Monthly comp.{binaries,sources}.acorn FAQ
Moderator
Frequently Asked Questions about comp.{binaries,sources}.acorn
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This article contains the answers to (potentially) frequently asked
questions, including the policy which will be applied when deciding
how to deal with submissions to the newsgroups comp.binaries.acorn
(cba) and comp.sources.acorn (csa). It will be posted to those groups
and also comp.sys.acorn.announce on the first of every month.
The following issues are addressed:
1) How do I submit files to comp.binaries.acorn or comp.sources.acorn?
2) What files are acceptable?
3) How will files be posted to cba or csa?
4) I have most parts of file xxxx.arc but part y is missing. Where
can I get it from?
5) Where can I find some information about Acorn machines?
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1) How do I submit files to comp.binaries.acorn or comp.sources.acorn?
For submissions to comp.binaries.acorn, mail archived, uuencoded binaries
with a covering note to:
For submissions to comp.sources.acorn, mail archived, uuencoded sources
with a covering note to:
When sending sources remember that even if they are plain text files,
unless they are uuencoded they may be scrambled by some mail gateways.
Anything other than binaries or sources sent to the above two addresses
will be ignored! If you have comments, suggestions, or other group-
related mail, please send them to:
cba-r...@bridge.wn.planet.gen.nz
and
csa-r...@bridge.wn.planet.gen.nz
for their respective groups.
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2) What files are acceptable?
Any binaries and source code intended for use on Acorn machines (both
8 bit and 32 bit architectures) are acceptable for posting to cba or csa,
so long as they meet the following criteria:
- You are legally permitted to submit the files for posting.
- The moderator is legally permitted to post the files.
- The files contain no viruses or trojans.
Submitting an (apparently) valid file *does not* in any way guarantee it
will be accepted by the moderator.
The moderator will take all care to ensure that copyrights are enforced,
but will not be held responsible in the event of a mistake in this
regard.
Note that *data* files are *not* acceptable, even if they are packaged in
an Acorn filetype, if in the moderator's opinion there is a better
newsgroup to which they could be posted. Except if they are packaged with
an Acorn application which can use them, or specifically pertain to Acorn
computers in some way.
So, for example, sound samples would not be accepted unless they came
with a sample player/editor package, or were wavetables for use with
WaveSynth. Samples on their own would be better posted to one of the
alt.binaries.sounds.* groups. Similarly for GIFs, JPEGs and MPEGs, and so
forth.
Exceptions to this rule will be made at the moderator's discretion. For
example, JPEGs of new acorn machines on the day of their launch would
have a good chance of being accepted. :-)
Demos of commercial software are acceptable provided they meet the above
conditions. Pure advertisements are not acceptable.
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3) How will files be posted to cba or csa?
Files will be posted in ~1000 line chunks as soon as the moderator has
processed them, unless too much has been posted on that day. In the event
that too much has already been posted in a single day, the remainder of
the file or files will be queued up for posted the following day.
Postings will have a subject field which looks something like this:
Subject: - Some file you might want - myfile.arc [01/01]
That is, they will contain a filename, a part number and a total
number of parts, as is standard for posts to binaries groups.
There will be a part 0, which will contain a short description of the
file being posted - usually the contents of the original covering note
that came with the submission.
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4) I have most parts of file xxxx.arc but part y is missing. Where can I
get it from?
Check the most recent "Files Recently Posted" posting to see if the
part you are missing has actually been posted yet. This is posted weekly
to comp.binaries.acorn and comp.sources.acorn. If a file has many parts,
they will not all be posted at once - the file may be posted over a
period of several days to keep the volume of the group low.
If the part you are missing has been posted, it may not have arrived at
your news server yet. Although parts are generally posted in order, the
very nature of the net means that they may arrive on your machine in
random order. So wait a few days and the posts may show up.
Failing this, I suggest you look on an ftp site or some other file
archive for the file, if possible. I do not have the capacity to act
as a mail server for individual requests, so any such will be denied.
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5) Where can I find some information about Acorn machines?
Please see the comp.sys.acorn.* FAQ, which is regularly posted to the
following newsgroups:
comp.sys.acorn.announce
comp.sys.acorn.misc
comp.answers
news.answers
The above FAQ is also available via WWW from:
http://wn.planet.gen.nz/~banksie/Archives/FAQ/FaqHTML.html
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Basically, to paraphrase another well known document, I reserve the
right to be wrong, incorrect, slow, out of date and generally how I
please with the groups. I will also try to be fair.