)