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!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!vortex!lauren From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) Newsgroups: net.followup,net.news Subject: Re: Overload, new material and followup Message-ID: <592@vortex.UUCP> Date: Thu, 7-Mar-85 22:38:26 EST Article-I.D.: vortex.592 Posted: Thu Mar 7 22:38:26 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Mar-85 05:47:10 EST References: <3443@alice.UUCP> Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles Lines: 24 Xref: watmath net.followup:4619 net.news:3261 Raising the consciousness of the network is fine. I think it's a great idea. Tell people what the net is for (if we ever figure that out). Make sure the new users see the "how to use the net" docs. Great! But remember one thing. As the net grows, if only 1% of the users decide to ignore those rules and treat the net the way THEY want to (and we can bet on a lot more than 1%) that "little" percentage, in a growing network, can generate enough traffic to make the rest of the net useless. In fact, ONE PERSON could trivially generate enough traffic to bring the network to its knees from both a time and money standpoint. And remember that there will always be people out there who do such things for FUN, on PURPOSE. What's going to happen the first time that somebody decides it will be fun to post 30 or 40 meg of old netnews to the net again, broken up into lots of different messages and posted via different routes? Granted, people like this are rare. But it only takes one, or a few less "serious" offenders, to screw things up royally. You simply cannot act as if you'll be able to get EVERYONE to cooperate when it takes such a small percentage to cause trouble. It simply isn't realistic to expect 100% -- or even 95%, cooperation in a network with 10's or 100's of 1000's of users. --Lauren--