Path: utzoo!lsuc!ncrcan!ontenv!soley
From: soley@ontenv.UUCP (Norman S. Soley)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Map updates in news.config
Message-ID: <676@ontenv.UUCP>
Date: 12 Aug 88 12:44:34 GMT
References: <670@ontenv.UUCP> <278@execu.UUCP>
Organization: Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto
Lines: 65


Well I guess I put my foot in something. I've been roundly flamed for
my posting on map updates in news.config. These have fallen
essentially 3 catagories:
	
Texans - 	 by far the overwhelming majority of flames have come
		 from Texans upset about the "I don't know what it is
		 about Texans" remark I made. It was an attempt to be
		 a flippant and joshing reference to the fact that
		 most of the most obvious "offenders" are Texas based
		 sites and Yes I should have had a :-) in there. 
		 To those who calmly pointed out that this
		 was unecessary and bigotted I apologize, you're
		 right. To those who responded with similar counter
		 attacks on Canadians ... 

"what business do you have telling me or anyone else what to do" flames. 
		I made no attempt to tell anyone what to do. I, as a 
		member of a community (USENET), raised my concern over 
		something that I view as a problem, to that community,
		for the community to discuss. 

Defence (rational and otherwise) of map updates in news.config.
		Many presented interesting views and perceptions and
		so far they're about 50/50 divided between agreeing
		and disagreeing with me. The dissenting staements
		basically boil down to:

		"You may not be interested in timely information but I
		am, the maps don't provide that" 
		
		I am interested in timely information provided
		it is accurate and presented in a useable form as
		efficiently as is reasonable. But these posings simply
		do not serve that aim. 

		In my own defence an couple examples:

		When killer went off the net a while ago there was a
		flurry of activity when all these sites posted their
		map entries with killer marked (DEAD) then when it
		came back another round of postings. It would have
		been much easier to post a "killer is dead please do a
		-d killer on your next pathalias run"

		When new sites pop up they post an entry in
		news.newsites, good, this is useful information, in
		the right place. The way Pathalias works it is not
		necessary for feed sites to post a new entry right
		away, valid paths will get generated.

		I've seen a number of these things posted twice
		because there was a spelling or typing mistake the
		first time. One of them today.

		It's a rare month that I don't receive some interm map
		updates for some areas. Texas's map co-ordinator in
		particular publishes map updates quite frequently. I've
		been pleased with the job these under-appreciated
		volunteers do. 
-- 
Norman Soley - Data Communications Analyst - Ontario Ministry of the Environment
UUCP:	utgpu!ontmoh!------------\              VOICE:	+1 416 323 2623
	{attcan,utzoo}!lsuc!ncrcan!ontenv!norm	
             "witty saying not available due to writers strike"