Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wyse!vsi1!ames!mailrus!cwjcc!hal!ncoast!allbery
From: allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon S. Allbery)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: How can a moderator take a vacation? (Re: comp.sources.unix)
Message-ID: <13191@ncoast.UUCP>
Date: 29 Nov 88 01:16:15 GMT
References: <184@twwells.uucp> <7681@well.UUCP> <200@twwells.uucp> <1326@mtunb.ATT.COM> <32608@bbn.COM>
Reply-To: allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon S. Allbery)
Followup-To: comp.sources.d
Organization: Cleveland Public Access UN*X, Cleveland, Oh
Lines: 69

As quoted from <32608@bbn.COM> by cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell):
+---------------
| In article <1326@mtunb.ATT.COM> dmt@mtunb.UUCP (Dave Tutelman) writes:
| }We need to evaluate
| }the relative cost of short UNMODERATED periods of an otherwise
| }moderated group.
| 
| }ADVANTAGES:
| }   -	Programs would be posted shortly after their announcement in
| }	related groups.  (I've announced programs in, say, rec.bicycles
| }	or comp.sys.ibm.pc, and had to deal with mail for
| }	a week or two asking why the reader hadn't seen it yet.)
| 
| But you have to deal with this delay even if the moderator is around 
| --- the reality is that there is always a variable, generally unpredicatble
| by the poster, delay.  When you submit the
| program you ought to ask the moderator to give you an estimated time of
| publication.  Then delay your public announcement until the sources-date
| comes close.
+---------------

As mentioned in the Welcome! posting (due out again in a few days), if you
send me the public accouncement I'll send it out at the same time as the
posting.  (Of course, the fact that ncoast's news admin insists on blocking
our receipt of certain newsgroups via rmgroup makes this difficult at
times.  One reason why I'm trying to move to UUNET.)

+---------------
| }DISADVANTAGES:
| }   -	(Perhaps biggest problem) Programs would probably be posted
| }	whose format is in conflict with what's expected by
| }	somebody's archiving software.  (Is this fear real?)
| 
| Sure is.  Most sources groups these days sequentially number their postings,
| collect them into "volumes", index the volumes and have various places that
| provide archiving services.  Not to mention that it becomes possible to tell
| if something gets bagged enroute (you get #35 and then #37 and you have a
| clue that something's gone wrong).
+---------------

It will be remembered that comp.sources.misc underwent a "catastrophic"
change of format in order to work with automated archivers.  It may *not* be
well known that I've had to tweak the format twice since then to make it
work with some archivers.  Did you think we did this for kicks?

+---------------
| }   -	(Unlikely paranoia) Unprincipled posters will take the opportunity
| }	to post a trojan horse or virus.  (Only matters in those groups
| }	where the moderator does extensive testing.  Do such groups
| }	exist?)
| 
| I think so... I'm quite sure that the moderators check that the program
| compiles (at least on the moderator's system), that it unshars properly, has
| a makefile, etc.
+---------------

Most do.  I don't, originally because it was preferred that I get stuff out
*fast* with minimal moderation baggage, and now because ncoast just plain
won't {compile|run} most of the submissions I get.  (And those that *do* run
have problems on systems *other* than ncoast.  Witness pwgen.  Sigh.)  Yet
another reson for the move.

++Brandon
-- 
Brandon S. Allbery, comp.sources.misc moderator and one admin of ncoast PA UN*X
uunet!hal.cwru.edu!ncoast!allbery  	    ncoast!allbery@hal.cwru.edu
allberyb@skybridge.sdi.cwru.edu	      		   allbery@uunet.uu.net
comp.sources.misc is moving off ncoast -- please do NOT send submissions direct
      Send comp.sources.misc submissions to comp-sources-misc@.