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--