honp9@menudo.uh.edu (Jason L. Tibbitts III) (01/23/91)
Reader's Guide to Comp.Sys.Amiga.Reviews (Last Revised 15-Jan-91) This article is intended to give the readers of comp.sys.amiga.reviews a bit of assistance in navigating a .reviews posting. At places it may seem a bit verbose, or a bit too basic, but remember that I have to cater to all readers, and please do read it all, as there is some important information near the end. I have attempted to come up with a simple review format which minimizes the time required for the reader to find an interesting article and junk the unwanted ones. Before I enter into a description of the format, let me state that I am always open to suggestions. Remember that I am on the other side of the article than you are and thus I may be blind to many things that may irritate you to no end. So please mail me with any input you may have. Onward! I only know Unix rn and VMS News, so I will restrict my comments to those two newsreaders. If anyone wishes to make any additions, my mailbox is always open. Also, I am aware that there are many people who may be receiving your news through email. Some of what lies below is pertinent, but I will apologize in advance for rambling on about newsreaders. The same goes for those who get news through FidoNET, Portal, etc. I'll assume that you can start up the newsreaders and select a newsgroup. Of course you can, you're reading this. VMS news gives you a list of articles automatically. You can see from a glance the articles available. In rn, just hit the equals sign. Each article title will be prefixed by a word in all caps: ADMIN: Designates an article that I have posted concerning some administrative point. REVIEW: What else, a review! REBUTTAL: A collection of readers responses to a previously posted review. I will collect your responses to reviews and post them occasionally. More on this later. After the REVIEW or REBUTTAL heading will appear the title of the piece of software or hardware being commented on. So, from this information, you can decide which articles you want to read, read them, and then use the 'c' command in rn or the set/seen command in VMS news to mark as read all of the unwanted articles in the group. There is, however, a way for Unix rn users (and from VMS, but I never figured out how) to kill articles by category. I will insure that the Keywords: field in the news header includes several one word descriptions of the thing being reviewed. My favorite hypothetical word processor, WordImPerfect by PricklyWare, would have a Keywords: line containing software, application, word processing. Thus you can single out just hardware, or just software, or all games. You do this by means of a feature of rn called the kill file. Use control-K to edit the kill file. Simply insert a line of the form: /keyword/h:j Where keyword is the category of article that you wish to never see again. You must include the slashes, the h, the colon, and the j. I'm sorry that I can't go into the mechanics of actually using the editor to make the change, as there are more editors in existence than I care to consider. So after you've finished your merciless slaughter of unwanted articles, you might actually want to read some. If you do, you'll notice that at the beginning of each review, unless I have some important comments to make, you will find a short summary of the thing being reviewed. This will further help you to decide whether or not you really want to read hundreds of lines of review. After all of that, the review will begin. I make an effort to read the reviews before I approve them, and I work with the authors to get the text as error free as possible. In most cases, however, I will not have actually worked with the product in question, so I cannot validate any claims made by the reviewer. I depend on the reviewer to substantiate any claims made. After reading the review, you are free to make comments or ask questions. There are three ways to do this: 1. Reply to the author. By using 'r' in rn or reply in VMS news to reply directly, or 'R' in rn or reply/extract in VMS news to include a copy of the original article. Please, if you must include a copy, edit it down to just what you wish to comment on. 2. Post a followup. I will direct followups to the appropriate groups in the comp.sys.amiga hierarchy. Please respect the Followups-To: line in the header. I have a pretty good idea of what material should fit where in the group structure. To followup, use the 'f' command in rn, or the followup command in VMS news. Like reply, 'F' in rn or followup/extract in VMS news fill include a copy or the original posting. It is imperative that you edit the original document down to only the necessary information, as it costs quite a bit of money to send your article to every UseNet site in the world. Also, please try to keep the followups to the original subject. If you must change the subject from that of the original article, please change the Subject: heading and the Newsgroups: heading to match the new subject material. These are all basic netiquette rules, and the Net public will appreciate it if you follow them. 3. Send a rebuttal to me. Simply send email to HONP9@menudo.uh.edu (that's ME!) with the text of your rebuttal. The form of a rebuttal is simple. Keep it as short as possible, and include no more than one to four lines of quoted text. Address only one point at one time, and be civil. I will collect these rebuttals and post them about a week or two after the appearance of the original review. I am doing this because I know that different people have different opinions, and that no one reviewer can completely cover a product. UseNet is a community, and I want to make this a community effort. As an aside, I will also accept official responses to a review from the producer of the product. Everybody deserves to voice their opinion. Followups and replies to rebuttal postings will be directed to me. That should get you through the process. My mailbox is always open, and I do answer mail. Good luck with comp.sys.amiga.reviews! Unix is a trademark of AT&T (just in case...) -- Jason L. Tibbitts III | Moderator: comp.sys.amiga.reviews "Blob Shop Programmers:| Send submissions to HONP9@menudo.uh.edu Because We're Bored!" | Check comp.sys.amiga.reviews for submissions Disclaimer: Opinions...| guide, disclaimers, etc. Fnord.
honp9@menudo.uh.edu (Jason L. Tibbitts III) (03/01/91)
Reader's Guide to Comp.Sys.Amiga.Reviews -- Last revised (28-Feb-91)
This article is intended to give the readers of comp.sys.amiga.reviews
a bit of assistance in navigating a .reviews posting. At places it may
seem a bit verbose, or a bit too basic, but remember that I have to cater
to all readers.
