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g · HardwareCurated

Voodoo2 newsgroup now also on the 3dfx news server

Summary

In January 1998 the graphics card manufacturer 3dfx set up a dedicated newsgroup for the upcoming Voodoo2 on its news server news.3dfx.com. The server was regarded as an important support and information base for Voodoo owners. Golem recommended pointing your newsreader at the server and subscribing to the group 3dfx.products.voodoo2.

Ideas

  • Manufacturers offered support via their own Usenet news servers.
  • Users helped each other in such groups.
  • Newsreaders such as Netscape Collabra or Outlook served as the way in.

Insights

  • Manufacturer forums on Usenet were forerunners of today’s community forums and Discord servers.
  • Even then an active user community was part of the product.

Facts

  • The new group was called 3dfx.products.voodoo2.

References

Critique

  • The report is a recommendation without any assessment of the Voodoo2 itself.

Remarks

  • 3dfx was taken over by Nvidia at the end of 2000; the Voodoo cards shaped early 3D acceleration on the PC.

Recommendations

  • Use manufacturers’ community channels, but save important information yourself, as it can disappear.
  • Archive drivers and documentation for older hardware before manufacturer sites are switched off.

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