From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npois!houxi!houxm!mel Newsgroups: net.news.b Title: Lets have Usenet grow up Article-I.D.: houxm.197 Posted: Sun Jun 13 11:55:23 1982 Received: Mon Jun 14 00:48:42 1982 Isn't it about time to institutionalize Usenet ? The latest blather about where to peek to get a user's name, and the flood of misuse (stupid postings to inappropriate groups, posting to multiple groups, multiple postings of the same article, etc.) still shows the amateur nature of the net software. Usenet has become one of the most used features offered by the current systems, and is a major source of administrative headaches. The UNIX users like Usenet and interact with it heavily. It has the potential to become a major influence on how we interact with others in doing our jobs. The benefit of spending a half hour or so with the net each day can far offset that cost, if only the net were easier to use in a way to make that time worthwhile. My wish list for versions >2.7 include: 1) Interactive tools for the administration of Usenet. The continual need to re-compile sources and munge around the file system is taking too much administrative time and creating real messes in the large sub- nets. Decide what a Usenet administrator should be doing, and provide commands to best do those things. 2) Enforce some rules. Don't let an article leave to more than one news- group. Don't allow multiple posting of the same article. Don't allow a user's mistype or whim create a new newsgroup. Enforce these rules at the source and at each passthrough. Give commands for the site administrator to control what goes on at the site (I don't mean just censorship -- don't re-flame on that subject). Automatically sign each article (put the signature in the .newsrc, let each site administrator decide how it gets there, don't tie the net to the rest of UNIX). 3) Put some tutorial capability into the net itself for the new users. Why should each administrator or site counselor have to repeat the same stuff over and over, when a semi-permanent set of articles could be used ? 4) Put some real thought into the commands and options and presentations and order of presentation. I personally think the Berkeley msg format is a real crock, and am not sure the -c option is right either. Remember, we are dealing with hundreds of man-hours a day here, lets not waste it. For a start, how about letting ME decide the order that newsgroups are presented to ME, and the site administrator decide the default ? For sure put in a working pager oriented to readnews. Try to get Usenet into the rest of the world. Sell it to USG and the systems still unconnected. Interconnect it with the other nets, either by direct gates or digest exchange. Write Usenet software for other systems (VMS, Tops-20, ITS, Tenex, VM/CMS, CP/M, TSO). Find an archive site for net.sources and other long-term articles (how about access to the CP/M archive at MIT-MC ?). Individual sub-nets and sites should really use the local groups to advantage. Usenet is a new and unique technology, lets help it mature and spread. Mel Haas , houxm!mel