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From: farren@hoptoad.uucp (Mike Farren)
Newsgroups: news.groups,news.misc,news.stargate,news.sysadmin,news.admin
Subject: Re: the USENET problems (Fidonet)
Message-ID: <2395@hoptoad.uucp>
Date: Sat, 11-Jul-87 03:22:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: hoptoad.2395
Posted: Sat Jul 11 03:22:34 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 12-Jul-87 14:31:44 EDT
References: <266@brandx.rutgers.edu> <15982@gatech.gatech.edu> <1496@ulowell.cs.ulowell.edu> <193@mtuxo.UUCP>
Reply-To: farren@hoptoad.UUCP (Mike Farren)
Organization: Nebula Consultants in San Francisco
Lines: 31
Xref: mnetor news.groups:1224 news.misc:746 news.stargate:249 news.sysadmin:299 news.admin:681

In article <193@mtuxo.UUCP> cas@mtuxo.UUCP (C.STEVENS) writes:
>
>It seems like we might end up trying something like the thing Fidonet did.  They
>are a lot younger and started (?) with a master governing group, the
>International FidoNet Association (IFNA).  I remember there was talk a coupla
>years ago on a Usenet corporation, but it didn't get far.  Maybe it's time to
>rethink! 

Fidonet didn't start with a governing body, but as an anarchical group of
BBS systems which happened to be able to communicate with one another.
IFNA developed much later on.  It is worth noting that Fidonet as a
whole does NOT agree that IFNA is a good thing, and there are certain
arguments around that it was started as a power ploy by certain Fido
sysops who wanted to have the power to determine how Fidonet was
"supposed to be run".  I have my own opinions on the matter (which
probably can be deduced by careful reading of the above) but, more to
the point, isn't this EXACTLY what would happen if a Usenet governing
body were formed?  Given that the bitching goes on for weeks if Spaf
just makes suggestions, let alone wields real decision making power, I
think that we should all think about the repercussions of establishing
a *real* Usenet cabal very carefully indeed.  I don't know if it would
be a good thing or not, but I do know that the decision would cause at
the very least an uproar like we've not seen yet (renaming not
withstanding).


-- 
----------------
                 "... if the church put in half the time on covetousness
Mike Farren      that it does on lust, this would be a better world ..."
hoptoad!farren       Garrison Keillor, "Lake Wobegon Days"