Re: LYNX-DEV Where is Zaire?

[Al Gilman]

  From: "Benjamin C. W. Sittler" <address@hidden>
  
  On Sat, 2 Nov 1996, Philip Webb wrote:
  
  > impressed as i am by the erudition of lynx-dev subscribers,
  > am i the only one around who hasn't yet learned all the terminology?
  >   1  what is  linux ?
  >   2 what are ncurses / slang ?
  >   3  what is  SSL ?
  >   4  what is the difference between  gethostbyname  &  LYgethostbyname ?
  >   5  what is  VMS ? -- presumably it has nothing to do with VM or CMS
[snip]  
  > but perhaps what's good enough for the washington post
  > is not good enough for lynx-dev.
  
  Some more explanation certainly wouldn't hurt, but I'm afraid we're too
  lazy! ;^)
  
It's not laziness, it's appropriate editing.  What's good for the
Washington Post is not good _at all_ for lynx-dev.  The nominal
reader on Lynx-dev is actively compiling and occasionally
tweaking Lynx.  I am not one of these, but I get along by 
observing the guidelines discussed below.

Lynx-dev went over 1000 posts last month.  This is terriffic.
But if every post were expanded to the _Encyclopaedia Brittanica_
the whole process would grind to a halt.

Linux is a bigger Internet phenomenon than Lynx is.  If you can't
find out what Linux is without bugging us here, I am genuinely
surprised.  But if you genuinely need to know what Linux is, you
will get a polite answer here.  I have been consistently pleased
by how kindly _genuine_ newbie questions are handled on this
list.

Somehow, Philip's laundry list fails to convince me that he needs
to know the answers, or has taken reasonable steps to anwer them
off the list.

Two tests one should apply to a question before posting it here:

        - Do you need to know; is there any chance that you are
        going to do something with the answer?

                The question about gethostbyname vs. LYgethostbyname
                probably flunks this test.

        - Have you tried to answer the question by other means?

                The questions about Linux and VMS probably flunk this
                test.

The lynx community provides general-user information which should
be checked before appealing to lynx-dev.  As others have
mentioned, this can be found from http://lynx.browser.org/ .
There is a list <address@hidden> whose mission is
explicitly tutorial.

Please remember when you post to lynx-dev:

        a) you are saying "excuse me, ..." and interrupting several
        hundred people.

        b) these people are volunteers.  Qualify your question before
        you ask.  Explain just a little about why you need the 
        information and people will understand at what level to 
        respond.

--
Al Gilman
;
; To UNSUBSCRIBE:  Send a mail message to address@hidden
;                  with "unsubscribe lynx-dev" (without the
;                  quotation marks) on a line by itself.
;