<!-- <?xml version="1.0" ?> <!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//KDE//DTD DocBook XML V4.1-Based Variant V1.0//EN" "dtd/kdex.dtd" > --> <chapter id="knode-journey" > <title >A journey in the World of Newsgroups</title > <anchor id="anc-knode-journey"/> <para >This chapter is supposed to be glance over the World of Newsgroups and their <quote >inhabitants</quote >; someone who has never dared to go there before will encounter some strange customs, which may give you a feeling of being a lonely alien without backup; but stay calm, it is not like this. The Usenet is a meeting place for all kinds of normal and not-so-normal folks; it is here where they are distributing a lot of information but also gossip and other stuff.</para> <tip > <para >References to more detailed and qualified essays on the Usenet can be found at <link linkend="knode-more-info" >More Resources</link ></para> </tip > <sect1 id="about-news" > <title >What are ...</title > <anchor id="anc-about-news"/> <sect2 > <title >... online-readers?</title > <para >An online-reader connects to a newsserver and gives you access to its content. &knode; is an online-reader: you are reading your News and publishing your own <glossterm >articles</glossterm > while the online-reader stays connected.</para> </sect2 > <sect2 > <title >... offline-readers?</title > <para >An offline-reader connects to the Server and fetches only the headers of new articles; then, the connection is closed and you can mark (offline) the articles you are really interested in. When you connect next time the offline-reader fetches the articles you marked and sends the articles you have written whilst offline.</para> <para >There is no connection while you are reading or writing articles.</para> </sect2 > <sect2 > <title >... newsgroups?</title > <para >You can look at newsgroups as public bulletin boards and forums, where everybody is allowed to participate. Articles you have published in a newsgroup can be read by everybody subscribed to this newsgroup and, normally, everybody is allowed to publish their articles in a newsgroup.</para> </sect2 > <sect2> <title >... news?</title > <para >News is the collective term for articles published in a newsgroup.</para > </sect2 > <sect2 > <title >... threads?</title > <para >A thread is a topic of discussion in a newsgroup.</para> </sect2 > </sect1 > <sect1 id="nettiquette" > <title >Online Manners</title > <anchor id="anc-nettiquette"/> <para >There are lot of different people meeting and talking in newsgroups; it is seen as some kind of courtesy to obey some rules of manner, the basics of which are listed here.</para> <orderedlist > <listitem > <para >Before you ask questions be sure you have read the newsgroup's <acronym >FAQ</acronym > (Frequently Asked Questions) and didn't find the answer.</para> </listitem > <listitem > <para >If you take part in a discussion be aware of the fact that everybody can read the answer: do not say anything that you would not say to the others if you were facing them; avoid insults.</para> </listitem > <listitem > <para >Try to avoid crossposting: do not ask a question in more than one newsgroup when you do not know which is the right one. Ask in one newsgroup; if it is wrong, you will be told which is right one.</para> </listitem > <listitem > <para >Formulate your articles accurately; nobody likes to read an article with lots of typos, even with content worth a Pulitzer. Think of your articles as letters: your letter speaks for you; it represents you; somebody reading your article will draw conclusions about you from it, wrong or right.</para> </listitem > <listitem > <para >Remember, nobody sees your grin when you are writing an ironic sentence: it may be funny for you, but it can be very serious for the person reading it. It is very difficult to include emotions in an article.</para> </listitem > <listitem > <para >The most important rule: use your common sense when you are answering or publishing an article.</para> </listitem > </orderedlist > </sect1 > <sect1 id="usenet-slang" > <title >The Usenet language</title > <anchor id="anc-usenet-slang"/> <para >You will not be surprised about English being the main language on the Usenet; however, there are special trees for German (de.*), French (fr.*) and many other languages. If you are unable to determine the main language of a newsgroup the only possibility is careful listening or a possible explanation in the description of the group in the grouplist.</para> <para >In addition, over the time the Usenet has developed its own language but it is easy to learn.</para> <sect2 > <title ><acronym >RTFM</acronym > and other typos</title > <para >When you read news, after some time you will read some strange combinations of letters; for example, you can get a reply like:</para> <para >RTFM</para > <para >Nothing else. Strange, but absolutely intended; to solve the riddle: those, most of the time, are shortcuts, acronyms. It is easier to drop some letters than to write the same sentence over and over again.</para> <para >But what is the meaning of <acronym >RTFM</acronym >? The writer is asking you to read the manual, documentation or <acronym >FAQ</acronym > before asking questions in the newsgroup. It stands for: (R)ead (T)he (F)...ing (M)anual; <acronym >BTW</acronym > this is advice you should adopt.</para> <para >Wait, what is <acronym >BTW</acronym > now? Another often-seen acronym which means (B)y (T)he (W)ay. It is easy when you know it; to avoid you having to continuously speculate over the meaning of acronyms there is table at he end of this section containing the most-often-used acronyms.