geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen) (06/01/90)
This is a regular posting providing information about Usenet Macintosh groups. It is designed to help you find the best place to post your Macintosh questions/discussions. A companion posting answers some of the more commonly asked questions. [Note from me: The q-and-a posting is almost ready to go. Honest! You'll hopefully be seeing it soon. I could use some volunteers to review it for technical accuracy. So, if you're a Macintosh expert and would like to review the ``Frequently Asked Questions,'' drop me a note. -- geoff] Feel free to send comments, questions, etc. about this posting to uunet!pmafire!geoff. Before going to the group descriptions, let's look at some general points. If You're New to Usenet ----------------------- If you're new to Usenet, be sure to read news.announce.newusers and news.newusers.questions. You'll find lots of valuable information there, along with some friendly folks who can help with the things we all had to learn. Crossposting ------------ You should have little need to crosspost within the Macintosh newsgroups. Try to find the group that most specifically fits your topic and post to it only. If you have a programming question, it should be posted to comp.sys.mac.programmer. Don't crosspost to comp.sys.mac.misc ``just to be sure everyone sees it.'' There are folks reading comp.sys.mac.misc who don't really care about programming the Macintosh, and they shouldn't have to wade through programming discussions. That's why comp.sys.mac.programmer exists. This, of course, applies to the other groups as well. For Sale Postings ----------------- For sale items should be posted to a .forsale group (e.g. misc.forsale, ba.forsale, etc). That's why those groups exist. Usenet Macintosh groups ----------------------- There are several newsgroups for discussions related to the Macintosh. Here are group names, along with their ``official'' definitions taken from the monthly ``List of Active Newsgroups'' posted in news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups (except in the case of the new groups, which have yet to appear on the ``official'' list -- their descriptions come from the call for votes and the newgroup messages that created them). Each of these is followed by a more detailed explanation of the newsgroup. ********** comp.sys.mac Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. Don't post here. This group is going away. It is to be replaced by comp.sys.mac.misc. ********** comp.sys.mac.misc Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. This is the main Macintosh newsgroup. This is where general Macintosh discussions (i.e., those without a specific group) should go. Volume is very high in this group, so please try to do your part by not posting here if a more specific group exists. ********** comp.sys.mac.announce Announcements of interest to Macintosh users (Moderated) The exact scope of what constitutes an ``announcement of interest to Macintosh users'' has yet to be defined. The moderator is Chuq Von Rospach <chuq@apple.com>. Your news software should automatically mail anything posted to this group to him. If it doesn't, mail your message to him at the above address. ********** comp.sys.mac.apps Discussion of Macintosh applications If it's an application (and doesn't have another group in which it fits, such as HyperCard in comp.sys.mac.hypercard, programming tools in comp.sys.mac.programmer, and communications programs in comp.sys.mac.comm), this is the place to talk about it. ********** comp.sys.mac.comm Discussion of Macintosh communications This includes telecommunications and networking. ********** comp.sys.mac.digest Apple Macintosh: info&uses, but no programs. (Moderated) This newsgroup (which is actually a gatewayed mailing list) presents a digest of postings covering all Macintosh topics. It is also the source of information for files available for FTP from sumex-aim.stanford.edu. (See the Q & A posting for information on FTP and alternatives for those not on the Internet.) The moderators' address (in case your news software won't mail your postings for you) is info-mac@sumex-aim.stanford.edu. ********** comp.sys.mac.games Discussion of Macintosh games This one is pretty self-explanatory. ********** comp.sys.mac.hardware Macintosh hardware issues & discussions. This newsgroup is for discussing Macintosh hardware. If you have a question about your ImageWriter or want to know about upgrading the memory in your Mac, this is the place. ********** comp.sys.mac.hypercard The Macintosh Hypercard: info & uses. This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you have a question or comment about HyperCard, it belongs here. By extension, discussions about SuperCard and Plus (two HyperCard-like programs from other vendors) also belong here. ********** comp.sys.mac.programmer Discussion by people programming the Apple Macintosh. This group is for those involved in Macintosh programming. (If your Macintosh programming is in HyperTalk, then it belongs in comp.sys.mac.hypercard. Questions and discussions about writing XCMDs and XFCNs for HyperCard should probably also go in comp.sys.mac.hypercard.) ********** comp.sys.mac.system Discussion of Macintosh system software This group is for anything that goes in your system folder (INITs, CDEVs, DAs, etc.) in addition to Macintosh System software (System 6.0.x, System 7.0, Finder, Multifinder, etc.). ********** comp.sys.mac.wanted For ``wanted'' postings This is the place to post, ``I missed part x of ...'', ``I need a ...'', or anything else that fits the ``wanted'' label. ********** comp.binaries.mac Encoded Macintosh programs in binary. (Moderated) Macintosh programs in BinHex form appear here. For more information about this newsgroup, see the companion Q & A posting. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.sources.mac Software for the Apple Macintosh. (Moderated) This group is for text listings of Macintosh source code. It hardly ever sees any traffic. This is because people posting source code usually post StuffIt archives of the actual source files (often along with an executable version of the program for those without compilers). These would then go to comp.binaries.mac. Generally the only things you'll see here are UNIX sources of interest to Macintosh users. