Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site jhunix.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!umcp-cs!aplcen!jhunix!ecf_awjb
From: ecf_awjb@jhunix.UUCP (William J. Bogstad)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: Re: Fear and Loathing on the Clouds
Message-ID: <1139@jhunix.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 9-Nov-85 19:58:00 EST
Article-I.D.: jhunix.1139
Posted: Sat Nov  9 19:58:00 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 11-Nov-85 05:41:25 EST
References: <1094@trwrdc.UUCP> <1138@jhunix.UUCP>
Reply-To: ecf_awjb@jhunix.UUCP (William J. Bogstad)
Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ. Computing Ctr.
Lines: 47
Summary: Some non-flames on what people don't have to do

[I added net.news.group back to the newgroups line.  I don't consider
 this to be a flame.]

In article <1138@jhunix.UUCP> ins_aaaw@jhunix.UUCP (Adlai A. Waksman) writes:

>>> Hold it right there.  SDC volunteered their site as a backbone because we
>>> thought USENET was a good thing.  We have given our time, money and
>>> equipment...

>> If you completely ignore the needs of other sites then you won't be a backbone
>> much longer.  This is hardly a solution.  Sensitivity to other people's needs
>> is a first step to discovering a solution, not this isolationist "well we
>> pay the bills so we can do as we damned well please."

>IF you volunteer your site as a backbone site (or as *any* link on
>Usenet that other sites rely on), you ARE obligated to relay
>EVERYTHING.
>
>(Of course, you may not wish to waste your time and money on Usenet.
>In that case, don't offer your site as a link AT ALL.)
>-- 
>Adlai Waksman

	I think that the problem here is that people are assuming that
if you receive any news you must receive everything, and must be willing
to let others "feed at the trough".  When a site joins USENET they do
not sign anything, and in fact do not have to advertise the fact that
they exist.  The only thing required is obtaining the right software and
finding a machine willing to let you receive news from them.  I think
that any site that does serve as someones feed should make it clear what
they do and do not intend to receive.  If you are looking for a feed and
don't like their list you can go elsewhere.  It is very possible to use
more than one feed in order to get the groups that you want.

	I will agree too some extent that the backbone sites should try
to arrange ways to deal with their overload.  I would be surprised, however,
if they haven't already tried to do so.  One easy way to do so, would be to
just silently refuse to accept messages in the "unacceptable" groups.  Would
you prefer that they did so without letting you know about it?

					Bill Bogstad
					bogstad@hopkins.arpa
					umcp-cs!aplvax!aplcen!jhunix!ecf_awjb

P.S.  I may be biased about this.  I once served as an administrator
	for a machine that received USENET.  We finally had to quit since
	it took too much of our time and disk space.