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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!cwruecmp!atvax!ncoast!bsa
From: bsa@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery)
Newsgroups: net.news,net.followup
Subject: Re: net overload-- comments and suggestions
Message-ID: <628@ncoast.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 5-Mar-85 20:16:18 EST
Article-I.D.: ncoast.628
Posted: Tue Mar  5 20:16:18 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Mar-85 04:27:43 EST
References: <2404@nsc.UUCP> <3429@alice.UUCP>
Reply-To: bsa@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery)
Organization: North Coast Programming, Cleveland
Lines: 50
Xref: watmath net.news:3245 net.followup:4609
Summary: 

> Article <3429@alice.UUCP>, from jj@alice.UUCP
+----------------
| I have been slowling abandoning the net, but I really don't think
| that the reasons are the ones that Chuq advances.  It's my feeling
| that the SNR (signal to noise ratio) of the net is slowly sinking
| to zero, and the utility is following accordlingly.  
+----------------

Both.  People tend to use newsgroups to do what the 'n' key (and rn's
'kill' functionality) are supposed to do.

+----------------
| .........................................................I think the lack
| of MORE, and better organized newsgroups is the real problem.  Eliminating
| newsgroups will, in the short run, provide even MORE traffic for interested
| people to deal with.   In the long run, it will eliminate new discussions
| and subjects because of precidence.
+----------------

No.  Fewer newsgroups, plus "rn" for KILL files, makes for fewer postings
to multiple newsgroups.  The newsgroup names are chosen to mark out basic
areas.  People in net.hardware who don't want to hear about, say, the 68000,
can put "MC68000" (or 680x0, etc.) in their KILL files.  "rn", being much
much more user friendly than readnews, should replace readnews anyway.

+----------------
| 	1)  There exists no clear, defined, accepted, proposed,
| or even stated purpose for netnews.  There is no overall document
| that explains how it works, why it works, and what it's existance
| depends on.  Make one. (No, I won't volunteer, I'm too controversial,
| and I don't have the time to do it RIGHT, either.)
+----------------

I'm writing one now.  As to whether it'll be useable or not...  (I have
a habit of not saying what I consider to be obvious, but others do not
find so.)

+----------------
| moderate behavior (I almost said moderation. I know better!).
+----------------

I don't know why.  Moderation is also necessary to save this net, unless
these people would rather start running their own subnets in order to
keep their "freedom".  (...and then watch them do 180-degree turns!)

--bsa
-- 
Brandon Allbery, decvax!cwruecmp!ncoast!bsa, ncoast!bsa@case.csnet (etc.)
6504 Chestnut Road Independence, Ohio 44131 +1 216 524 1416 -- CIS 74106,1032
		 -=> Does the Doctor make house calls? <=-