Definition
The comp.* hierarchy is a classification of Usenet newsgroups whose names begin with the prefix “comp.”. It encompasses a broad range of discussion forums dedicated to computer-related subjects, including hardware, software, programming, networking, and related technological topics.
Overview
Usenet, a distributed discussion system established in the early 1980s, organizes its thousands of newsgroups into hierarchical categories to facilitate navigation and topic segregation. The comp.* hierarchy constitutes one of the primary top‑level categories, alongside others such as sci.* (science), alt.* (alternative), and talk.* (general discussion). Each specific newsgroup within the comp.* hierarchy follows the pattern “comp.[sub‑category]”, for example, comp.lang.c (C programming language) or comp.os.linux.misc (Linux operating system).
The hierarchy is used by both public and private Usenet servers, and its groups can be accessed via news reader software or web‑based Usenet archives. Over time, the comp.* hierarchy has evolved to include emerging topics (e.g., comp.security, comp.web, comp.virtualization) while preserving legacy groups that reflect historic technologies.
Etymology / Origin
The prefix “comp” is an abbreviation of “computer”. The naming convention follows the original Usenet design, where top‑level hierarchies were created to group related subjects. The dot (“.”) functions as a delimiter separating the hierarchy name from the subcategory, a syntax introduced by the early Usenet developers to mimic hierarchical file systems.
Characteristics
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Naming convention | All groups start with “comp.” followed by one or more sub‑components separated by periods (e.g., comp.programming, comp.hardware.). |
| Scope | Covers virtually all aspects of computing, from low‑level hardware design to high‑level software development and end‑user applications. |
| Moderation | Individual groups may be moderated (requiring approval before posting) or unmoderated, depending on the community’s policies. |
| Distribution | Propagated across the decentralized Usenet network; availability depends on the servers that retain the groups. |
| Retention | Older groups persist in archives even if activity declines, providing historical records of technical discussions. |
| Interoperability | Compatible with any standard NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) client. |
Related Topics
- Usenet – The global distributed discussion system that hosts the comp.* hierarchy.
- Newsgroup hierarchy – The overall classification scheme of Usenet, including other top‑level categories such as sci., alt., talk., news..
- NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol) – The protocol used to read and post messages to Usenet newsgroups.
- Moderated newsgroups – Groups within the hierarchy that require editorial approval before messages are published.
- Archives and search engines – Services such as Google Groups, Gmane, and the Internet Archive that index and preserve comp.* discussions.