<HTML>
<TITLE>T E X T F I L E S</TITLE>
<BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#00FF00" LINK="#00FF00" ALINK="#00AA00" VLINK="#00AA00">
<H1>The Internet: Frequently Asked Questions</H1>
<P>
One aspect of the Internet which did make it a better place for intelligent
discourse was the relative speed at which 'Ground Rules' were set for what
behavior was acceptable. More specifically, some of the standard pitfalls
of BBSes and other online forums that could turn a somewhat intelligent
trade of ideas into a useless war of words were addressed quite well in the
1980's Internet.
<P>
Among the most fascinating of these ground rules were the "Frequently Asked
Questions" lists, or FAQs, which laid down all those dumb questions that 
anyone coming into a subject for the first time would be inclined to ask,
even though everyone already involved already knew the answers. These FAQs
were occasionally made by a single person, sometimes made by a committee,
but what really made them shine were how over a relatively short period of
time, they were these white-hot nuggets of information on a subject.
Between these FAQs and the Discographies and other lists maintained on the
Internet, a stunning array of human knowledge could be passed among
participants quickly and efficiently.
<P>
The FAQs stand as what the potential of the Internet truly was, in how
much they streamlined and improved the trade of ideas.
<P>
<TABLE WIDTH=100%>
<TD BGCOLOR=#00FF00><FONT COLOR=#000000><B>Filename</B><BR></FONT></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR=#00DD00><FONT COLOR=#000000><B>Size</B><BR></FONT></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR=#00AA00><FONT COLOR=#000000><B>Description of the Textfile</B><BR></TD></TR>

