Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!tness7!tness1!nuchat!sugar!karl
From: karl@sugar.uu.net (Karl Lehenbauer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Introductory Postings Needed?
Summary: This is a great idea!  Here's a draft of some stuff for the
	 "typical questions" part.
Message-ID: <2331@sugar.uu.net>
Date: 23 Jul 88 20:32:25 GMT
References: <8807222120.AA01368@decwrl.dec.com>
Organization: Sugar Land Unix - Houston, TX
Lines: 63

In article <8807222120.AA01368@decwrl.dec.com>, plouff@nac.dec.com (Wes 
Plouff) suggests that having an oft-posted "Intro to comp.sys.amiga"
message that gives a lot of info about the group and answers oft-asked
questions, much like the intro-to-the-net messages.  He then provides
an excellent list of things to include.

Here's a draft of some typical questions and answers I'd like to see
included.  Some are a bit tounge-in-cheek.

-----------------------

Q:  When I turn my Amiga on, it makes a horrible screeching noise, smokes,
    and won't boot.  Is something wrong with it, or what?

A:  Your Amiga is broken.  You need to get it fixed.


Q:  The dealer in Bandar Absudristan sucks.

A:  There's nothing anybody on the net can do about it.  The Commodore people
    who're on the network do not work in this area.  The people on the net
    represent a precious resource to us as Amiga users for they provide
    technical support for the machine, including enhancing the software and
    developing new hardware.  There aren't very many of them and they are on 
    the net only because they're nice.  Their official support is on Bix, an 
    expensive multiuser BBS.  So it's only fair of us not to ask them to
    forward our complaints about dealers.

    A surface-mail letter to XXXXXXXXXX @ Commodore XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX is your 
    best bet.  If you are looking for an alternative dealer, posting to your 
    regional distribution would be more appropriate.


Q:  I want to know if I should buy an Atari ST or an Amiga or what?  (usually
    crossposted comp.sys.atari.st as well)

A:  [someone should insert a quick rundown of display resolutions, 
    multitasking, architecture, DMA, etc, etc.  Conclude with suggesting
    that they should try both if they can and pick the machine that they
    think is right for them.  Of course they should expect most readers
    of comp.sys.amiga to like the Amiga pretty much.]


Q:  this is a test message

A:  If you want to see if you're getting out to the net, post to a test group
    with a limited distribution.  If you're getting out to nearby sites, you'll
    get out to the net.


Q:  I hate copy protection and I'm going to boycott XXX, etc.

A:  Copy protection wars flare up periodically on the net and grow to span
    many newsgroups.  This is a difficult and emotional question, with many 
    viewpoints, and a viscous circle forms as ever-more-outrageous postings pour
    forth, including all sorts of subskirmishes within, along with the
    outraged bleating of a bunch of people as to the total inappropriateness
    of all this within this group.  The fact is that copy protection issues
    are relevant to all computers, and thus should not be discussed in, *or
    crossposted to*, comp.sys.amiga.
-- 
-- backups:  always in season; never out of style.
-- karl@sugar.uu.net aka uunet!sugar!karl