Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ncar!oddjob!kaon!nucsrl!gore From: gore@eecs.nwu.edu (Jacob Gore) Newsgroups: news.admin Subject: Re: Braindamaged test messages clogging the net Message-ID: <3720007@eecs.nwu.edu> Date: 11 May 88 23:00:12 GMT References: <22716@pyramid.pyramid.com> Organization: Northwestern U, Evanston IL, USA Lines: 21 I think this thing belongs in the list of accidental "computer" screwups that may even be considered amusing (if one's in the right state of mind and isn't beaten up by them too badly; we've seen 3 copies of that monster at this site, and are expecting 2 more...). Kind of like those two vacation programs that formed a positive feedback loop. I'll be very surprised if it turns out that that stupid posting was made just to cause problems. We shouldn't assume malice where plain ignorance (or, sometimes, stupidity) will do. So, rather than go tar and feather the posters, how about just doing whatever damage control we can, fixing up whatever reflector scripts we have to avoid such problems in the future, and explaining to the nuts that posted it to: 1. avoid such costly jokes if they can, and if not: 2.a. post them to humor groups only, 2.b. edit away the headers, 2.c. limit the distribution to the smallest region that their egos (or software) will permit? Jacob Gore Gore@EECS.NWU.Edu Northwestern Univ., EECS Dept. {oddjob,gargoyle,ihnp4}!nucsrl!gore