READ ME Before Posting: Java Newsgroup Charters
George Paci
What to Do Before Posting
-------------------------
Before posting to any of the comp.lang.java.* newsgroups, you should
familiarize yourself with their charters (included below) to make sure
your post is in the right newsgroup.
You should also check the comp.lang.java FAQ to see if it contains the
answer to your question:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/javafaq/javafaq.html
If you have a Web browser, you should also check out DejaNews at
http://www.dejanews.com/
to see if your question has already been asked and answered.
If you're looking for a Java applet, application, or library that
meets a specific need of yours, check out Gamelan:
http://www.gamelan.com/
Some Common Errors
------------------
The Biggest Single Problem we have right now is that AWT questions are
flooding c.l.j.programmer. *Please* post AWT questions where they
belong: c.l.j.api (*not* c.l.j.programmer).
"API" stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a
description of the interface a programmer needs to abide by in order
to use a given software package. The term "API" is also freqently
used to mean the package itself. Examples of APIs associated with
Java are the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) and Java DataBase
Connectivity (JDBC). Posts which deal with using a Java API
belong in c.l.j.api . Posts which deal with the language itself
belong in c.l.j.programmer .
The second-biggest problem is that people are cross-posting things
covered by the other newsgroups to c.l.j.misc -- which is against
its charter. If your post is covered by another newsgroup, don't
crosspost it to c.l.j.misc.
A third problem is completely unhelpful subject lines (e.g. "HELP!").
If you mention what you're having trouble with in the subject of your
post, you'll get faster, better responses from people who can help
you. For example, if you're having trouble with JDBC, you should have
a subject like: "Problem setting up JDBC on WinNT", as opposed to
"AAARGH! This sucks!". (Naturally, you've already helped yourself by
posting to c.l.j.api, and no other groups.)
This Java Charters Posting
--------------------------
While the charters are as official as anything on Usenet gets, I
myself have absolutely no official position or authority or power or
anything. I just want to make it easier for people to effectively use
c.l.j.*.
I plan to post this every few days, using an extremely sophisticated
but highly unreliable system implemented in wetware (cf. Paci, R. and
C. Paci, "The KID2 System," 1971). The initial post went to news.groups,
since I thought it would generate discussion about the c.l.j.* hierarchy,
which belongs there. This and successive reposts, however, will not
go to news.groups.
Changing the Charters
---------------------
If you don't like something about the way the charters currently
stand, you should bring it up on c.l.j.misc and news.groups -- preferably
by following up to this message, so everything stays in the same thread.
If you have comments about this post, please respect the followups
line and send it to c.l.j.misc. Do *not* crosspost your comments to
other c.l.j.* groups; that pretty much defeats the purpose of posting
the charters in the first place. Ideally, you should actually *read*
the rest of this post before replying to it.
Thanks for reading this.
--George Paci, speaking only in a personal capacity
Charters from the original Call For Votes:
You can find the entire CFV archived at:
ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/news.announce.newgroups/comp/comp.lang.java-reorg
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CHARTER: all groups
It is not appropriate to post binary classfiles or long source listings
on any of these groups. Instead, the post should reference a WWW or FTP
site (short source snippets to demonstrate a particular point or problem
are fine).
END CHARTER.
CHARTER: comp.lang.java.advocacy
An unmoderated group for articles supporting or criticising Java,
discussion of its position in the marketplace, competing technologies
(such as Microsoft's Blackbird), Java's future potential, and related
issues such as bandwidth requirements and Internet Access Devices.
END CHARTER.
CHARTER: comp.lang.java.announce
This moderated, low-volume group is for Java-related announcements,
including:
o new releases of software
(compilers, development kits, browsers, etc.)
o new publicly accessible applets
o events (user group meetings, conferences, etc.)
o new packages or announcements of official specification changes.
This is not a discussion group (posts that are likely to generate
discussion should have follow-ups set to one of the other Java groups).
Moderation policy:
The intent of moderation is to ensure this is a low-noise group, and to
prevent excessive advertising by any single company. Posts announcing
commercial products are acceptable, providing they are kept to a
reasonable frequency.
END CHARTER.
MODERATOR INFO: comp.lang.java.announce
Moderator: Urban Mueller <mue...@relog.ch>
Article submission address: java...@relog.ch
Administrative contact address: java...@relog.ch
END MODERATOR INFO.
CHARTER: comp.lang.java.api
An unmoderated group, for questions and discussion about the application
programming interface supplied with Java development kits and browsers.
This includes any third-party classes that are widely used.
Possible questions include:
o which class should I use to do [...]?
o is there a bug in [...]?
o why was [part of the API] designed like this?
If traffic is high enough, this group may later (i.e. a different RFD)
be split functionally (perhaps into net, awt and misc groups). In the
meantime, posts specific to a class or package should include its name
at the beginning of the title, for example, [awt], [sun.net], etc., to
facilitate easy filtering.
END CHARTER.
CHARTER: comp.lang.java.misc
An unmoderated newsgroup for the discussion of any aspect of Java (as a
system for providing executable content, as opposed to as a programming
language) not covered under the other related newsgroups.
This includes topics that await the creation of their own newsgroup.
