Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site harpo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!stewart From: stewart@harpo.UUCP (stewart wiener) Newsgroups: net.news.group Subject: Dealing with reorganization Message-ID: <2244@harpo.UUCP> Date: Tue, 28-Feb-84 02:19:27 EST Article-I.D.: harpo.2244 Posted: Tue Feb 28 02:19:27 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 28-Feb-84 22:28:57 EST Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Whippany Lines: 48 Chuqui's proposed reorganization of newsgroups into more of a tree structure is very worthwhile. It will have to be done eventually, and I think we should start making plans now. There may be large problems with the following outline, but it can serve at least as a thought-experiment: 1. Nail down what newsgroups will go where. New umbrella groups might include net.sci, and net.cs. (And how about net.sf, with .startrek, .drwho, and .sw subgroups?) We could argue details forever -- someone will eventually have to decide. I'd nominate cbosgd!mark. And/or an organized (!!) committee of interested newsusers. Anarchy accomplishes very little. Look at net.records. NOBODY has protested nuking it, LOTS of people said do it, and HERE it still is. This is a separate issue, I guess, but LET'S ORGANIZE, putting ultimate authority in the hands of somebody we all trust not to abuse it. (Without, I should add, taking anyone else's privileges away.) 2. Contact every news administrator at every site we can. By US Mail or phone if need be. We need their active cooperation in order to have a smooth transition. 3a. Distribute new news software able to handle a 'rename' command. Lots of rewriting, lots of problems. A simpler alternative might be: 3b. On a given date, say October 1, several backbone sites simultaneously send out newgroup messages. (To reduce propagation delay.) Needless to say, net.announce will keep everyone posted. News administrators are given 7-10 days to move existing articles to the appropriate new locations, most of them using a centrally supplied shell script and/or C program. After a deadline, the same backbones send out the rmgroup messages. There will be shakedown problems -- some users will miss articles, or see them twice; some will post to the wrong places; some sites will recreate defunct groups. A few misplaced articles will be killed by the rmgroup. All this will go away in a number of weeks, and we'll be left with a more efficient, streamlined, and easy-to-read Usenet. And we'll have an organization better able to deal with further restructuring problems. Oh boy will I ever get flamed for this. But think about it carefully first. -- Stewart Wiener :-) "Read and weep as did ****** :-) Alexander when he beheld {allegra,decvax}!harpo!stewart :-) the glories of Egypt."