Convergence International

[ Index | Information | News service | Support | Platform info | Join CI (free) ]
[ Summary | Our mission | FAQs | News Service | Info by e-mail | What's new | Site search | Credits | Member stats | Links | Page list ]


Frequently Asked Questions

This document is posted monthly to the following newsgroups:

This FAQ contains information and answers to common questions about the non-Wintel computer user group Convergence International. This FAQ is also available in plain text format.


Subject: 1. Contents.

  1. Contents.
  2. What is Convergence International?
  3. Why was Convergence International created?
  4. What do you mean by "non-Wintel"?
  5. Which platforms do you support?
  6. How do I join Convergence International?
  7. What can I do to help Convergence International?
  8. What is the non-Wintel news service?
  9. What is CIhoo?
  10. What newsgroups are available for topics relating to Convergence?
  11. Contact details and credits.

Subject: 2. What is Convergence International?

Convergence International is a user group for users of all non-Wintel computers (see section 4 for a definition of non-Wintel). Convergence brings together users of many different alternative and minority computers, organises projects, and produces information to increase public awareness of these platforms.

Subject: 3. Why was Convergence International created?

We believe that if a time comes when one single platform is the only one in use the computer industry will suffer. Without competition there is stagnation, and no one platform can hope to be best suited to every task. While there are alternatives development is spurred on by competition, and people are free to choose the platform which best suits their needs.

Unfortunately we are coming increasingly close to a single platform dominating the computing world, Microsoft Windows running on an Intel CPU. More and more people are simply unaware that there are any viable alternatives, and so use the so called industry standard platform.

And so we formed Convergence, to provide information to re-educate people and show that there is more to computing than a single operating system and a single processor, and to support users of alternative platforms.


Subject: 4. What do you mean by "non-Wintel"?

When we say "non-Wintel" we mean all computer platforms other than Microsoft Windows running on an Intel-type processor. This includes: Acorn, Amiga, Apple, ARM, Atari, A\Box, Be, Network Computers, OS/2, PowerPC, Psion, and Linux and all other Unix systems.

We would rather not use the phrase "non-Wintel" to describe what we support, but short of listing all the platforms we _do_ support every time we currently say "non-Wintel", it's the only option.


Subject: 5. Which platforms do you support?

We support all non-Wintel platforms, as defined in section 4. However at the moment we are concentrating on Acorn, Amiga, Apple, and Psion, because currently most members use these platforms, and we are short of volunteers to help with information about other platforms.

We also believe Java is an important development in allowing diversity of computer platforms by providing a common language to allow maximum portability of applications. However as Java is well supported by the mainstream computing community and news providers, and the Java Lobby do an excellent job of supporting Java users and developers, we do not feel we need to concentrate of it.


Subject: 6. How do I join Convergence International?

It's very easy to join Convergence and it is totally free. Simply go to http://www.convergence.org/support/join.html and fill in the form, or e-mail us at join@convergence.org and tell us your name, e-mail address, and what computers you use.

As a member you will receive a regular newsletter containing news relating to Convergence International and non-Wintel platforms, as well as priority access to future developments such as the non-Wintel search engine.


Subject: 7. What can I do to help Convergence International?

We are always looking for volunteers to help with various projects. Once you have joined you can do as much or as little to help as you want or have time for, anything from simply displaying our logo on your web pages or our name in your sig, to running a project, to managing a section of the web site. Further details of how to help Convergence are available at http://www.convergence.org/support/helpus.html.

Subject: 8. What is the non-Wintel news service?

Convergence provide a non-Wintel news service which gives summaries of important events for the various platforms we support. We search the Internet for news items that are of interest, and provide a summary with links to other sites for more detailed information. There are also weekly comments by members in the Member's Opinion section.

There are individual news pages for the following platforms: Acorn, Amiga, Apple, ARM, Be, Network Computers (NCs), Psion, and a section for miscellaneous news which is relevant to Convergence.

Also the news summary page gives a brief rundown of the current important news for all the supported platforms. Convergence places the most relevant items there for quick reference, and the page is updated nearly every day - for the latest non-Wintel news check it often! It is also possible to register to receive an e-mail when a news page is updated. The non-Wintel news service from Convergence is totally FREE and there is NO advertising on the news pages - it is part of our voluntary mission to make people aware of the advantages of non-Wintel platforms. The non-Wintel news service is at http://www.convergence.org/news/


Subject: 9. What is CIhoo?

CIhoo (pronounced see who) is the Convergence International non-Wintel search engine, a system comprising a hierarchy of non-Wintel related web site data and a cgi program for finding entries.

We are currently collecting links and reviewing non-Wintel web sites to create a database of quality non-Wintel links with independent descriptions. To beta test CIhoo go to http://search.convergence.org/ - there are currently over 1000 non-Wintel web sites listed.


Subject: 10. What newsgroups are available for topics relating to Convergence?

We found that there was nowhere where users of different non-Wintel platforms could come together to discuss issues relating to Convergence International, for example intercompatibility between these platforms and users working together. Existing newsgroups were platform specific and often didn't allow discussions of other platforms, so we created the newsgroup alt.comp.convergence as a neutral ground where users of all non-Wintel computers could discuss issues relating to Convergence International and our projects.

If alt.comp.convergence isn't available on your local news server ask them to carry it. If all else fails alt.comp.convergence is available on the web at sites like http://www.dejanews.com/ and http://www.feedme.org/

Note: as with all alt.* newsgroups alt.comp.convergence can receive inappropriate mass postings which have nothing to do with the topic of the newsgroups (ie "spam"). As soon as the new mod.* hierarchy is available we will create a moderated newsgroup for Convergence topics.


Subject: 11. Contact details and credits.

If you have have any unanswered questions or suggestions for additions to the FAQ please contact me by e-mail at js@convergence.org. Further information about Convergence can be found on our web site at the URL below.

E-mail : enquiries@convergence.org
Web : http://www.convergence.org/

Written and maintained by James Sears <js@convergence.org>.


© Copyright 1997, 1998, by Convergence International. Convergence International and the Convergence International logo are trademarks of the Convergence International Committee. All other trademarks acknowledged. Feedback - let us know what you think about this web site. Somewhere for bad robots to go.