Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site bu-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!bu-cs!hen From: hen@bu-cs.UUCP (Bill Henneman) Newsgroups: net.news.group,net.micro.mac Subject: Re: impending newsgroup cuts Message-ID: <748@bu-cs.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Nov-85 10:00:58 EST Article-I.D.: bu-cs.748 Posted: Tue Nov 5 10:00:58 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 7-Nov-85 05:15:04 EST Organization: Boston Univ Comp. Sci. Lines: 24 Xref: watmath net.news.group:4313 net.micro.mac:3298 This is probably going to cause incredible flame traffic, but what the heck. I would like to see net.xxx.sources stay around, but would like to propose that the word *sources* be interpreted in the computer science sense (i.e., stuff that goes into a compiler or assembler), not the more general common usage: ASCII text only, no binaries. This would have three side-effects: 1) the much-discussed concern over abuse of the net by for-profit shareware posters vanishes; 2) the amount of traffic to the newsgroup declines; 3) the potential for malignant trojan horse practical jokes vanishes (it hasn't been a problem here, but it has happened on some BBSs). This is a compromise solution, and it comes at some cost to the readers of the net. Nonetheless, I feel that the restricted sources group would be of value, and certainly of greater value than having the group vanish altogether. Bill Henneman Computer Research Center Boston University