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.protocols.appletalk Applebus hardware & software. Questions and discussions relating to AppleTalk (LocalTalk) and Macintosh networking belong here. ********** comp.unix.aux The version of UNIX for Apple Macintosh II computers. If you want to talk about A/UX, this is the place. ********** Other Groups of Interest ------------------------ There are other groups that, while not Macintosh-specific, may be of interest. For example: comp.fonts Typefonts -- design, conversion, use, etc. comp.text Text processing issues and methods. comp.text.desktop Technology & techniques of desktop publishing. These groups would be a better place for desktop publishing discussions, since they exist for just such a purpose. comp.lang.c Discussion about C. comp.lang.pascal Discussion about Pascal. (or .fortran, .c++, .smalltalk, ... You get the idea.) If you have questions or discussions about the language you're programming in rather than a Macintosh-specific programming question, the appropriate comp.lang.* group would be a better place to post. In short, check the list of active newsgroups (posted monthly to news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups) for newsgroups that might be of interest. Some examples you might wish to explore include: comp.graphics Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing. comp.graphics.digest Graphics software, hardware, theory, etc. (Moderated) comp.ivideodisc Interactive videodiscs -- uses, potential, etc. comp.lang.postscript The PostScript Page Description Language. comp.laser-printers Laser printers, hardware & software. (Moderated) comp.object Object-oriented programming and languages. comp.os.mach The MACH OS from CMU & other places. comp.os.minix Discussion of Tanenbaum's MINIX system. [These two represent UNIX-like systems available for the Macintosh.] comp.unix Discussion of UNIX* features and bugs. (Moderated) comp.unix.questions UNIX neophytes group. comp.unix.wizards Discussions, bug reports, and fixes on and for UNIX. comp.windows.misc Various issues about windowing systems. comp.windows.x Discussion about the X Window System. comp.virus Computer viruses & security. (Moderated) -- Geoff Allen uunet!pmafire!geoff bigtex!pmafire!geoff
geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen) (07/15/90)
This is a regular posting providing information about Usenet Macintosh groups. It is designed to help you find the best place to post your Macintosh questions/discussions. A companion posting answers some of the more commonly asked questions. [Note from me: The q-and-a posting is almost ready to go. Honest! You'll hopefully be seeing it soon. To everyone who volunteered to review it: Thanks, you should be hearing from me as soon as I get the chance. -- geoff] Feel free to send comments, questions, etc. about this posting to uunet!pmafire!geoff. Before going to the group descriptions, let's look at some general points. If You're New to Usenet ----------------------- If you're new to Usenet, be sure to read news.announce.newusers and news.newusers.questions. You'll find lots of valuable information there, along with some friendly folks who can help with the things we all had to learn. Crossposting ------------ You should have little need to crosspost within the Macintosh newsgroups. Try to find the group that most specifically fits your topic and post to it only. If you have a programming question, it should be posted to comp.sys.mac.programmer. Don't crosspost to comp.sys.mac.misc ``just to be sure everyone sees it.'' There are folks reading comp.sys.mac.misc who don't really care about programming the Macintosh, and they shouldn't have to wade through programming discussions. That's why comp.sys.mac.programmer exists. This, of course, applies to the other groups as well. For Sale Postings ----------------- For sale items should be posted to a .forsale group (e.g. misc.forsale, ba.forsale, or, especially, the new misc.forsale.computers). That's why those groups exist. Usenet Macintosh groups ----------------------- There are several newsgroups for discussions related to the Macintosh. Here are group names, along with their ``official'' definitions taken from the monthly ``List of Active Newsgroups'' posted in news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups (except in the case of the new groups, which have yet to appear on the ``official'' list -- their descriptions come from the call for votes and the newgroup messages that created them). Each of these is followed by a more detailed explanation of the newsgroup. ********** comp.sys.mac Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. Don't post here. This group is going away. It is to be replaced by comp.sys.mac.misc. ********** comp.sys.mac.misc Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. This is the main Macintosh newsgroup. This is where general Macintosh discussions (i.e., those without a specific group) should go. Volume is very high in this group, so please try to do your part by not posting here if a more specific group exists. ********** comp.sys.mac.announce Announcements of interest to Macintosh users (Moderated) The exact scope of what constitutes an ``announcement of interest to Macintosh users'' has yet to be defined. The moderator is Chuq Von Rospach <chuq@apple.com>. Your news software should automatically mail anything posted to this group to him. If it doesn't, mail your message to him at the above address. ********** comp.sys.mac.apps Discussion of Macintosh applications If it's an application (and doesn't have another group in which it fits, such as HyperCard in comp.sys.mac.hypercard, programming tools in comp.sys.mac.programmer, and communications programs in comp.sys.mac.comm), this is the place to talk about it. ********** comp.sys.mac.comm Discussion of Macintosh communications This includes telecommunications and networking. ********** comp.sys.mac.digest Apple Macintosh: info&uses, but no programs. (Moderated) This newsgroup (which is actually a gatewayed mailing list) presents a digest of postings covering all Macintosh topics. It is also the source of information for files available for FTP from sumex-aim.stanford.edu. (See the Q & A posting for information on FTP and alternatives for those not on the Internet.) The moderators' address (in case your news software won't mail your postings for you) is info-mac@sumex-aim.stanford.edu. ********** comp.sys.mac.games Discussion of Macintosh games This one is pretty self-explanatory. ********** comp.sys.mac.hardware Macintosh hardware issues & discussions. This newsgroup is for discussing Macintosh hardware. If you have a question about your ImageWriter or want to know about upgrading the memory in your Mac, this is the place. ********** comp.sys.mac.hypercard The Macintosh Hypercard: info & uses. This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you have a question or comment about HyperCard, it belongs here. By extension, discussions about SuperCard and Plus (two HyperCard-like programs from other vendors) also belong here. ********** comp.sys.mac.programmer Discussion by people programming the Apple Macintosh. This group is for those involved in Macintosh programming. (If your Macintosh programming is in HyperTalk, then it belongs in comp.sys.mac.hypercard. Questions and discussions about writing XCMDs and XFCNs for HyperCard should probably also go in comp.sys.mac.hypercard.) ********** comp.sys.mac.system Discussion of Macintosh system software This group is for anything that goes in your system folder (INITs, CDEVs, DAs, etc.) in addition to Macintosh System software (System 6.0.x, System 7.0, Finder, Multifinder, etc.). ********** comp.sys.mac.wanted For ``wanted'' postings This is the place to post, ``I missed part x of ...'', ``I need a ...'', or anything else that fits the ``wanted'' label. ********** comp.binaries.mac Encoded Macintosh programs in binary. (Moderated) Macintosh programs in BinHex form appear here. For more information about this newsgroup, see the companion Q & A posting. