Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: jcruz@bart.inescn.pt (Jose Manuel de Magalhaes Cruz)
Subject: Why is comp.parallel FAQ structured the way it is?
Organization: INESC-Porto, Portugal
Date: 6 Jan 1997 20:40:05 GMT
Message-ID: <5arnv5$ruu@server1.ctc.com>

[in hopes of USEFUL discussion on the topic... -mod]

I am a regular reader of comp.parallel Newsgroup for quite some time (back 
to when Steve Stevenson was the moderator), although I am not much of a 
contributor.
Today, I finally decided to comment on the FAQ(s) (?!) that is/are 
regularly posted (and maintained) is this newsgroup by Eugene N. Miya.

Of course, I appreciate THERE IS a FAQ document at all, but why on earth
should it be different from all the other FAQs I know of (faq.sun, 
faq.security, faq.unix, etc.)? Different to worst, I mean!
Besides it's unqualifiable, practically non-existent structure, the 
humoristic remarks it is full of, bother and distract the serious reader.

Of course you can tell: don't like it, don't read it (or worse: make a 
new one!). Well, I generally don't even peek at it. (And no, I don't 
have nor the time, nor the muscles to make a new one.)

Have a nice new year!

Jose'		--- jmcruz@fe.up.pt ---


PS1: This is meant to be a constructive comment, not a destructive one!)

PS2: YES, I have read the FAQ's comment on its structure, which I quote:
<<
Why is this FAQ structured this way?
====================================

Because I first coined the term and started Johnny Appleseeding them
with different ideas to work on problems like people asking: "Where's the FAQ?"
This is called a "chained FAQ" or a "chain."  It's a method of distributing
or partitioning.  These files tend to grow and they have to break up in
space and time anyway.

Another reason is that because it goes out regularly, it's like a lighthouse
beacon to let you know that connectivity is (or isn't) taking place.  The
panels make a good divider (it's a bit tough on those people reading
this group via email, but they can adjust.  You are encouraged to adopt
an intelligent news reader which use Killfiles (and you can version control
kill these panels and read them only when a change has taken place).
Some smart mailers have kill file capability.

Supercedes: and Expires: don't always work.

Hey, Burton and Dorothy Smith approved.
>>

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