Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!octopus!pete From: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann) Newsgroups: news.admin Subject: A counter-example for those who would eliminate PC binaries Message-ID: <264@octopus.UUCP> Date: 29 Jun 88 16:28:54 GMT Reply-To: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann) Organization: Octopus Enterprises, Cupertino CA Lines: 54 I find it interesting that there has been much talk about the need for ridding the net of the evil PC binaries. Yet, something much less useful is happening right now, and I haven't seen a peep of complaint! Consider: PC binaries are useful to many on the net. Probably a majority of net-users, if the readership stats are at all accurate. Consider: The source code for the Mahjongg tiles. 1) This is pretty useless if you don't have a Sun [sure, it could be ported... but somebody who wants to port it could just grab it from an archive. I doubt that more than .01% of net-readers will want it for its source-code portability feature :-)!] 2) This posting is HUGE 3) This posting would be much more efficient if done as a binary with accompanying format information. Since it isn't even executable, there's no fear of viral infection! 4) This posting is occuring in a moderated group. Here we had tremendous flames over the GIF files that got posted to the net, and now we have a single posting that far exceeds all the GIF files ever posted. And not a peep. We had tremendous flames over the volume in unmoderated PC binary groups. Now we have a single posting that is bigger than any PC binary ever posted [I think]. And not a peep. We've seen rantings and ravings about how the net is for the Unix users of the world; PC programmers are third-class citizens. Now we have a gigantic game posting basically dedicated to the users of a single brand of Unix computer. Yet not a peep is heard in complaint. I'm not complaining about the posting, mind you. But I think that those who have been vocal about PC's, and about binaries, ought to put their feet in a different pair of sandals and rethink the issues. Or at least the consistency of their statements. Personally, I think that quality, useful postings of all kinds should have a place on the net. If the existing distribution scheme can't handle the volume as the net grows, let's solve that problem. But not by disenfranchising whole classes of net-people. There *are* better solutions possible. I've discussed some in other articles. I'd like to see more moderation, and regionalization of the net, for example. But, if we're going to take the easy way out and simply ban X, we've got to be consistent and ban ALL 'X', even the brand that affects us personally. If rec.* goes, so do the sci-fi groups, Chuq. If programs for PC's go, so should those for Suns. If the net must be turned into a technical-information- only network, so be it. I don't think that's necessary, or desireable. But whatever we do, let's be consistent! Pete -- OOO __| ___ Peter Holzmann, Octopus Enterprises OOOOOOO___/ _______ USPS: 19611 La Mar Court, Cupertino, CA 95014 OOOOO \___/ UUCP: {hpda,pyramid}!octopus!pete ___| \_____ Phone: 408/996-7746