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.sources.mac Software for the Apple Macintosh. (Moderated) This group is for text listings of Macintosh source code. It hardly ever sees any traffic. This is because people posting source code usually post StuffIt archives of the actual source files (often along with an executable version of the program for those without compilers). These would then go to comp.binaries.mac. Generally the only things you'll see here are UNIX sources of interest to Macintosh users. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.protocols.appletalk Applebus hardware & software. Questions and discussions relating to AppleTalk (LocalTalk) and Macintosh networking belong here. ********** comp.unix.aux The version of UNIX for Apple Macintosh II computers. If you want to talk about A/UX, this is the place. ********** Other Groups of Interest ------------------------ There are other groups that, while not Macintosh-specific, may be of interest. For example: comp.fonts Typefonts -- design, conversion, use, etc. comp.text Text processing issues and methods. comp.text.desktop Technology & techniques of desktop publishing. These groups would be a better place for desktop publishing discussions, since they exist for just such a purpose. comp.lang.c Discussion about C. comp.lang.pascal Discussion about Pascal. (or .fortran, .c++, .smalltalk, ... You get the idea.) If you have questions or discussions about the language you're programming in rather than a Macintosh-specific programming question, the appropriate comp.lang.* group would be a better place to post. comp.protocols.* groups might be of value of you're doing much communicating between systems. In short, check the list of active newsgroups (posted monthly to news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups) for newsgroups that might be of interest. Some examples you might wish to explore include: comp.graphics Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing. comp.graphics.digest Graphics software, hardware, theory, etc. (Moderated) comp.ivideodisc Interactive videodiscs -- uses, potential, etc. comp.lang.postscript The PostScript Page Description Language. comp.laser-printers Laser printers, hardware & software. (Moderated) comp.object Object-oriented programming and languages. comp.os.mach The MACH OS from CMU & other places. comp.os.minix Discussion of Tanenbaum's MINIX system. [These two represent UNIX-like systems available for the Macintosh.] comp.unix Discussion of UNIX* features and bugs. (Moderated) comp.unix.questions UNIX neophytes group. comp.unix.wizards Discussions, bug reports, and fixes on and for UNIX. comp.windows.misc Various issues about windowing systems. comp.windows.x Discussion about the X Window System. comp.virus Computer viruses & security. (Moderated) -- Geoff Allen uunet!pmafire!geoff bigtex!pmafire!geoff
geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen) (08/15/90)
[Last change: July 23 -- added mention of limiting Distrubution: on for sale items.] This is a regular posting providing information about Usenet Macintosh groups. It is designed to help you find the best place to post your Macintosh questions/discussions. A companion posting answers some of the more commonly asked questions. [Note from me: Things have been a little busy here at work, so I haven't gotten to working the last little bit on the Frequently Asked Questions posting. You'll hopefully be seeing it soon. To everyone who volunteered to review it: I haven't forgotten you; you should be hearing from me as soon as I get the chance. -- geoff] Feel free to send comments, questions, etc. about this posting to uunet!pmafire!geoff. Before going to the group descriptions, let's look at some general points. If You're New to Usenet ----------------------- If you're new to Usenet, be sure to read news.announce.newusers and news.newusers.questions. You'll find lots of valuable information there, along with some friendly folks who can help with the things we all had to learn. Crossposting ------------ You should have little need to crosspost within the Macintosh newsgroups. Try to find the group that most specifically fits your topic and post to it only. If you have a programming question, it should be posted to comp.sys.mac.programmer. Don't crosspost to comp.sys.mac.misc ``just to be sure everyone sees it.'' There are folks reading comp.sys.mac.misc who don't really care about programming the Macintosh, and they shouldn't have to wade through programming discussions. That's why comp.sys.mac.programmer exists. This, of course, applies to the other groups as well. For Sale Postings ----------------- For sale items should be posted to a .forsale group (e.g. misc.forsale, ba.forsale, or, especially, the new misc.forsale.computers). That's why those groups exist. Also, please limit the distribution of for sale postings. It probably isn't too practical for someone in New Zealand to buy the Mac II you're selling in California! Usenet Macintosh groups ----------------------- There are several newsgroups for discussions related to the Macintosh. Here are group names, along with their ``official'' definitions taken from the monthly ``List of Active Newsgroups'' posted in news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups (except in the case of the new groups, which have yet to appear on the ``official'' list -- their descriptions come from the call for votes and the newgroup messages that created them). Each of these is followed by a more detailed explanation of the newsgroup. ********** comp.sys.mac Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. Don't post here. This group is going away. It is to be replaced by comp.sys.mac.misc. ********** comp.sys.mac.misc Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. This is the main Macintosh newsgroup. This is where general Macintosh discussions (i.e., those without