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Originally an ascii-art post to %afda by Screwtape
newsfroup // n.
[Usenet] Silly synonym for newsgroup, originally a typo but now in regular use on Usenet's talk.bizarre, and other lunatic-fringe groups. Compare hing, grilf, pr0n and filk.
From The Jargon File> Why is this place called a "froup"?
Because diskussionsfruppsmeddelandet is too hard to spell.
Screwtape (in the froup, of course)More definitions of "froup" can be found here While this post from Kåre, which explains some of the froup's quirks, may not be accurate, it is at least, definitively inaccurate (and probably also out-of-date by now):
From: Kaare Fiedler Christiansen <fiedler@daimi.au.dk> Subject: Re: Fun poll: First contact with HHG Date: 19 August 1999 12:43 fairlola@aol.com (Fair Lola) writes: <snip> > Alright ... call me a newbie if you will, but wasn't it the almighty > Bob? Where did Jacob come in? ::confused:: Well, Susan, I understand you confusion. Let me try to put a bit of the froup mentality to paper (or rather: screen). but first: DISCLAIMER: The following may seem offensive to people who feel strongly for the froup, and believe that any attempt to explain it is an act of heresy. Please do not read on if you feel that way. Right. In lack of Douglas Adams things to discuss, we tend to go insane and write infinitely improbably things, on this froup (like inventing meanings for typos like froup: Way back in the old days someone (trll??) wrote froup, and we immediately adopted this way of writing (as short for froody group) to the point where we accept none other. The Jacob incident occurred when Jacob once said that we were all figments of his imagination. This statement became so popular that everyone now uses this a basis for all knowledge and wisdom. Jacob was at that point a very frequent poster. By now, in his senior year of high school, he feels he doesn't have the time to post as much as he used to. At a point we all made a revolution to forget Jacob, but this revolution has now ended, and we do again firmly believe that Jacob has imagined us all. Meg's Lives is an old story. It goes waaaay back to when I was a newbie in the froup. Which is no more than a year and a half ago. someone claimed not to have a life. Meg said that he could have one of hers: "I've got plenty. People keep handing them to me, saying I need one. I wonder why they do that" I then requested to have it as email. Since then, Meg has been official supplier of lives. Oh, and they work great. At least the Hooloovoo ones (I got the last one in that colour, though). Don't let anyone tell you anything else. ObRef are either "Obvious References" or "Obscure References" usually to douglas works, but sometimes to something else instead. At some point someone started handing points out when people got them right. It's kinda stuck, so although points are only exchangeable for other points we keep giving them away. Hmm... I think that's more or less what I can remember on froup mentality. Welcome again, Susan. -- Kaare Fiedler Christiansen fiedler@daimi.au.dk Please add NOSPAM for sending spamletters :-) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Come on, everyone else makes typos!!! --kristen ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit the 256 bytes gaming page at http://www.daimi.au.dk/~fiedler/Addendum
- Tim Allen (aka Screwtape) has pointed out that he was the first person to use the word "froup" in %afda, and he claims he did it on purpose. Check out Google Froups for the proof. The reason why is "because I was heavily under the influence of the Jargon File at the time, I guess." So there you go. The record should now be considered as permanently crooked. [iain]
- You're also supposed to be able to exchange your points for lemon-soaked paper napkins, but no-one's ever gotten enough. [iain]
- The % symbol is one of several used to distinguish between the various forms of afda:
(Confused yet? You should be... :) [iain]
- %afda is the newsfroup;
- #afda is the irc channel (see below);
- $afda is a perl variable called "afda",
(this has nothing to do with the discussion);- ~afda or ^afda is this website; and
- &afda is the whole afda experience
#afda
#afda: In the history of the froup (see above) several people have elected to create Douglas Adams chat rooms on various Online WebChat sites. Unfortunately, due to a combination of absence of DNA himself, and the high quotient of geeks in %afda (who dislike webchat on principle) they were doomed to failure. After much arguing about rival online chat systems, the old and faithful IRC was elected the Official alt.fan.douglas-adams chat technology.
We meet on irc.slashnet.org, in the channel #afda.
Unlike the (official) purpose of %afda, #afda tends not to be about DNA, but more about %afda. It also tends to be very quiet for long periods time - if you've got not much to do and IRC access, you might care to leave yourself logged in as you do other stuff so that you can catch people as they wake up. The other Notable Feature of #afda is nemo, or wombat. nemo is one of the founding people of slashnet, and also reads and occasionally posts to %afda. He does leave himself logged into #afda pretty much 24/7, but isn't necessarily watching for anywhere near that amount of time. When he's wants you to think he's not watching, he calls himself wombat. When he wants you to think he is watching, he's nemo. However, wombat has been known to talk, and nemo frequently doesn't say anything. [Screwtape, Tag, iain]
