Killing the list ? (was: Re: New Wiard Module: Borg "Assimilator" Filters)

[KA4HJH]

>  >Yes, having a FAQ is a good thing - but there lies a hidden danger in it as
>  >well.

Life is full of danger. Let's live a littl! I don't think FAQ's are 
going to hurt the list.

>  >The trouble is that a FAQ may also to some degree kill of questions which
>>make the old timers tick and refer to various stuff and all of a sudden a new
>>discussion have spawned off. A FAQ could thus to some degree divert 
>>some of the
>  >usefull triggers alongside the not so usefull ones.

I think once the same question has been asked half a dozen times in 
the space of a year it starts to get obvious that there needs to be a 
FAQ.

Where do I get parts (in general)?
What kind of 'scope should I get?
Where do I get tempcos? What's a tempco??
What kind of op-amp...?
Is there a book on...?
Is there a PC board program for...?

Furthermore, I suspect there is a tendency for *some* oldtimers (who 
aren't here just to grandstand) to get tired of answering the same 
basic question over and over--and then the beginner doesn't get the 
full benefit of all that accumulated knowledge.


>Maybe we should include some information in the FAQ to doublecheck or
>clarify anything people feel like, and use it as a tool to invite some
>better informed participation.
>
>Whereas lots of groups or lists use FAQs as a way to cut down on answering
>the same questions over and over, maybe we could use it to invite more
>discussion, with a common reference for newcomers.

That's what we need--The Living FAQ. And if it doesn't answer your 
question (entirely possible), you can still ask.


>It would also appear that some first inrods to a FAQ have already been made.
>There are already the capicitor FAQ, and that good intro to OTAs, Paul S's
>advice about basic tools, plus other written pieces on various sites.

Good place to start.


>  >There are things that should be part of a FAQ, other that should just be
>>usefull information, links, vocabulary etc.
>
>How about an appendix that explains a lot of the acronyms?  VC_, OTA, PNP
>and MIDI might be a start...

Yeah.


>And maybe a short list of some of the various options for beginners,
>regarding kits, pre-made PCBs, etc.  With a note pointing back to the list
>for some more subjective evaluation of all of them.  There are a lot of
>these options, and a lot of different opinions about them.  Besides, maybe a
>FAQ is a better place for objective, scientific information to be stored,
>and we'll let the lists debate which devices "sound better."

Scientific. By gar I like the sound of that.


-- 
Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"