a specific group) should go. Volume is very high in this group, so please try to do your part by not posting here if a more specific group exists. ********** comp.sys.mac.announce Announcements of interest to Macintosh users (Moderated) The exact scope of what constitutes an ``announcement of interest to Macintosh users'' has yet to be defined. The moderator is Chuq Von Rospach <chuq@apple.com>. Your news software should automatically mail anything posted to this group to him. If it doesn't, mail your message to him at the above address. ********** comp.sys.mac.apps Discussion of Macintosh applications If it's an application (and doesn't have another group in which it fits, such as HyperCard in comp.sys.mac.hypercard, programming tools in comp.sys.mac.programmer, and communications programs in comp.sys.mac.comm), this is the place to talk about it. ********** comp.sys.mac.comm Discussion of Macintosh communications This includes telecommunications and networking. ********** comp.sys.mac.digest Apple Macintosh: info&uses, but no programs. (Moderated) This newsgroup (which is actually a gatewayed mailing list) presents a digest of postings covering all Macintosh topics. It is also the source of information for files available for FTP from sumex-aim.stanford.edu. (See the Q & A posting for information on FTP and alternatives for those not on the Internet.) The moderators' address (in case your news software won't mail your postings for you) is info-mac@sumex-aim.stanford.edu. ********** comp.sys.mac.games Discussion of Macintosh games This one is pretty self-explanatory. ********** comp.sys.mac.hardware Macintosh hardware issues & discussions. This newsgroup is for discussing Macintosh hardware. If you have a question about your ImageWriter or want to know about upgrading the memory in your Mac, this is the place. ********** comp.sys.mac.hypercard The Macintosh Hypercard: info & uses. This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you have a question or comment about HyperCard, it belongs here. By extension, discussions about SuperCard and Plus (two HyperCard-like programs from other vendors) also belong here. ********** comp.sys.mac.programmer Discussion by people programming the Apple Macintosh. This group is for those involved in Macintosh programming. (If your Macintosh programming is in HyperTalk, then it belongs in comp.sys.mac.hypercard. Questions and discussions about writing XCMDs and XFCNs for HyperCard should also go in comp.sys.mac.hypercard.) ********** comp.sys.mac.system Discussion of Macintosh system software This group is for anything that goes in your system folder (INITs, CDEVs, DAs, etc.) in addition to Macintosh System software (System 6.0.x, System 7.0, Finder, Multifinder, etc.). ********** comp.sys.mac.wanted For ``wanted'' postings This is the place to post, ``I missed part x of ...'', ``I need a ...'', or anything else that fits the ``wanted'' label. ********** comp.binaries.mac Encoded Macintosh programs in binary. (Moderated) Macintosh programs in BinHex form appear here. For more information about this newsgroup, see the companion Q & A posting. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.sources.mac Software for the Apple Macintosh. (Moderated) This group is for text listings of Macintosh source code. It hardly ever sees any traffic. This is because people posting source code usually post StuffIt archives of the actual source files (often along with an executable version of the program for those without compilers). These would then go to comp.binaries.mac. Generally the only things you'll see here are UNIX sources of interest to Macintosh users. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.protocols.appletalk Applebus hardware & software. Questions and discussions relating to AppleTalk (LocalTalk) and Macintosh networking belong here. ********** comp.unix.aux The version of UNIX for Apple Macintosh II computers. If you want to talk about A/UX, this is the place. ********** Other Groups of Interest ------------------------ There are other groups that, while not Macintosh-specific, may be of interest. For example: comp.fonts Typefonts -- design, conversion, use, etc. comp.text Text processing issues and methods. comp.text.desktop Technology & techniques of desktop publishing. These groups would be a better place for desktop publishing discussions, since they exist for just such a purpose. comp.lang.c Discussion about C. comp.lang.pascal Discussion about Pascal. (or .fortran, .c++, .smalltalk, ... You get the idea.) If you have questions or discussions about the language you're programming in rather than a Macintosh-specific programming question, the appropriate comp.lang.* group would be a better place to post. comp.protocols.* groups might be of value of you're doing much communicating between systems. In short, check the list of active newsgroups (posted monthly to news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups) for newsgroups that might be of interest. Some examples you might wish to explore include: comp.graphics Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing. comp.graphics.digest Graphics software, hardware, theory, etc. (Moderated) comp.ivideodisc Interactive videodiscs -- uses, potential, etc. comp.lang.postscript The PostScript Page Description Language. comp.laser-printers Laser printers, hardware & software. (Moderated) comp.object Object-oriented programming and languages. comp.os.mach The MACH OS from CMU & other places. comp.os.minix Discussion of Tanenbaum's MINIX system. [These two represent UNIX-like systems available for the Macintosh.] comp.unix Discussion of UNIX* features and bugs. (Moderated) comp.unix.questions UNIX neophytes group. comp.unix.wizards Discussions, bug reports, and fixes on and for UNIX. comp.windows.misc Various issues about windowing systems. comp.windows.x Discussion about the X Window System. comp.virus Computer viruses & security. (Moderated) -- Geoff Allen uunet!pmafire!geoff bigtex!pmafire!geoff
geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen) (10/01/90)
