Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!uwvax!vanvleck!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!ucbvax!decwrl!hplabs!pyramid!octopus!pete
From: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: IDEA: reader-initiated sendme protocol
Message-ID: <280@octopus.UUCP>
Date: 4 Jul 88 15:05:13 GMT
References: <270@octopus.UUCP> <9823@g.ms.uky.edu>
Reply-To: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann)
Organization: Octopus Enterprises, Cupertino CA
Lines: 28

In article <9823@g.ms.uky.edu> david@ms.uky.edu (David Herron) writes:
>... As I see it though, that phrase
>about "would then be forwarded towards the nearest archive site"
>is the sticking point that nobody short of peter honeyman could
>solve.

Well, to begin with, I'd just use normal maps to fire the request in
the direction of *some* archive server. Maybe let the user pick which one
from the list, maybe have the SA be able to modify a list similar to the
moderators file.

Since the request would be filled by the first news-running machine that
has already either received the package in question, or [a blue-sky
extra feature?] already has the same request outstanding for somebody else,
the worst case scenario is that a bunch of requests would cause the net to 
become quickly flooded with a popular software package... which is exactly
what happens right now for ALL postings.

The only thing lost is that less-popular things would not be transmitted
along the most efficient or most desireable route. I think this tweak
[and admittedly a pain to solve, as David points out] can be added later.

Pete
-- 
  OOO   __| ___      Peter Holzmann, Octopus Enterprises
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