Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version VT1.00C 11/1/84; site vortex.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!vortex!lauren From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) Newsgroups: net.news Subject: Re: receiving vs. sending satellite netnews Message-ID: <484@vortex.UUCP> Date: Thu, 27-Dec-84 19:15:58 EST Article-I.D.: vortex.484 Posted: Thu Dec 27 19:15:58 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 28-Dec-84 08:04:51 EST References: <185@masscomp.UUCP> Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles Lines: 90 I have discussed the reasons for screening netnews numerous times in the past (legal, technical, and "publishing"-wise) and I am not going to go over it all again. I'm getting very tired of repeating the same stuff over and over in this group, and I'm sure other people are also. As I have also mentioned numerous times, materials for stargate would ultimately be routed quickly (via mail) to moderators for satellite distribution. This will require some carefully designed software and routes, but the end result is that the satellite people will get the stuff by satellite and the non-satellite people will receive materials through conventional means, usually later. To the extent that moderators are screening conventional netnews materials (and not materials mailed directly to them, like mod.* groups are now -- this is the best model, by the way) it will help if the moderators are well connected to primary nodes so they get the news early. However, my own view is that the mod.* model, where moderators are mailed the materials, or where the materials pass to several moderators by mail (not by netnews), is the most accurate picture. Of course, these moderators would want to be well located to avoid mail delays, but many of the people who are currently volunteering for such tasks are already in such postions (topologically-speaking). It is possible that, over time, the satellite service would tend to split off from Usenet proper in some ways. For example, if people could submit articles to the moderators via direct mail (perhaps via an 800 number or some such, perhaps not) the moderators would then be even more in the position of magazine editors, and the service is a big electronic magazine, hopefully of high quality. People can still submit whatever they like, and most stuff (that fit the topic catagories and is of general interest) would get sent -- quickly too. There has never been anything like this before, where random people could submit items, that are usually accepted, for a satellite broadcast magazine running 24 hours/day. While such a service would not be suitable for the quick flame sessions that some people have now on Usenet, such people (and anyone else who wanted to) could of course continue to use Usenet proper. In other words, it is incorrect to view (ultimately) the concept of satellite netnews as a high-tech Usenet. Rather, it is another way for people to communicate. Presumably, even if the sort of scenario discussed above came to pass (and it is only one scenario) the moderators could be watching for interesting Usenet items to send off. Also, presumably, there would be gateways so that the ordinary Usenet sites could receive some or all of the satellite materials (albeit much more slowly than by satellite) if this were deemed desirable. The two services could co-exist in a symbiotic way, with each handling the sort of traffic that would be best suited for its mode of operation and sharing when desirable. This is all speculation of course. But it's a model that I think could result in a very useful information service with which many people would want to participate. --Lauren-- P.S. I'm starting to spend too much time generating messages like this. Please do not be surprised if you find me not responding directly to some of the netnews messages that continue to appear on this topic, with my messages only appearing occasionally for status reports. I have laid out the project as best I can for now, and just don't have the time for doing messages like this every day. Please remember that this is an experiment. I suggest that you sit back and relax a little bit to see what comes forth from the discussions among the various parties involved in the project, who are not under my control in any case. I'll keep the network informed of what occurs with the experiment and the discussions, which are in extremely preliminary stages right now. But I'm going to have to bow out of explaining this stuff over and over again, especially when it's so much in its infancy and I have infinite piles of TECHNICAL issues to deal with. I really can't handle the politics too at this point, and given the experimental status of the project right now, the politics don't really mean very much. If you have specific questions, feel free to send me mail, but I'm going to avoid spending the time (that I don't have!) to do too many more messages like this one. We may be getting a bit ahead of ourselves. Some of the discussion now would be like a biologist, having successfully cloned a worm, worrying about to which college he'll send his first artificial human for post-graduate work... --Lauren--