frequently asked question


frequently asked question

(convention)(FAQ, or rarely FAQL, FAQ list) A documentprovided for many Usenet newsgroups (and, more recently,World-Wide Web services) which attempts to answer questionswhich new readers often ask. These are maintained byvolunteers and posted regularly to the newsgroup. You shouldalways consult the FAQ list for a group before posting to itin case your question or point is common knowledge.

The collection of all FAQ lists is one of the most preciousand remarkable resources on the Internet. It contains ahuge wealth of up-to-date expert knowledge on many subjects ofcommon interest. Accuracy of the information is greatlyassisted by its frequent exposure to criticism by aninterested, and occasionally well-informed, audience (thereaders of the relevant newsgroup).

The main FTP archive for FAQs is on a computer called RTFMat MIT, where they can be accessed either by group or by hierarchy.There is another archive at Imperial College, London, UK and aWorld-Wide Web archive in Ohio,USA.

The FAQs are also posted to Usenet newsgroups:news:comp.answers, news:news.answers andnews:alt.answers.