Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!algor2.algorists.com!jeffrey
From: jeffrey@algor2.algorists.com (Jeffrey Kegler)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: New newsgroup hierarchy
Message-ID: <1989Nov19.135343.24564@algor2.algorists.com>
Date: 19 Nov 89 13:53:43 GMT
References: <1618.25614348@mccall.uucp> <1989Nov16.172110.21492@utzoo.uucp> <91457@pyramid.pyramid.com> <1640@crdos1.crd.ge.COM>
Reply-To: jeffrey@algor2.ALGORISTS.COM (Jeffrey Kegler)
Organization: Algorists, Inc.
Lines: 38

In article <1640@crdos1.crd.ge.COM> davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes:

>If UNIX (run by most of the sites on the net) and MS-DOS (important
>either personally or financially at most sites on the net) don't get
>their own distribution, why should vms?

>There are lots of distributions now, such as alt, which are
>organizational rather than geographic.  ...  I assume your desire for
>your own namespace comes from a bad source of technical information
>rather than an assumption that vms is more important than the other
>operating systems on the net.

I think the question is not one of IMPORTANCE so much as DISJOINTNESS
of interest.  A fair number of sites would be primarily interested in
vmsnet, and a fair number (mine, for example) would be glad of the
opportunity to conveniently ignore vmsnet.  With DOS and UNIX there is
a fair amount of overlap.

When I first got onto USENET, it was a sign of poor citizenship or
censorship or some such not to carry *everything*.  The fact that the
USENET medium is expanding beyond its audience is encouraging.  Soon
noone except a few "backbone" sites will carry everything.

If you feel you have an interest group somewhat disjoint from the core
of USENET, asking for you own hierarchy is a courtesy, not an
indication of inflated self-importance.

The day will soon come when those of us in the "core" USENET
hierarchies (comp.all, sci.all, etc.) will be in the minority among
users of this medium.  We do not have authority (or any motive) to
limit its use.  For now we act as a "name server" for top level
hierarchies, but the time will come when some formal arrangement need
be made to prevent name conflicts.
-- 

Jeffrey Kegler, Independent UNIX Consultant, Algorists, Inc.
jeffrey@algor2.ALGORISTS.COM or uunet!algor2!jeffrey
1762 Wainwright DR, Reston VA 22090