FAQ: What added value does this newsgroup archive provide?

There are many newsgroup archives on the internet, so what makes this one any different? What "added value" does it provide?

Firstly, this service is intended as an archive. You can get up to date postings from a newsgroup using a newsgroup reader, and a newsgroup reader will also enable you to participate in newsgroup discussions. If you want to participate in a newsgroup discussion then you need a newsgroup reader and not an archive.

The role of this archive is to enable you to view newsgroup discussions long after they have disappeared from the original newsgroup server - newsgroup servers tend to drop old postings after a while.

There are a number of newsgroup archives available on the internet. What distinguishes this newsgroup archive from others is the added value (or information) provided with each post. Together with each posting a number of helpful information links will be provided. These information links include, but are not limited to:

• Links to relevant glossary items. For example, should a posting include an abbreviation then an information link will be included alongside the posting (not in the body of the post) to the appropriate glossary item. This makes it easier to understand a posting when it includes unfamiliar terms and abbreviations.
• Links to relevant file extensions. Thus when a posting makes reference to a given file or file type, an information link will be shown to information about that file type.
• Links to relevant encyclopaedia entries. So should a post include a reference to a term which is contained in the encyclopaedia then a link is show to the corresponding entry.

These information sources are provided to help you understand and get the most from postings.

If you have any other suggestions for improving this archive then please email them to newsmanager@cryer.info.