Online Computer Terms Dictionary - F

frequently asked question

<convention> (FAQ, or rarely FAQL, FAQ list) A document provided for many Usenet newsgroups (and, more recently, World-Wide Web services) which attempts to answer questions which new readers often ask. These are maintained by volunteers and posted regularly to the newsgroup. You should always consult the FAQ list for a group before posting to it in case your question or point is common knowledge.

The collection of all FAQ lists is one of the most precious and remarkable resources on the Internet. It contains a huge wealth of up-to-date expert knowledge on many subjects of common interest. Accuracy of the information is greatly assisted by its frequent exposure to criticism by an interested, and occasionally well-informed, audience (the readers of the relevant newsgroup).

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

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

(1997-12-08)