I have attempted to come up with a simple review format which minimizes
the time required for the reader to find an interesting article and
junk the unwanted ones.
Before I enter into a description of the format, let me state that I am
always open to suggestions. Remember that I am on the other side of
the article than you are and thus I may be blind to many things that
may irritate you to no end. So please mail me with any input you may
have.
Onward!
I only know Unix rn and VMS News, so I will restrict my comments to those
two newsreaders. If anyone wishes to make any additions, my mailbox is
always open. Also, I am aware that there are many people who may be
receiving your news through email. Some of what lies below is pertinent,
but I will apologize in advance for rambling on about newsreaders. The
same goes for those who get news through FidoNET, Portal, etc.
I'll assume that you can start up the newsreaders and select a newsgroup.
Of course you can, you're reading this.
VMS news gives you a list of articles automatically. You can see
from a glance the articles available. In rn, just hit the equals sign.
Each article title will be prefixed by a word in all caps:
ADMIN: Designates an article that I have posted concerning some
administrative point.
REVIEW: What else, a review!
REBUTTAL: A collection of readers responses to a previously posted review.
I will collect your responses to reviews and post them
occasionally. More on this later.
After the REVIEW or REBUTTAL heading will appear the title of the piece
of software or hardware being commented on. So, from this information,
you can decide which articles you want to read, read them, and then use
the 'c' command in rn or the set/seen command in VMS news to mark as read
all of the unwanted articles in the group.
There is, however, a way for Unix rn users (and from VMS, but I never
figured out how) to kill articles by category. I will insure that the
Keywords: field in the news header includes several one word descriptions
of the thing being reviewed. My favorite hypothetical word processor,
WordImPerfect by PricklyWare, would have a Keywords: line containing
software, application, word processing. Thus you can single out just
hardware, or just software, or all games. You do this by means of a
feature of rn called the kill file. Use control-K to edit the kill file.
Simply insert a line of the form:
/keyword/h:j
Where keyword is the category of article that you wish to never see
again. You must include the slashes, the h, the colon, and the j. I'm
sorry that I can't go into the mechanics of actually using the editor to
make the change, as there are more editors in existence than I care to
consider.
So after you've finished your merciless slaughter of unwanted articles,
you might actually want to read some. If you do, you'll notice that at
the beginning of each review, unless I have some important comments to
make, you will find a short summary of the thing being reviewed. This
will further help you to decide whether or not you really want to read
hundreds of lines of review.
After all of that, the review will begin. I make an effort to read the
reviews before I approve them, and I work with the authors to get the
text as error free as possible. In most cases, however, I will not have
actually worked with the product in question, so I cannot validate any
claims made by the reviewer. I depend on the reviewer to substantiate
any claims made.
After reading the review, you are free to make comments or ask questions.
There are three ways to do this:
1. Reply to the author. By using 'r' in rn or reply in VMS news to
reply directly, or 'R' in rn or reply/extract in VMS news to
include a copy of the original article. Please, if you must
include a copy, edit it down to just what you wish to comment on.
2. Post a followup. I will direct followups to the appropriate groups
in the comp.sys.amiga hierarchy. Please respect the
Followups-To: line in the header. I have a pretty good idea of
what material should fit where in the group structure.
To followup, use the 'f' command in rn, or the followup command
in VMS news. Like reply, 'F' in rn or followup/extract in VMS
news fill include a copy or the original posting. It is
imperative that you edit the original document down to only the
necessary information, as it costs quite a bit of money to send
your article to every UseNet site in the world. Also, please try
to keep the followups to the original subject. If you must
change the subject from that of the original article, please
change the Subject: heading and the Newsgroups: heading to match
the new subject material. These are all basic netiquette rules,
and the Net public will appreciate it if you follow them.
3. Send a rebuttal to me. Simply send email to HONP9@menudo.uh.edu
(that's ME!) with the text of your rebuttal. Be sure to make it
evident what you're rebutting. The form of a rebuttal is
simple. Keep it as short as possible, and include no more than
one to four lines of quoted text. Address only one point at
one time, and be civil. I will collect these rebuttals and
post them about a week or two after the appearance of the
original review. I am doing this because I know that different
people have different opinions, and that no one reviewer can
completely cover a product. UseNet is a community, and I want
to make this a community effort.
As an aside, I will also accept official responses to a review
from the producer of the product. Everybody deserves to voice
their opinion.
Followups and replies to rebuttal postings will be directed to me.
That should get you through the process. My mailbox is always open, and I
do answer mail. Good luck with comp.sys.amiga.reviews!