[Last change: July 23 -- added mention of limiting Distrubution: on for sale items.] [But the ``Note from me'' has changed, so even if you've seen this since the last change, at least read that far.] This is a regular posting providing information about Usenet Macintosh groups. It is designed to help you find the best place to post your Macintosh questions/discussions. A companion posting answers some frequently asked questions. [Notes from me: I've sent a draft of the FAQ posting to those who volunteered ages ago to review it for me. There are still some gaps in it, hopefully those will get filled during the review. Also, I've been posting this twice a month, based on the theory that not all sites believe in the Expires: header and most sites expire news rather quickly. The idea was to have it show up in the group fairly frequently, so that a copy would (hopefully) be around for folks to refer to. I've gotten some mail indicating that some people are rather annoyed with seeing this every other week, especially since traffic in c.s.m.announce is so low. So, would people rather see this monthly, with an Expires: header telling sites to keep it around longer than most news, or is the current scheme ok? Whatever is finally decided will apply to the FAQ post also. Send me your opinions, and I'll post a summary to c.s.m.misc. Info about whether the Expires: header works at your site -- you can tell by looking for old stuff in news.announce.newusers -- would be helpful too. -- geoff] Feel free to send comments, questions, etc. about this posting to uunet!pmafire!geoff. Before going to the group descriptions, let's look at some general points. If You're New to Usenet ----------------------- If you're new to Usenet, be sure to read news.announce.newusers and news.newusers.questions. You'll find lots of valuable information there, along with some friendly folks who can help with the things we all had to learn. Crossposting ------------ You should have little need to crosspost within the Macintosh newsgroups. Try to find the group that most specifically fits your topic and post to it only. If you have a programming question, it should be posted to comp.sys.mac.programmer. Don't crosspost to comp.sys.mac.misc ``just to be sure everyone sees it.'' There are folks reading comp.sys.mac.misc who don't really care about programming the Macintosh, and they shouldn't have to wade through programming discussions. That's why comp.sys.mac.programmer exists. This, of course, applies to the other groups as well. For Sale Postings ----------------- For sale items should be posted to a .forsale group (e.g. misc.forsale, ba.forsale, or, especially, the new misc.forsale.computers). That's why those groups exist. Also, please limit the distribution of for sale postings. It probably isn't too practical for someone in New Zealand to buy the Mac II you're selling in California! Usenet Macintosh groups ----------------------- There are several newsgroups for discussions related to the Macintosh. Here are group names, along with their ``official'' definitions taken from the monthly ``List of Active Newsgroups'' posted in news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups (except in the case of the new groups, which have yet to appear on the ``official'' list -- their descriptions come from the call for votes and the newgroup messages that created them). Each of these is followed by a more detailed explanation of the newsgroup. ********** comp.sys.mac Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. Don't post here. This group is going away. It is to be replaced by comp.sys.mac.misc. ********** comp.sys.mac.misc Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. This is the main Macintosh newsgroup. This is where general Macintosh discussions (i.e., those without a specific group) should go. Volume is very high in this group, so please try to do your part by not posting here if a more specific group exists. ********** comp.sys.mac.announce Announcements of interest to Macintosh users (Moderated) The exact scope of what constitutes an ``announcement of interest to Macintosh users'' has yet to be defined. The moderator is Chuq Von Rospach <chuq@apple.com>. Your news software should automatically mail anything posted to this group to him. If it doesn't, mail your message to him at the above address. ********** comp.sys.mac.apps Discussion of Macintosh applications If it's an application (and doesn't have another group in which it fits, such as HyperCard in comp.sys.mac.hypercard, programming tools in comp.sys.mac.programmer, and communications programs in comp.sys.mac.comm), this is the place to talk about it. ********** comp.sys.mac.comm Discussion of Macintosh communications This includes telecommunications and networking. ********** comp.sys.mac.digest Apple Macintosh: info&uses, but no programs. (Moderated) This newsgroup (which is actually a gatewayed mailing list) presents a digest of postings covering all Macintosh topics. It is also the source of information for files available for FTP from sumex-aim.stanford.edu. (See the Q & A posting for information on FTP and alternatives for those not on the Internet.) The moderators' address (in case your news software won't mail your postings for you) is info-mac@sumex-aim.stanford.edu. ********** comp.sys.mac.games Discussion of Macintosh games This one is pretty self-explanatory. ********** comp.sys.mac.hardware Macintosh hardware issues & discussions. This newsgroup is for discussing Macintosh hardware. If you have a question about your ImageWriter or want to know about upgrading the memory in your Mac, this is the place. ********** comp.sys.mac.hypercard The Macintosh Hypercard: info & uses. This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you have a question or comment about HyperCard, it belongs here. By extension, discussions about SuperCard and Plus (two HyperCard-like programs from other vendors) also belong here. ********** comp.sys.mac.programmer Discussion by people programming the Apple Macintosh. This group is for those involved in Macintosh programming. (If your Macintosh programming is in HyperTalk, then it belongs in comp.sys.mac.hypercard. Questions and discussions about writing XCMDs and XFCNs for HyperCard should also go in comp.sys.mac.hypercard.) ********** comp.sys.mac.system Discussion of Macintosh system software This group is for anything that goes in your system folder (INITs, CDEVs, DAs, etc.) in addition to Macintosh System software (System 6.0.x, System 7.0, Finder, Multifinder, etc.). ********** comp.sys.mac.wanted For ``wanted'' postings This is the place to post, ``I missed part x of ...'', ``I need a ...'', or anything else that fits the ``wanted'' label. ********** comp.binaries.mac Encoded Macintosh programs in binary. (Moderated) Macintosh programs in BinHex form appear here. For more information about this newsgroup, see the companion Q & A posting. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.sources.mac Software for the Apple Macintosh. (Moderated) This group is for text listings of Macintosh source code. It hardly ever sees any traffic. This is because people posting source code usually post StuffIt archives of the actual source files (often along with an executable version of the program for those without compilers). These would then go to comp.binaries.mac. Generally the only things you'll see here are UNIX sources of interest to Macintosh users. