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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!sun-barr!cs.utexas.edu!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!srcsip!tcnet!nis!sialis!rjg
From: rjg@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin)
Newsgroups: unix-pc.general,comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Too much cross-posting?
Message-ID: <1677@sialis.mn.org>
Date: 19 Jul 89 01:05:51 GMT
References: <674@whizz.uucp> <159@zorch.UU.NET> <696@whizz.uucp> <490@manta.pha.pa.us>
Reply-To: rjg@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin)
Followup-To: unix-pc.general
Organization: Dr. Ho Laboratory and Day Care Center
Lines: 48

>                            And I really do think it arrogant to expect
>that 10,000+ sites, most with little or no interest in unix-pc's, should
>spend THEIR money, time, and effort supporting OUR habits.

A strange concept that I seem to agree with just about everyone.  :-)
Unfortunately, this statement, while correct and reasonable, can open
up a can of worms, since there are already a plethora of groups that
are carried by masses of machines (and people) that they have no
interest in.  rec.backcountry, rec.arts.wobegon, comp.sys.apollo,
comp.org.fidonet... ad infinitum.  These are all "mainstream"
newsgroups that don't cater to a mass appeal.

Are these groups useful?  Sure.  Do they (and the people using them)
benefit from mainstream distribution?  Sure again.  While the
readership in those groups may or may not be larger than the unix-pc
community, they are a small sample of very specialized groups.

comp.sys.att is and is not, at the same time, an appropriate place for
unix-pc discussions.  The 3b1/7300 is an AT&T product.  AT&T does
support the machine in a fashion, and does provide peripherals (sorta :-) 
However, unix-pc.all does not get normal distribution.  The unix-pc 
volume is actually large enough to detriment comp.sys.att and therefore
qualifies for it's "own space", which it has, which is not readily
available to everyone.  Since it already has it's space, there's no
real interest in altering, moving or better supporting it.  Sortof a 
Usenet Catch-22.

In _most_ cases, a few calls to the right people will solve the
problem on the feed angle, but you need to either know the right
people, or even know the admin of your machine.  It will not be
possible in all cases to get that feed, either from unavailable
sources, unknown sources, or uncaring or unsympathetic admins, either
at your own machine or a machine up the line.

Solutions have been proposed, some better than others, and deserve
attention.  Am I right in assuming that the real options have
basically fallen into three options?

	1/ Ignore the whole issue (again)
	2/ Get "backbone" (mainstream) distribution for unix-pc.all
	3/ Create a mainstream group, such as comp.sys.att.unixpc
	   and dump the unix-pc heirarchy

-- 
________Robert J. Granvin________        INTERNET: rjg@sialis.mn.org
____National Computer Systems____          BITNET: rjg%sialis.mn.org@cs.umn.edu
__National Information Services__            UUCP: ...amdahl!bungia!sialis!rjg
 "Scotty!  I've gotta have motor functions in three minutes or we're all dead!"