Re: ietf-nntp FAQ Extension to NNTP

[John Stanley <[e-mail]>]

There are two different issues in this suggestion: 1) modifying the
server to process the FAQ command, and 2) identifying what the server
should return when asked for "the FAQ" for any specific group.

Dave Barr pointed out the major problem, which falls in category 2. 
What is "the FAQ", when a group may have half a dozen?

On Thu, 22 Aug 1996 11:35:55 -0500 (CDT), in article <[e-mail]>om>,
 Jean van Waterschoot <[e-mail]> wrote:

>I agree that it is very bad practice to distribute the FAQ in the
>newsgroups themselves. 

I don't. It is the simplest, most direct manner for distributing it. If
you are going to require that users read it before they post, then it
makes a great deal of sense that it is right there in the group for
them to read.

>Most people that frequent the newsgroup are not
>interested in the FAQ anyway, it is only for those who just joined the
>newsgroup. 

That is not necessarily true. It is quite possible for a long-time
user of a group to be faced with a problem that is answered in the FAQ.

>It is very easy to get the FAQ of any newsgroup today, my newsreader has a
>FAQ button and retrieves it through E-mail which works perfectly for those
>groups that have a FAQ.

Works perfectly? Ok, try using it to get the FAQ for sci.image.processing.