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.protocols.appletalk Applebus hardware & software. Questions and discussions relating to AppleTalk (LocalTalk) and Macintosh networking belong here. ********** comp.unix.aux The version of UNIX for Apple Macintosh II computers. If you want to talk about A/UX, this is the place. ********** Other Groups of Interest ------------------------ There are other groups that, while not Macintosh-specific, may be of interest. For example: comp.fonts Typefonts -- design, conversion, use, etc. comp.text Text processing issues and methods. comp.text.desktop Technology & techniques of desktop publishing. These groups would be a better place for desktop publishing discussions, since they exist for just such a purpose. comp.lang.c Discussion about C. comp.lang.pascal Discussion about Pascal. (or .fortran, .c++, .smalltalk, ... You get the idea.) If you have questions or discussions about the language you're programming in rather than a Macintosh-specific programming question, the appropriate comp.lang.* group would be a better place to post. comp.protocols.* groups might be of value of you're doing much communicating between systems. In short, check the list of active newsgroups (posted monthly to news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups) for newsgroups that might be of interest. Some examples you might wish to explore include: comp.graphics Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing. comp.graphics.digest Graphics software, hardware, theory, etc. (Moderated) comp.ivideodisc Interactive videodiscs -- uses, potential, etc. comp.lang.postscript The PostScript Page Description Language. comp.laser-printers Laser printers, hardware & software. (Moderated) comp.object Object-oriented programming and languages. comp.os.mach The MACH OS from CMU & other places. comp.os.minix Discussion of Tanenbaum's MINIX system. [These two represent UNIX-like systems available for the Macintosh.] comp.unix Discussion of UNIX* features and bugs. (Moderated) comp.unix.questions UNIX neophytes group. comp.unix.wizards Discussions, bug reports, and fixes on and for UNIX. comp.windows.misc Various issues about windowing systems. comp.windows.x Discussion about the X Window System. comp.virus Computer viruses & security. (Moderated) -- Geoff Allen uunet!pmafire!geoff bigtex!pmafire!geoff
geoff@pmafire.UUCP (Geoff Allen) (10/02/90)
[Sorry about the last one. I didn't get it updated before cron sent it off in the wee hours of October 1. :^( Changes this time include the address for the new moderator of comp.sys.mac.announce, switching to the 'official' group descriptions instead of my made up ones for the new groups, and a new description of comp.sys.mac.] This is a regular posting providing information about Usenet Macintosh groups. It is designed to help you find the best place to post your Macintosh questions/discussions. A companion posting answers some frequently asked questions. [Notes from me: Look for the ``Frequently Asked Questions'' posting *very* soon now. I hope within a week or two. I got little response to my request earlier for opinions on whether to continue posting semi-monthly or switch to monthly. Of the opinions I got, the consensus was heavily in favor of monthly postings, so as soon as I get things arranged to include Expires: and Supersedes: headers, I'll be switching to a monthly post of this and the FAQ message. -- geoff] Feel free to send comments, questions, etc. about this posting to uunet!pmafire!geoff. Before going to the group descriptions, let's look at some general points. If You're New to Usenet ----------------------- If you're new to Usenet, be sure to read news.announce.newusers and news.newusers.questions. You'll find lots of valuable information there, along with some friendly folks who can help with the things we all had to learn. Crossposting ------------ You should have little need to crosspost within the Macintosh newsgroups. Try to find the group that most specifically fits your topic and post to it. If you have a programming question, it should be posted to comp.sys.mac.programmer. Don't crosspost to comp.sys.mac.misc ``just to be sure everyone sees it.'' There are folks reading comp.sys.mac.misc who don't really care about programming the Macintosh, and they shouldn't have to wade through programming discussions. That's why comp.sys.mac.programmer exists. This, of course, applies to the other groups as well. For Sale Postings ----------------- For sale items should be posted to a .forsale group (e.g. misc.forsale, ba.forsale, or, especially, the new misc.forsale.computers). That's why those groups exist. Also, please limit the distribution of for sale postings. It probably isn't too practical for someone in New Zealand to buy the Mac II you're selling in California! Usenet Macintosh groups ----------------------- There are several newsgroups for discussions related to the Macintosh. Here are group names, along with their ``official'' definitions taken from the monthly ``List of Active Newsgroups'' posted in news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups. Each of these is followed by a more detailed explanation of the newsgroup. ********** comp.sys.mac Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. Don't post here. This group shouldn't even exist on your machine any more. It's history. ********** comp.sys.mac.misc General discussions about the Apple Macintosh. This is the main Macintosh newsgroup. This is where general Macintosh discussions (i.e., those without a specific group) should go. Volume is very high in this group, so please try to do your part by not posting here if a more specific group exists. ********** comp.sys.mac.announce Important notices for Macintosh users. (Moderated) The exact scope of what constitutes an ``important notice for Macintosh users'' has yet to be fully defined. The moderator is Werner Uhrig. Your news software should automatically mail anything posted to this group to him. If it doesn't, you can mail your message to csma@rascal.ics.utexas.edu. ********** comp.sys.mac.apps Discussion of Macintosh applications. If it's an application (and doesn't have another group in which it fits, such as HyperCard in comp.sys.mac.hypercard, programming tools in comp.sys.mac.programmer, and communications programs in comp.sys.mac.comm), this is the place to talk about it. ********** comp.sys.mac.comm Discussion of Macintosh communications. This includes telecommunications and networking. ********** comp.sys.mac.digest Apple Macintosh: info&uses, but no programs. (Moderated) This newsgroup (which is actually a gatewayed mailing list) presents a digest of postings covering all Macintosh topics. It is also the source of information for files available for FTP from sumex-aim.stanford.edu. (See