Seeing as people keep mentioning it, and asking about it, and I tend to be the kind of person to get annoyed by such things (i.e. worked up over nothing), but moreover because I was intending to do this anyway....here is the original list of questions I drew up for the FAQ in a two minute brainstorming session the other night. It is very rough and ready, and the questions tend to change as I write the reply :-) ;-)
Don't worry about the wording or the order for the time being, I just want people to point out ones I may have forgotten, or just not thought about.
I've deliberately left out any questions about commercial sources and 'What next gen solutions are there?' for the time being. Please, no suggestions for such questions yet.
All the answers (at least the ones I've written so far), are rich with links - one reason for this, aside from the obvious, is to familiarise new/returning users with the resources that could be consulted before asking questions. I know that many questions asked in the past have been met with a link to amiga.resource.cx, the BBoAH or Aminet, for example. However, at the same time, the FAQ is intended to be as 'stand alone' as possible. There's no point in relying on an externally linked site that might go down.
I have already written about 1/3 of the answers for these questions
Here are the Qs (in no particular order):
"What sort of hard drive do I need for my Amiga?"
[This incorporates issues such as interfaces for machines other than those that come equipped with IDE headers, as well as the 4gb limit]
"How do I get my Amiga online?" OR "How do I network my Amiga with my PC in order to transfer files?"
[From what sort of network card you need, to what software you need]. I intend to expand this further to include information about internet browsers etc
May split this down into a few different questions, such as "Can I browse the internet with an Amiga?"
"Where can I get software from?"
[Talks about online resources for freely distributable software]
"Where can I find drivers for this piece of hardware?"
"I've just acquired a piece of hardware, what is it and is there a manual available?"
"How do I create Amiga disks from ADFs?" OR "How do I create ADFs?"
"Is it possible to emulate the Amiga with a PC?"/"Can I emulate other computers using the Amiga?"
"How do I use a CD-ROM with my Amiga?"
"Can I use a normal VGA (PC) monitor with my Amiga?"
"How do I increase the RAM in my Amiga"
[Will include a brief discussion of chip mem]
"What's the difference between OCS, ECS and AGA?"
"Are there compatibility problems with older Amigas or older software?"
"How can I accelerate my Amiga?"
[Will mention available options, including compatiblity, suitability for various tasks - e.g. an 030 is considered by many to be the perfect combination of compatibility and speed for gamers]. On the whole, however, I'd like to avoid 'matters of opinion' as much as possible, unless they represent a consensus view :-)
This is very much in its early stages, and so constructive comments are welcome. As far as answering the questions goes, well I shall be dealing with that myself, then allowing users here to peruse them and make suggestions.
I intend to make the FAQs VERY readable for newcomers and those for whom English is not their first language (unlike this post :insane:).
Trust me, I teach English to foreign students as a job! I know all about 'pitch' :-)
P.S.
I shall be leaving questions like:
"Where can I buy Amiga hardware and software?"
till last for the time being, and focussing on the more technical side to begin with.
