k wrote:
[Michael Hoffman]:
You could find this newsgroup but you couldn't find Google?

To be honest, I was bewildered that someone, with no prior experience
with this group, would think that the most effective way to get the
answer to his question is. When I want to ask questions about transport
in Rome, looking for a newsgroup devoted to that subject would be one of
the last things I would do. By the time I went to the effort to find the
newsgroup, I could have looked up the answer.

It would be one thing if it were a question with some degree of opinion,
such as the best way from $airport to Central London. But as far as
looking up things like "how does it cost the tube?" you'd get a much
more complete answer from the fares brochure.

What's this newsgroup for? Most of the stuff that's discussed on here
can be found by doing a search on Google.

That's simply false. Most of the discussion here is on relatively
esoteric topics and involves information that not only is not available
in Google, but frequently not in any public library.

Perhaps we should close the newsgroup down?

Strawman.

or perhaps we could use it to help each other?

I think teaching a man to fish is far more useful than giving him one.
Especially when we're talking about fish that are easy to catch. You may
disagree. But I notice that despite your righteous indignation about my
question, you have not rushed to use the newsgroup to help the original
poster.
--
Michael Hoffman