the Q & A posting for information on FTP and alternatives for those not on the Internet.) The moderators' address (in case your news software won't mail your postings for you) is info-mac@sumex-aim.stanford.edu. ********** comp.sys.mac.games Discussions of games on the Macintosh. This one is pretty self-explanatory. ********** comp.sys.mac.hardware Macintosh hardware issues & discussions. This newsgroup is for discussing Macintosh hardware. If you have a question about your ImageWriter or want to know about upgrading the memory in your Mac, this is the place. ********** comp.sys.mac.hypercard The Macintosh Hypercard: info & uses. This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you have a question or comment about HyperCard, it belongs here. By extension, discussions about SuperCard and Plus (two HyperCard-like programs from other vendors) also belong here. ********** comp.sys.mac.programmer Discussion by people programming the Apple Macintosh. This group is for those involved in Macintosh programming. (If your Macintosh programming is in HyperTalk, then it belongs in comp.sys.mac.hypercard. Questions and discussions about writing XCMDs and XFCNs for HyperCard should also go in comp.sys.mac.hypercard.) ********** comp.sys.mac.system Discussions of Macintosh system software. This group is for anything that goes in your system folder (INITs, CDEVs, DAs, etc.) in addition to Macintosh System software (System 6.0.x, System 7.0, Finder, Multifinder, etc.). ********** comp.sys.mac.wanted Postings of "I want XYZ for my Mac." This is the place to post, ``I missed part x of ... on comp.binaries.mac'', ``I need a ...'', or anything else that fits the ``wanted'' label. ********** comp.binaries.mac Encoded Macintosh programs in binary. (Moderated) Macintosh programs in BinHex form appear here. For more information about this newsgroup, see the companion Q & A posting. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.sources.mac Software for the Apple Macintosh. (Moderated) This group is for text listings of Macintosh source code. It hardly ever sees any traffic. This is because people posting source code usually post StuffIt archives of the actual source files (often along with an executable version of the program for those without compilers). These would then go to comp.binaries.mac. Generally the only things you'll see here are UNIX sources of interest to Macintosh users. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.protocols.appletalk Applebus hardware & software. Questions and discussions relating to AppleTalk (LocalTalk) and Macintosh networking belong here. ********** comp.unix.aux The version of UNIX for Apple Macintosh II computers. If you want to talk about A/UX, this is the place. ********** Other Groups of Interest ------------------------ There are other groups that, while not Macintosh-specific, may be of interest. For example: comp.fonts Typefonts -- design, conversion, use, etc. comp.text Text processing issues and methods. comp.text.desktop Technology & techniques of desktop publishing. These groups would be a better place for desktop publishing discussions, since they exist for just such a purpose. comp.lang.c Discussion about C. comp.lang.pascal Discussion about Pascal. (or .fortran, .c++, .smalltalk, ... You get the idea.) If you have questions or discussions about the language you're programming in rather than a Macintosh-specific programming question, the appropriate comp.lang.* group would be a better place to post. comp.protocols.* groups might be of value of you're doing much communicating between systems. In short, check the list of active newsgroups (posted monthly to news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups) for newsgroups that might be of interest. Some examples you might wish to explore include: comp.graphics Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing. comp.graphics.digest Graphics software, hardware, theory, etc. (Moderated) comp.ivideodisc Interactive videodiscs -- uses, potential, etc. comp.lang.postscript The PostScript Page Description Language. comp.laser-printers Laser printers, hardware & software. (Moderated) comp.object Object-oriented programming and languages. comp.os.mach The MACH OS from CMU & other places. comp.os.minix Discussion of Tanenbaum's MINIX system. [These two represent UNIX-like systems available for the Macintosh.] comp.unix.* groups Here's where you can participate in general discussions of UNIX, whether to learn more about the workings of A/UX, or to learn more about the operating system most of us use when we read news. Especially check out comp.unix.questions if you're new to UNIX. comp.windows.misc Various issues about windowing systems. comp.windows.x Discussion about the X Window System. comp.virus Computer viruses & security. (Moderated) -- Geoff Allen uunet!pmafire!geoff bigtex!pmafire!geoff
geoff@pmafire.inel.gov (Geoff Allen) (12/01/90)
[Made some minor editorial changes Nov. 1, 1990. Last real change in content was Oct. 1, 1990.] This is a regular posting providing information about Usenet Macintosh groups. It is designed to help you find the best place to post your Macintosh questions/discussions. A companion posting answers some frequently asked questions. Feel free to send comments, questions, etc. about this posting to uunet!pmafire!geoff. Before going to the group descriptions, let's look at some general points. If You're New to Usenet ----------------------- If you're new to Usenet, be sure to read news.announce.newusers and news.newusers.questions. You'll find lots of valuable information there, along with some friendly folks who can help with the things we all had to learn. Crossposting ------------ You should have little need to crosspost within the Macintosh newsgroups. Try to find the group that most specifically fits your topic and post to it only. If you have a programming question, post it to comp.sys.mac.programmer. Don't crosspost to comp.sys.mac.misc ``just to be sure everyone sees it.'' There are folks reading comp.sys.mac.misc who don't really care about programming the Macintosh, and they shouldn't have to wade through programming discussions. That's why comp.sys.mac.programmer exists. This, of course, applies to the other groups as well. For Sale Postings ----------------- For sale items should be posted to a .forsale group (e.g. misc.forsale, ba.forsale, or, especially, misc.forsale.computers). That's why those groups exist. Also, please limit the distribution of for sale postings. It probably isn't too practical for someone in New Zealand to buy the Mac II you're selling in California! Usenet Macintosh groups ----------------------- There are several newsgroups for discussions related to the Macintosh. Here are group names, along