Re: How did you get into this business?

John T. Grieggs (grieggs@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov)
Mon, 5 Jun 95 15:27:19 PDT

Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
Next message: Tung-chiang Yang: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"
Previous message: Jane Elizabeth Patterson: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"
In reply to: James D. Murray: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"
Next in thread: Rockn_Robin: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"

>
> >
> >Here's a question I've been wondering about for some time: How and why
> >do people get into the FAQ-maintaining business?
> >
> I started reading comp.graphics about 10 years ago and noticed there wasn't
> any information archives specifically about graphics file formats (in the FAQ
> or anywhere else). I started collecting info on such formats and ended up
> writing a book about the subject many years later.
>
Actually, the comp.graphics FAQ did list several ftp sites containing
file format information. Ahem. :-)

> Nearly a year ago, I decided to write and maintain the Graphics File Format
> FAQ, loosely based on the format of my book. The comp.graphics FAQ gives little
> help in finding file format specs and answering other questions (despite the
> high percentage of questions on comp.graphics about file formats). I decided
> that since my interest in the subject was so high--and nobody else seemed
> foolish enough in the last decade to claim it--the territory of Graphics File
> Formats know-it-all (yeah, sure) on Usenet was mine.
>
> (BTW, I am not slamming the comp.graphics FAQ or its maintainer. The subject
> of computer graphics is so vast that it's not practical to attempt to cover
> it all in only one FAQ).
>
Actually, the big FAQ I don't address is "How do I display a {GIF|JPEG} on
my {PC|MAC}. Formats are a distant second at best. But, as we discussed
when you first brought up the idea, I wasn't interested because it was such
a big topic and I didn't think I could do it justice.

Again, I would point out that the comp.graphics FAQ (mine) does indeed list
archive sites of graphics file format files, and quite a lot of free image
manipulation software with source code for said files. And now, it lists
your very nice and much more detailed file format FAQ.

> I don't know how famous my FAQ has made me (I've never been invited to see the
> Gator Bowl). I certainly get a few email questions each month, and the
> occasional free graphical software evaluation package for my review. But,
> so far my reward has been the fun of discovery in digging up the info for
> the GFF FAQ, adding quality material to it, and watching the size of it grow.
>
You get software? :-(

> --
>
> James D. Murray POB 70 Tel: 714.288.0141
> jdm@netcom.com Orange, CA 92666 USA Fax: 714.832.9924
>
> Maintainer of the Graphics File Formats FAQ on comp.graphics and
> coauthor of the O'Reilly book "Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats".
>
> "I'm not only an INTJ, I'm smug about it!"
>
John T. Grieggs
818-306-6506

Maintainer of the comp.graphics FAQ (soon to be the comp.graphics.misc FAQ),
and involved in too many other things to mention.

Next message: Tung-chiang Yang: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"
Previous message: Jane Elizabeth Patterson: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"
In reply to: James D. Murray: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"
Next in thread: Rockn_Robin: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"

[ Usenet Hypertext FAQ Archive | Search Mail Archive | Authors | Usenet ]
[ 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 ]

Re: How did *you* get into this business?

Re: How did you get into this business?