Convergence International, the non-Wintel user group, FAQ v2.30
James Sears
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 11 Jun 1998
Version: 2.30
URL: http://www.convergence.org/info/faq.html
Convergence International, the non-Wintel user group, FAQ v2.30
This FAQ contains information and answers to common questions about
the non-Wintel computer user group Convergence International. The
latest version of this FAQ is also available on the web in HTML format
at http://www.convergence.org/info/faq.html
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Subject: 1. Contents.
1. Contents.
2. What is Convergence International?
3. Why was Convergence International created?
4. What do you mean by "non-Wintel"?
5. Which platforms do you support?
6. How do I join Convergence International?
7. What can I do to help Convergence International?
8. What is the non-Wintel news service?
9. What is CIhoo?
10. What newsgroups are available for topics relating to Convergence?
11. Contact details and credits.
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Subject: 2. What is Convergence International?
Convergence International is a user group for users of all non-Wintel
computers (see section 4 for a definition of non-Wintel). Convergence
brings together users of many different alternative and minority
computers, organises projects, and produces information to increase
public awareness of these platforms.
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Subject: 3. Why was Convergence International created?
We believe that if a time comes when one single platform is the only
one in use the computer industry will suffer. Without competition there
is stagnation, and no one platform can hope to be best suited to
_every_ task. While there are alternatives development is spurred on
by competition, and people are free to choose the platform which best
suits their needs.
Unfortunately we are coming increasingly close to a single platform
dominating the computing world, Microsoft Windows running on an Intel
CPU. More and more people are simply unaware that there are any viable
alternatives, and so use the so called industry standard platform.
And so we formed Convergence, to provide information to re-educate
people and show that there is more to computing than a single operating
system and a single processor, and to support users of alternative
platforms.
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Subject: 4. What do you mean by "non-Wintel"?
When we say "non-Wintel" we mean all computer platforms other than
Microsoft Windows running on an Intel-type processor. This includes:
Acorn, Amiga, Apple, ARM, A\Box, Be, Network Computers, PowerPC, Psion,
and all types of Unix.
We would rather not use the phrase "non-Wintel" to describe what we
support, but short of listing all the platforms we _do_ support every
time we currently say "non-Wintel", it's the only option.
------------------------------
Subject: 5. Which platforms do you support?
We support all non-Wintel platforms, including: Acorn, Amiga, Apple,
ARM, A\Box, Be, Network Computers, PowerPC, Psion, and all types of
Unix. However at the moment we are concentrating on Acorn, Amiga, and
Apple, because most members use these platforms, and we are short of
volunteers to help with information about other platforms.
------------------------------
Subject: 6. How do I join Convergence International?
It's very easy to join Convergence and it is totally FREE. Simply go
to http://www.convergence.org/support/join.html and fill in the form,
or e-mail us at jo...@convergence.org and tell us your name, e-mail
address, and what computers you use.
As a member you will receive a regular newsletter containing news
relating to Convergence International and non-Wintel platforms, as
well as priority access to future developments such as the non-Wintel
search engine.
------------------------------
Subject: 7. What can I do to help Convergence International?
We are always looking for volunteers to help with various projects.
Once you have joined you can do as much or as little to help as you
want or have time for, anything from simply displaying our logo on your
web pages or our name in your sig, to running a project, to managing
a section of the web site. Further details of how to help Convergence
are available at http://www.convergence.org/support/helpus.html
------------------------------
Subject: 8. What is the non-Wintel news service?
Convergence provide a non-Wintel news service which gives summaries
of important events for the various platforms we support. We search
the Internet for news items that are of interest, and provide a
summary with links to other sites for more detailed information. There
are also weekly comments by members in the Member's Opinion section.
There are individual news pages for the following platforms: Acorn,
Amiga, Apple, ARM, Be, Network Computers (NCs), Psion, and a section
for miscellaneous news which is relevant to Convergence.
Also the news summary page gives a brief rundown of the current
important news for all the supported platforms. Convergence places
the most relevant items there for quick reference, and the page is
updated nearly every day - for the latest non-Wintel news check it
often! It is also possible to register to receive an e-mail when a
news page is updated.
The non-Wintel news service from Convergence is totally FREE - it is
part of our voluntary mission to make people aware of the advantages
of non-Wintel platforms and to help users of such platforms.
The non-Wintel news service is at http://www.convergence.org/news/
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Subject: 9. What is CIhoo?
CIhoo (pronounced See-Who) is the Convergence International non-Wintel
search engine, a system comprising a hierarchy of non-Wintel related
web site data and a cgi programme for finding entries.
We are currently collecting links and reviewing non-Wintel web sites
to create a database of quality non-Wintel links with independent
descriptions. To beta test CIhoo go to http://search.convergence.org/
------------------------------
Subject: 10. What newsgroups are available for topics relating to
Convergence?
We found that there was nowhere where users of different non-Wintel
platforms could come together to discuss issues relating to Convergence
International, for example intercompatibility between these platforms
and users working together. Existing newsgroups were platform specific
and often didn't allow discussions of other platforms, so we created
the newsgroup alt.comp.convergence as a neutral ground where users of
all non-Wintel computers could discuss issues relating to Convergence
International and our projects.
If alt.comp.convergence isn't available on your local news server
ask them to carry it. If all else fails alt.comp.convergence is
available on the web at sites like http://www.dejanews.com/ and
http://www.feedme.org/
Note: as with all alt.* newsgroups alt.comp.convergence can receive
inappropriate mass postings which have nothing to do with the topic
of the newsgroups (ie "spam"). As soon as the new mod.* hierarchy is
available we will create a moderated newsgroup for Convergence topics.
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Subject: 11. Contact details and credits.
If you have have any unanswered questions or suggestions for additions
to the FAQ please contact me by e-mail at j...@convergence.org. Further
information about Convergence can be found on our web site at the URL
below.
E-mail : enqu...@convergence.org
Web : http://www.convergence.org/
Written and maintained by James Sears <j...@convergence.org>.
Copyright 1997, 1998, by Convergence International.