with their ``official'' definitions taken from the monthly ``List of Active Newsgroups'' posted in news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups. Each of these is followed by a more detailed explanation of the newsgroup. ********** comp.sys.mac Discussions about the Apple Macintosh & Lisa. Don't post here. This group shouldn't even exist on your machine any more. It's history. ********** comp.sys.mac.misc General discussions about the Apple Macintosh. This is the main Macintosh newsgroup. This is where general Macintosh discussions (i.e., those without a specific group) should go. Volume is very high in this group, so please try to do your part by not posting here if a more specific group exists. ********** comp.sys.mac.announce Important notices for Macintosh users. (Moderated) The exact scope of what constitutes an ``important notice for Macintosh users'' has yet to be fully defined. The moderator is Werner Uhrig. Your news software should automatically mail anything posted to this group to him. If it doesn't, you can mail your message to csma@rascal.ics.utexas.edu. ********** comp.sys.mac.apps Discussion of Macintosh applications. If it's an application (and doesn't have another group in which it fits, such as HyperCard in comp.sys.mac.hypercard, programming tools in comp.sys.mac.programmer, and communications programs in comp.sys.mac.comm), this is the place to talk about it. ********** comp.sys.mac.comm Discussion of Macintosh communications. This includes telecommunications and networking. ********** comp.sys.mac.digest Apple Macintosh: info&uses, but no programs. (Moderated) This newsgroup (which is actually a gatewayed mailing list) presents a digest of postings covering all Macintosh topics. It is also the source of information for files available for FTP from sumex-aim.stanford.edu. (See the Frequently Asked Questions posting for information on FTP and alternatives for those not on the Internet.) The moderators' address (in case your news software won't mail your postings for you) is info-mac@sumex-aim.stanford.edu. ********** comp.sys.mac.games Discussions of games on the Macintosh. This one is pretty self-explanatory. ********** comp.sys.mac.hardware Macintosh hardware issues & discussions. This newsgroup is for discussing Macintosh hardware. If you have a question about your ImageWriter or want to know about upgrading the memory in your Mac, this is the place. ********** comp.sys.mac.hypercard The Macintosh Hypercard: info & uses. This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you have a question or comment about HyperCard, it belongs here. By extension, discussions about SuperCard and Plus (two HyperCard-like programs from other vendors) also belong here. ********** comp.sys.mac.programmer Discussion by people programming the Apple Macintosh. This group is for those involved in Macintosh programming. (If your Macintosh programming is in HyperTalk, then you should post to comp.sys.mac.hypercard. Questions and discussions specifically related to writing XCMDs and XFCNs for HyperCard should also go in comp.sys.mac.hypercard.) ********** comp.sys.mac.system Discussions of Macintosh system software. This group is for anything that goes in your system folder (INITs, CDEVs, DAs, etc.) in addition to Macintosh System software (System 6.0.x, System 7.0, Finder, Multifinder, etc.). ********** comp.sys.mac.wanted Postings of "I want XYZ for my Mac." This is the place to post, ``I missed part x of ... on comp.binaries.mac'', ``I need a ...'', or anything else that fits the ``wanted'' label. ********** comp.binaries.mac Encoded Macintosh programs in binary. (Moderated) Macintosh programs in BinHex form appear here. For more information about this newsgroup, see the Frequently Asked Questions posting. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.sources.mac Software for the Apple Macintosh. (Moderated) This group is for text listings of Macintosh source code. It hardly ever sees any traffic. This is because people posting source code usually post StuffIt archives of the actual source files (often along with an executable version of the program for those without compilers). These would then go to comp.binaries.mac. Generally the only things you'll see here are UNIX sources of interest to Macintosh users. The moderator of this group is Roger Long. If your news software doesn't mail your message, you may send it to macintosh@felix.uucp. ********** comp.protocols.appletalk Applebus hardware & software. Questions and discussions relating to AppleTalk (LocalTalk) and Macintosh networking belong here. ********** comp.unix.aux The version of UNIX for Apple Macintosh II computers. If you want to talk about A/UX, this is the place. ********** Other Groups of Interest ------------------------ There are other groups that, while not Macintosh-specific, may be of interest. For example: comp.fonts Typefonts -- design, conversion, use, etc. comp.text Text processing issues and methods. comp.text.desktop Technology & techniques of desktop publishing. These groups would be a better place for desktop publishing discussions, since they exist for just such a purpose. comp.lang.c Discussion about C. comp.lang.pascal Discussion about Pascal. (or .fortran, .c++, .smalltalk, ... You get the idea.) If you have questions or discussions about the language you're programming in rather than a Macintosh-specific programming question, the appropriate comp.lang.* group would be a better place to post. comp.protocols.* groups might be of value of you're doing much communicating between systems. In short, check the list of active newsgroups (posted monthly to news.announce.newusers, news.lists, and news.groups) for newsgroups that might be of interest. Some other examples you might wish to explore include: comp.graphics Computer graphics, art, animation, image processing. comp.graphics.digest Graphics software, hardware, theory, etc. (Moderated) comp.ivideodisc Interactive videodiscs -- uses, potential, etc. comp.lang.postscript The PostScript Page Description Language. comp.laser-printers Laser printers, hardware & software. (Moderated) comp.object Object-oriented programming and languages. comp.os.mach The MACH OS from CMU & other places. comp.os.minix Discussion of Tanenbaum's MINIX system. [These two represent UNIX-like systems available for the Macintosh.] comp.unix.* groups To learn more about the workings of A/UX, or to learn more about the operating system most of us use when we read news. Especially check out comp.unix.questions if you're new to UNIX. comp.windows.misc Various issues about windowing systems. comp.windows.x Discussion about the X Window System. comp.virus Computer viruses & security. (Moderated) -- Geoff Allen uunet!pmafire!geoff geoff@pmafire.inel.gov