In accordance with the recommendations for splitting newsgroups, this
group renames comp.lang.java.
END CHARTER.
CHARTER: comp.lang.java.programmer
An unmoderated group for discussion of Java as a programming language.
Specific example topics may include:
o types, classes, interfaces, and other language concepts
o the syntax and grammar of Java
o threaded programming in Java - sychronisation, monitors, etc.
o possible language extensions (as opposed to API extensions).
The discussion explicitly should not include API features that are not
built into the Java language (for example, networking and the AWT
graphical interface library). For these use comp.lang.java.api instead.
The API classes can be used as examples to demonstrate a language
feature, however.
END CHARTER.
CHARTER: comp.lang.java.security
This unmoderated group is for questions and discussion concerning any
of Java's security layers:
o algorithmic checks on bytecode
o run-time checks on executing programs
o access specifiers and package boundaries
o security managers and class loaders
o public-key encryption and authentication of classes
(not yet implemented)
o use of secure protocols such as SSL.
and for possible changes or extensions to the security architecture.
END CHARTER.
CHARTER: comp.lang.java.setup
This unmoderated group is for end-users of Java browsers, who are
having difficulty installing a system capable of running Java applets,
or administrators having problems serving applets from an HTTP server.
Questions on the availability of ports to a specific system should be
answered in the FAQ of this group.
Subject lines should include the platform that the problem occurs on,
and the browser version, e.g. [win95 netscape 2.0], [linux hotjava
beta], etc.
END CHARTER.
CHARTER: comp.lang.java.tech
An unmoderated group for discussion of the Java technology, including
the virtual machine, its implementation, bytecodes, classfile format,
performance and optimization, possible extensions, porting etc.
Questions about native methods and interfacing Java with other
languages are also appropriate.
END CHARTER.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
George Paci
Wayne Holder
In article <32B71E...@bigq.hlo.dec.com>, pa...@bigq.hlo.dec.com wrote:
> The Biggest Single Problem we have right now is that AWT questions are
> flooding c.l.j.programmer. *Please* post AWT questions where they
> belong: c.l.j.api (*not* c.l.j.programmer).
Gee . . . I can't imagine why anyone would be confused about this. It's it
just obvious that using the API is not programming. Not.
I remember there was some discussion about this a while back, but the moron
who thought up the current subgroups should be banned from them. For life.
It is precisely because the subgroups are so poorly thought out that we
have this confusion. It makes even less sense to go berating people for
not, somehow, figuring out a system that has no rhyme or reason to start
with.
Wayne
--
Give me Limbaugh or give me . . . well not death, but life would be
pretty boring without my daily dose.
George Paci
> > flooding c.l.j.programmer. *Please* post AWT questions where they
> > belong: c.l.j.api (*not* c.l.j.programmer).
>
> just obvious that using the API is not programming. Not.
>
> I remember there was some discussion about this a while back, but the moron
> who thought up the current subgroups should be banned from them. For life.
> It is precisely because the subgroups are so poorly thought out that we
> have this confusion. It makes even less sense to go berating people for
> not, somehow, figuring out a system that has no rhyme or reason to start
> with.
Wayne,
There seems to be some sort of problem with Usenet transport between
your server and mine that is garbling my posts. Let me know if
there's a difference between the email version and the Usenet version
in what I've written below.
What I wrote in the recurring Java Newsgroup Charters post:
[snip]
The Biggest Single Problem we have right now is that AWT questions are
flooding c.l.j.programmer. *Please* post AWT questions where they
belong: c.l.j.api (*not* c.l.j.programmer).
"API" stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a
description of the interface a programmer needs to abide by in order
to use a given software package. The term "API" is also freqently
used to mean the package itself. Examples of APIs associated with
Java are the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) and Java DataBase
Connectivity (JDBC). Posts which deal with using a Java API
belong in c.l.j.api . Posts which deal with the language itself
belong in c.l.j.programmer .
[snip]
(Note the helpful explanation, which apparently was dropped on its
way to your server.)
My best reconstruction of how this same passage looks on your server:
The Biggest Single Problem we have right now is that AWT questions are
flooding c.l.j.programmer. If you pathetic morons can't figure out
where to post, we don't want you around. What kind of pullulating
puss-ball doesn't have the brains to know that API means Application
Programming Interface, and that AWT is an API? If you didn't know
that, I'm not going to tell you, and you better forget I just said it,
you tiny-brained wipers of other people's bottoms. You make me sick,
with your inability to instantly grasp the manifestly perfect charters
which Our Lords Hopwood and Mueller bestowed on us yea these many weeks
ago. You don't deserve to have a Java newsgroup, you wretched
excisions
from eflluent-bathed hemmorrhoids. In fact, your mother wears Army
boots.
Note that, while the paragraph that was dropped is also missing from
your quoted version, the rest of it was restored to its original
state. I suspect some kind of automatic translation software gone
haywire. I admit, solving this odd transport problem looks tough.
But it seems like it has the capacity to make Usenet a much less civil
place, so I'd like your help in tracking it down.
Thanks,
--George Paci <pa...@bigq.hlo.dec.com> (Standard Disclaimer)