Help Forums & Discussion Groups -- April 2007

<> Help Forums and Discussion Groups <>
Click here for the source URLs (below)

Listed below are some examples of help forums and discussion groups on computing and technology that you may find useful.

• Apple discussion groups are a very good way to get info and a good place to ask questions. I believe you have to register, but there is no charge. http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa

• Of course, Apple help is available in several forms at: http://www.apple.com/support/

• The Genius bar at an Apple retail store is a place to get answers about Apple software and hardware. You can make a reservation so you do not have to wait quite so long at the store.. The reservations can be made through the Apple Store website at :http://www.apple.com/retail/delmonte/

• Mac Owners Support Group - Has forums or discussions about many, many different pieces of software and hardware. Just find your subject and click on it. Depending on the group or forum, you may or may not have to register. Registration is free. http://macosg.com/group/index.php

• News about Macs feed://www.macworld.com/news/rss.xml

• Newsgroups - approx. 37550 groups
Typically, you must subscribe, usually free and through your ISP (as in: news.MyISP.com or some such). Check with your ISP for advice and support in this area. The NNTP server for SBC subscribers in our areas is news.sf.sbcglobal.net. Your SBC Email address is your NNTP user ID.

• A free Macintosh news reader is available. It is a very good one in my estimation and there are versions for most of the systems which have been used by Apple since OS 9.x. If you use this Reader the first thing to do is to go to *news servers* under *Special* on the menu bar and enter the server address you plan to use. You will then need to download the newsgroup list. From that list you can customize Newswatcher to download and show only those groups you wish to read. There are good filters built in and a long list of preferences you'll want to set. BE CAREFUL ABOUT GIVING OUT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE NEWSGROUPS! IT IS A PRIME WAY FOR SPAMMERS TO GET YOU ON THEIR LISTS. http://www.smfr.org/mtnw/

• Google newsgroups - Look to the middle of the page for a search tool to find groups of interest. In many cases these will be the same groups you would access through the NewsWatch Reader. http://groups.google.com/

• This Info about newsgroups is from AT&T.
Newsgroups are online public discussion forums, like bulletin boards, which are used by millions of people around the world. We carry thousands of newsgroups, covering almost every topic imaginable, including serious and silly ones.

Before you can view newsgroups, you must configure your newsgroup reader. Please see the set up instructions Setting up Outlook Express for newsgroups and How to find and access newsgroups.

Articles and Threads Newsgroup messages are called posts or articles. Posts that are grouped together on a single subject are called threads. If you reply to a current post, you are contributing to that thread. If you create a new post, you are starting a new thread.

Newsgroup Hierarchies Newsgroups follow a hierarchy, with most falling into what is referred to as the "Big Eight:" (listed by prefix; topics covered; example)

comp; computer hardware, software, languages, operating systems; comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.multimedia
rec; sports, games, hobbies, music; rec.autos.driving
humanities; literature and fine arts; humanities.lit.authors.shakespeare
sci; science discussions for both scientists and laypeople; sci.bio.paleontology
misc; miscellaneous; misc.transport.marine
soc; social and cultural issues; soc.culture.latin-america
news; everything Usenet; news.groups.questions
talk; discuss current events; talk.politics.tibet

Other popular hierarchies are:

alt, for miscellaneous topics from alt.adoption to alt.zen
biz, for business and commercial interests, including new products
k12, for education discussions covering kindergarten through the 12th grade

There are also non-AT&T Yahoo! listing sites that can help you find interactive discussions. Some of these, such as Google.com, also let you search for articles from a specific email address. The following sites index thousands of newsgroups by subject:

List™ Universe.com
CyberFiber® Newsgroups
Tile.Net
Alta Vista

• A few sample groups I read through news.sf.sbcglobal.net with some regularity.
comp.sys.mac.system
rec.photo.digital.slr-systems
comp.sys.mac.apps
comp.sys.apple2 - Yes, there are people still using Apple II computers. It's fun to see what they're doing.
comp.sys.mac.hardware.video

• Yahoo Groups - simply search for groups of interest. Most you can read without joining. You may need to join to see archives of postings or other group site content. http://groups.yahoo.com/
Here is a sample one. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ClubMacMonterey/

• Mac info - current updates/problem reports/fixes
I believe non-subscribers can access limited info for free. As I am a subscriber I am not sure if things have changed since I joined. http://www.macfixit.com/

• MacFixIt Forums - These forums can be read without registering, I believe. http://www.macfixitforums.com/ubbthreads.php?Cat=

• Photographic info, digital camera ratings, and camera forums are available at: http://www.dpreview.com/
Look for the links on the right side of the page. Many camera models have their own forum. Each brand has a forum. Many times good info is available. You must register to post questions.

• More camera reviews and forums are available here. I have not used this one, but it is recommended by a trusted source. http://www.dcviews.com/

• Connection speed test - The Java test seems to work best. http://www.dslreports.com/stest

• Ever wonder what those 3 characters like .PDF, .PPT, .PNG, and .EXE, for instance, at the end of a file name mean? Find out here: http://filext.com/index.php

HINT: Sometimes helpful forums can be found simply by going to Google. Type *your subject* plus the word *forum* in the search box and see what comes up. It can be tedious, but it often works.