1. FAQ general information 

Table of contents

 1a. Who is responsible for the FAQ? Copyright.
   1b. Where to get the FAQ? 
   1c. How to contribute to the FAQ? 
   1d. What is the scope of the FAQ? 
   1e. What is the history of this FAQ? 
   1f. Who have contributed to this FAQ?   
   1g. What’s new in this version?
 
 
 1a. Who is responsible for the FAQ? Copyright. 


Version: 1.7
Updated: 01/21/03
Copyright: Copyright © 2000 by Jean-Pierre Louvet and Juan Luis Martínez.
Coordinator: Jean-Pierre Louvet.
Maintainers: Jean-Pierre Louvet, Juan Luis Martínez, Phil Jackson (for fractal music). Another one or two volunteers are hoped.


 1b. Where to get the FAQ? 

   The URLs of the sites where the FAQ can be found will be posted periodically to the following newsgroups: alt.binaries.pictures.fractals, alt.fractals, sci.fractals. Being copyrighted, you are not authorized to place a copy of this FAQ on any server without the agreement of the editorial team.

   The latest HTML version will be found only on the following servers:


 1c. How to contribute to the FAQ? 

   Everybody can contribute to the FAQ. The fractal-art discussion list might be the best forum for the discussions of future suggestions or contributions (see section 2d for subscription information). But because not everybody is a member of this list, any request or suggestion formulated in any of the newsgroups listed above (in 1b) will be taken into consideration. However, in that case, send a copy of the message to the coordinator of this FAQ at:


 1d. What is the scope of the FAQ? 

   The name of the FAQ is self-explanatory. This document is mainly devoted for beginners interested in fractals as a field to develop artistic creation. The most well known domain of fractal art is graphic art, but there is fractal music as well.
   This FAQ will offer theoretical information about fractals and some paths to follow to the math’s domain, since it is a good idea to know what fractal programs do, and because that could help some of you to bring forth your own formulas to compute original fractal images, afterward. Nevertheless, in the creation of beautiful fractal images mathematical knowledge is not a must thanks to the current available software: each day, they become more and more interactive. Also, some large collections of formulas and parameters are generously offered for public use by numerous fractal artists.
   The aim of the FAQ is not to address extensively the questions answered herein. In the event you wish to learn more about a given topic, we are including links to sites offering tutorials of theoretical or technical scope and suggestions for additional useful sites.

   Currently, there is a brief and useful FAQ covering posting and viewing fractal images at the alt.binaries.pictures.fractals newsgroup. It is posted weekly in this newsgroup.


 1e. What is the history of this FAQ? 

   The first fractal FAQ was created by  Ken Shirriff (Copyright © 1993-1994). The second FAQ was edited by  Ermel Stepp (Copyright © 1995). A third one was named Sci.fractal-FAQ, and was edited, first by Michael Taylor (Copyright © 1995-1997) and later by Michael Taylor (as the coordinator) and Jean-Pierre Louvet (Copyright © 1997-98). There are large portions of common material between those three versions.
   Later on, it became obvious that Michael Taylor had neither the time nor the required web access to maintain the FAQ. After some requests for opinions from J.P. Louvet in the sci.fractal newsgroup and the main fractal discussion lists, it appeared it might be better to split the initial FAQ into a pure math-sci.fractal FAQ and a fractal-art FAQ. Starting with that idea, we began to write down a draft for the fractal-art FAQ in March 2000, and we hope somebody will initiate something for a strictly theoretical fractal FAQ.
   This explains why the name and the scope of this FAQ are different. However, it still uses some excerpts from the sci.fractals-FAQ, with Michael Taylor and J.P. Louvet’s authorization.


 1f.  Who have contributed to this FAQ? 

Cynthia Church
Dennis C. De Mars
Dirk Meyer
Frederik Slijkerman
Janet Parke Preslar
Jean-Pierre Louvet
Juan Luis Martínez
Ken Musgrave
Kerry Mitchell
Paul Carlson
Paul Martz
Phil Jackson
Phil Thompson
Rich Thomson (text from the previous sci.fractals-FAQ)
Shawn Bulen
Terry W. Gintz
Tim Thompson


 1g. What’s new in this version? 

Version 1.7:

  • Links updated ; new links for fractal music and one more information in answer 5Bh.

Version 1.6:

  • Some links updated. New programs added in chapter 6. A few changes in the text. Changes in the layout.

Version 1.5:

  • Links updated. Changes in the layout.

Version 1.4:

  • Links updated. Text for Mind-Boggling Fractals program updated. Minor changes in version 1.4a.

Version 1.3:

  • A new topic about colors and computers has been introduced in chapter 5. As a consequence all the questions/answers of this chapter have been renumbered.
  • Thanks to Paul Carlson the answer 5Bd about orbit traps has been improved.
  • Descriptions and references to some programs have been changed.
  • Some wrong links have been corrected; several others have been updated.
Version 1.2:
  • Answers about fractal music have been rewritten as well as the list of fractal music programs.
  • A reference to Paul Carlson’s program has been added.
  • Careful check of the HTML code to offer a better display with different browsers.
  • Several other minor modifications (changes in URLs...).

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