Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site spice.cs.cmu.edu Path: utzoo!decvax!bellcore!petrus!scherzo!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!spice.cs.cmu.edu!tdn From: tdn@spice.cs.cmu.edu (Thomas Newton) Newsgroups: net.news.config,net.news.group,net.micro.mac,net.sources.mac Subject: Re: impending newsgroup cuts Message-ID: <472@spice.cs.cmu.edu> Date: Mon, 28-Oct-85 00:32:38 EST Article-I.D.: spice.472 Posted: Mon Oct 28 00:32:38 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 28-Oct-85 23:38:44 EST Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI Lines: 44 Xref: think net.news.config:472 net.news.group:2454 net.micro.mac:3322 net.sources.mac:694Phil Ngai writes: >In article <6081@utzoo.UUCP> henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes: >>I am starting to feel really hostile towards net.sources.mac, especially >>since it's now #1 in volume... > >I would second that. The shareware postings are of course irritating >but even the non-commercial stuff bothers me. The way I see it, >there's a small group of mac users who have discovered this "free" way >of distributing software, namely USENET. It reminds me of the >proposals to form net.peace on the basis that USENET was a good way >for them to keep in touch. The common problem that I have with this is >that both these interests have nothing to do with the nature of the >network or its intended use, namely to support unix users. If the >volume were low net.sources.mac would be much more acceptable than >net.peace as there would be little question of liability. But the >volume is very high, the utility is very low, and I would love to get >rid of it. > >Anyone else agree? No -- I don't agree. Shareware postings by people who stand to gain from them financially (the author(s) of the program or even its user(s) in the case of a "you get $X from registrations of copies with your serial number"-type deal) shouldn't be allowed. But leave the rest of net.sources.mac alone!!! If your criterion for eliminating a group is that it doesn't directly 'support unix users' but that it has a high volume, you can start by getting rid of the mega-flamage nets such as net.flame, net.politics, and net.religion. None of them has anywhere near the utility of net.sources.mac. For that matter, you can probably also get rid of various non-unix newsgroups such as net.micro.pc, net.auto, net.cooks, and net.consumers while you're at it. Since there won't be any need for anything other than net.sources.* and net.unix.*, you'll have no reason not to go ahead and delete net.news.group. Now there's an idea!! Delete net.news.group. All the discussions could be held in net.bizarre (which seems like a much more appropriate place :-). -- Thomas Newton Thomas.Newton@spice.cs.cmu.edu