h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I opened this to ask the 'veterans'of H2G2 to tell us about the site. Stories, tips, folklore or whatever you like. I'm a new user and I would like to learn a bit more about the history of one of my favourite sites.

I can tell you're new. Veterans here don't use the Barlesque skin. We cling like limpets to Alabaster, Brunel or Classic Goo.

I've been here since 2003, but there are some who have been around longer than that, and they'll tell you the story of how Douglas Adams' founded the site (more at A77477412)

But I can't do the history justice - I'd rather 2legs told you.

And there we go again. What the *bleep* is BArlesque and those skin thingys everyone is talking about? And what is it with 2legs?

The 'Barlesque' skin, launched by the BBC in January is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/

Previous skins, each one as comfortable as an old woolly jumper are:

Alabaster: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/home
Brunel: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/home
Classic (aka 'Goo'): http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/home

You'll soon learn not to ask unanswerable questions like "What is it with 2legs?"

Big welcome to h2g2 Interestman.

The problem with the Barlesque skin is that it was given to us a few months ago with a great fanfare. We were told it was fantastic. It had a 'nice' look. We were given this thing on a friday afternoon. By sunday BBC staff were in trying to deal with the dog's throw up that it actually was. It hardly functioned at all..ie you got repeated error messages..and much of the functionality of the skins we used was totally missing.

There have now been months of work going on to make it in some way usable.

The problem is that if you post from Barlesque..those of us using the old skins see a lot of '&#39' whenever an apostrophe is used. I now often don't bother to read posts properly when they are full of that. I just skim or ignore.

***

2legs well....where to begin...he's the alpha and omega really...

Excellent thread you've started.

Have some

"Stories, tips, folklore"

You will be bombarded with stuff. There's 10 years of reading to catch up on!

But as most of it is of a more ephemeral nature, don't worry.

As time has passed, references and allusions to the Hitchhikers' Guide books have waned. This is as Douglas Adams would have wished.
We used to have half a dozen staff, organising the site and deciding what went on the front page, which entries were to be highlighted and refereeing conversations. They are known as Italics. Now there is only one.

There should be an entry somewhere with a history of the site, and another one with a glossary of the jargon.

There have been dozens of Real Life meets, mainly in London.

Here are the relevant links. I don't know if you can follow these from Barlesque. If not, just type the number into the URL.

A649299 Great h2g2 Community Events of the Past
A728967 h2g2 Meets Archive
A901829 h2g2 Glossary

I haven't managed to find the entry giving a summarised history of the site. Perhaps someone else can help.



Oh - and for light reading - try the (the second link above - "meets archive" - will lead you there)

Following on from TCs comments, the h2jargon Entry is here: A632431

I'm not sure about a history as such (unless it's this : A6483783) but there is a Post series that chronicles a lot of the formative development: Fragilis - The View at h2g2. It's catalogue is here: A690824

And as for 2legs, he's a fellow researcher. A perfectly real one. We tend to blame him for, well, everything. No particular reason, except that somehow it is bound to be his fault.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/user/U169793

Do keep asking for clarification. Although I hope we aren't too impenetrable, it is interesting to find out how we are confusing for newcomers.

join us

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A516647

Every newbie should be made aware of
Wowbagger's famous Tales of a Newbie.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A856343
Just click on the dates in series to get the full story.

~jwf~

At this point, 2legs is a force of nature in human form But seriously, he's just one of the more ubiquitous and surreal long-time members.

I'd explain more, but my explanations tend to get more opaque the longer they are. I think they start translucent, and then get folded up...

Bob, Nighthoover, 2legs, digiboxes, Tony Curtis, SSO, What's Wrong With, Non Sequiturs, Lil, alabasterd - where do we start?

shouldn't we start by explaining that hootoo veterans are mostly harmless?

well .. surely most are?

Most? HAHA try none, well maybe one or two :P (Yes I am a vet just trying to figure out how to recover my old account. Last time I logged into it was 2006 :'( so now I am without my connections to my past.)

As for the newcomer, WELCOME! You will either learn to love it here or learn to hate it. It can easily become addictive if your not careful!

Welcome!

This can be a confusing start - a community that's been here this long develops its own silly jargon.




Anyone up for writing a short guide to the history of h2g2 in less than 1000 words..

Or a Bily Joel Style song...

DNA, Dot.com, Rupet Alabaster
we didn't start the site...
but we'll keep it going 'til the world stops turning.

BBC, moderation, blood of the Zahpodistias..

Once apon a time, a long long while ago, in a field, outside Cambridge, UK, a random occurance involving a set of electrons and a towel, set into effect a chain reaction, which, ultimately, via a series of ever-increasingly long and expensive lunchs in various restuarants, by a kind of round-about way, gave rise to that which in itself might ultimately one day have supassed the power of the noodly appendage, in its ability, through raising badgers, to entangle and disentable all the things which whilst going round, in turn caused themselves to go around, this, of course, gave rise to the holy moustache of hastlehoff which ultimately got lost somewhere near the pendrils oak, but which is believed to now be in the posettion of nighthoover who uses it to bewilder the swamp creatures and also for mopping up spilt beer on the deck of a ship, as yet unfonded rumours suggest that Tony Curtis once owned it and frequently dusted behind the sofa using it to clean the gap between the back of the sofa and the skirting board. However, until such time as these largely unsubstantiated rumours are disproven, or at least forgotten about in the bottom draw of a locked filing cabinate kept in the basement behind a locked door, it is probably wise to mainly take them with the pinch of chinchilla hair they rightly seem to warrent, unless, of course, your already sitting on top of the pony, in which case, I'd probably keep an eye out for the lepard, its round here somewhere.

>You will either learn to love it here or learn to hate it<

Or as we nutjobs have learnt...both in equal measure.

Wow. That&#39;s the only thing I can say right now. And thank you too, for your enthusiasm. I never thought to get that much reactions. And 2legs, would it be possible to give me your text again in simpler English? I&#39;m Belgian you see, my English is kinda good, but not that good.

Sorry to spoil it.