</para> <para >This table does not try to be complete and is based on a list by Martin Imlau.</para> <table> <title >Acronyms on Usenet</title> <tgroup cols="2"> <thead> <row> <entry >Acronym</entry> <entry >Meaning</entry> </row> </thead> <!--TRANSLATORS: Write the translation in the second column in brackets! --> <tbody> <row> <entry ><g></entry> <entry >grins</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >AAMOF</acronym> </entry> <entry >As a matter of fact</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >ACK</acronym> </entry> <entry >Acknowledge</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >AFAIK</acronym> </entry> <entry >As far as I know</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >AFAIR</acronym> </entry> <entry >As far as I remember</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >AWGTHTGTTA</acronym> </entry> <entry >Are we going to have to go through this again?</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >ASAP</acronym> </entry> <entry >As soon as possible</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >BFN</acronym> </entry> <entry >Bye for now!</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >BTW</acronym> </entry> <entry >By the way</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >BYKT</acronym> </entry> <entry >But you knew that</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >CMIIW</acronym> </entry> <entry >Correct me if I'm wrong</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >CU</acronym> </entry> <entry >See you!</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >CU2</acronym> </entry> <entry >See you too!</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >CYL</acronym> </entry> <entry >See you later!</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >DAU</acronym> </entry> <entry >German abbreviation for the silliest user you can imagine (DÂümmster anzunehmender User)</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >EOD</acronym> </entry> <entry >End of discussion</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >ESOSL</acronym> </entry> <entry >Endless snorts of stupid laughter</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >FYI</acronym> </entry> <entry >For your information</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >GOK</acronym> </entry> <entry >God only knows</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >HAND</acronym> </entry> <entry >Have a nice day!</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >HTH</acronym> </entry> <entry >Hope that helps</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >HSIK</acronym> </entry> <entry >How should I know?</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >IAE</acronym> </entry> <entry >In any event</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >IANAL</acronym> </entry> <entry >I am not a lawyer</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >IIRC</acronym> </entry> <entry >If I remember correctly</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >IMCO</acronym> </entry> <entry >In my considered opinion</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >IMHO</acronym> </entry> <entry >In my humble opinion</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >IMNSHO</acronym> </entry> <entry >In my not so humble opinion</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >INPO</acronym> </entry> <entry >In no particular order</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >IOW</acronym> </entry> <entry >In other words</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >LMAO</acronym> </entry> <entry >Laughing my ass off</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >LOL</acronym> </entry> <entry >Laughing out loudly</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >NAK</acronym> </entry> <entry >Not acknowledged</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >NBD</acronym> </entry> <entry >No big deal</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >NFW</acronym> </entry> <entry >No f...ing way</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >ROTFL</acronym> </entry> <entry >Rolling on the floor, laughing</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >RTFM</acronym> </entry> <entry >Read the f...ing manual</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >SCNR</acronym> </entry> <entry >Sorry, could not resist</entry> </row> <row> <entry> <acronym >TIA</acronym> </entry> <entry >Thanks in advance</entry> </row > </tbody > </tgroup > </table > </sect2 > <sect2 > <title >Smile!</title > <para >Again, such a strange thing. What is this ;-) meant to be? Turn your head so the left side of your screen is on top; got it? It's a smile with a wink? This is a so-called emoticon; emoticons are an often-used possibility to express emotions, one thing missing in conversation on the Usenet (but there is a substitute, remember? ;-)</para> <para >It is very difficult to express emotions in email or news; your joking comment appear to be very serious to the recipient and can lead to unmeant reactions or conflicts (flames); so use emoticons to express your intention.</para> <para >There are a lots of emoticons, which express a great variety of emotions; the interpretation is easy if you turn your head and think of a face.</para> </sect2 > <sect2 > <title >PLONK!</title > <para >This PLONK! looks like some comic-sound, does it not? And that is exactly what it is used for. The one who reads it knows he was just added to the killfile of a newsreader; normally this means the recipient of the PLONK! annoyed the sender. The PLONK! is meant to play back the sound of the recipients name hitting the ground in the <glossterm >killfile</glossterm >.</para> </sect2 > </sect1 > </chapter >