--
Jason L. Tibbitts III | Moderator: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
"Blob Shop Programmers:| Send submissions to HONP9@menudo.uh.edu
Because We're Bored!" | Check comp.sys.amiga.reviews for submissions
Disclaimer: Opinions...| guide, disclaimers, etc. Fnord.honp9@menudo.uh.edu (Jason L. Tibbitts III) (05/03/91)
This article is intended to give the readers of comp.sys.amiga.reviews
a bit of assistance in navigating a .reviews posting. At places it may
seem a bit verbose, or a bit too basic, but remember that I have to cater
to all readers.
I have attempted to come up with a simple review format which minimizes
the time required for the reader to find an interesting article and
junk the unwanted ones.
Before I enter into a description of the format, let me state that I am
always open to suggestions. Remember that I am on the other side of
the article than you are and thus I may be blind to many things that
may irritate you to no end. So please mail me with any input you may
have.
Onward!
I only know Unix rn and VMS News, so I will restrict my comments to those
two newsreaders. If anyone wishes to make any additions, my mailbox is
always open. Also, I am aware that there are many people who may be
receiving your news through email. Some of what lies below is pertinent,
but I will apologize in advance for rambling on about newsreaders. The
same goes for those who get news through FidoNET, Portal, etc.
I'll assume that you can start up the newsreaders and select a newsgroup.
Of course you can, you're reading this.
VMS news gives you a list of articles automatically. You can see
from a glance the articles available. In rn, just hit the equals sign.
Each article title will be prefixed by a word in all caps:
ADMIN: Designates an article that I have posted concerning some
administrative point.
REVIEW: What else, a review!
REBUTTAL: A collection of readers responses to a previously posted review.
I will collect your responses to reviews and post them
occasionally. More on this later.
After the REVIEW or REBUTTAL heading will appear the title of the piece
of software or hardware being commented on. So, from this information,
you can decide which articles you want to read, read them, and then use
the 'c' command in rn or the set/seen command in VMS news to mark as read
all of the unwanted articles in the group.
There is, however, a way for Unix rn users (and from VMS, but I never
figured out how) to kill articles by category. I will insure that the
Keywords: field in the news header includes several one word descriptions
of the thing being reviewed. My favorite hypothetical word processor,
WordImPerfect by PricklyWare, would have a Keywords: line containing
software, application, word processing. Thus you can single out just
hardware, or just software, or all games. You do this by means of a
feature of rn called the kill file. Use control-K to edit the kill file.
Simply insert a line of the form:
/keyword/h:j
Where keyword is the category of article that you wish to never see
again. You must include the slashes, the h, the colon, and the j. I'm
sorry that I can't go into the mechanics of actually using the editor to
make the change, as there are more editors in existence than I care to
consider.
So after you've finished your merciless slaughter of unwanted articles,
you might actually want to read some. If you do, you'll notice that at
the beginning of each review, unless I have some important comments to
make, you will find a short summary of the thing being reviewed. This
will further help you to decide whether or not you really want to read
hundreds of lines of review.
After all of that, the review will begin. I make an effort to read the
reviews before I approve them, and I work with the authors to get the
text as error free as possible. In most cases, however, I will not have
actually worked with the product in question, so I cannot validate any
claims made by the reviewer. I depend on the reviewer to substantiate
any claims made.
After reading the review, you are free to make comments or ask questions.
There are three ways to do this:
1. Reply to the author. By using 'r' in rn or reply in VMS news to
reply directly, or 'R' in rn or reply/extract in VMS news to
include a copy of the original article. Please, if you must
include a copy, edit it down to just what you wish to comment on.
2. Post a followup. I will direct followups to the appropriate groups
in the comp.sys.amiga hierarchy. Please respect the
Followups-To: line in the header. I have a pretty good idea of
what material should fit where in the group structure.
To followup, use the 'f' command in rn, or the followup command
in VMS news. Like reply, 'F' in rn or followup/extract in VMS
news fill include a copy or the original posting. It is
imperative that you edit the original document down to only the
necessary information, as it costs quite a bit of money to send
your article to every UseNet site in the world. Also, please try
to keep the followups to the original subject. If you must
change the subject from that of the original article, please
change the Subject: heading and the Newsgroups: heading to match
the new subject material. These are all basic netiquette rules,
and the Net public will appreciate it if you follow them.
3. Send a rebuttal to me. Simply send email to HONP9@menudo.uh.edu
(that's ME!) with the text of your rebuttal. Be sure to make it
evident what you're rebutting. The form of a rebuttal is
simple. Keep it as short as possible, and include no more than
one to four lines of quoted text. Address only one point at
one time, and be civil. I will collect these rebuttals and
post them about a week or two after the appearance of the
original review. I am doing this because I know that different
people have different opinions, and that no one reviewer can
completely cover a product. UseNet is a community, and I want
to make this a community effort.
As an aside, I will also accept official responses to a review
from the producer of the product. Everybody deserves to voice
their opinion.
Followups and replies to rebuttal postings will be directed to me.
That should get you through the process. My mailbox is always open, and I
do answer mail. Good luck with comp.sys.amiga.reviews!
--
Jason L. Tibbitts III | Moderator: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
"Blob Shop Programmers:| Send submissions to HONP9@menudo.uh.edu
Because We're Bored!" | Check comp.sys.amiga.reviews for submissions
Disclaimer: Opinions...| guide, disclaimers, etc. Fnord.