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From: brucec@demiurge.WV.TEK.COM (Bruce Cohen;685-2439;61-028)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: CALL FOR DISCUSSION:  SCI.VIRTUAL-WORLDS
Keywords: cyberspace, virtual reality
Message-ID: <5443@orca.WV.TEK.COM>
Date: 22 Nov 89 20:38:58 GMT
References: <14547-repost@well.UUCP> <1989Nov16.161429.12549@talos.uucp> <1988@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu> <14070@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <3057@com50.C2S.MN.ORG>
Sender: nobody@orca.WV.TEK.COM
Reply-To: brucec@demiurge.WV.TEK.COM (Bruce Cohen)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville, OR
Lines: 34

I think that erik josowit, zuniversity of texas school of architecture
captured my own opinion best:
>>  THE GROUP NEEDS TO BE CREATED,
>>  WHAT IS REQUIRED IS A NAME THAT WILL BE MOST INVITING
>>  TO ANYONE WHO HAS EVEN THE SLIGHTEST INKLING THAT
>>  WHAT THEY DO MIGHT RELATE.

I build user interfaces for a living, most of them graphical and
window-based. so I read comp.graphics and most of the other groups
mentioned in this discussion.  So far, I haven't seen any evidence in those
newsgroups of the the kinds of discussion the proposers of
sci.virtual-worlds want.

The proposed newsgroup would be interesting and useful to me under any
name, so I can't get very excited about what to call it.  I'd like to point
out in defense of making it a "sci" newsgroup (aside from the fact that we
won't have to go through the proposal/discussion/vote cycle again, so the
newsgriup can start that much sooner), that sci.nanotech has attempted to
attain a similar (perhaps a little narrower) scope, and, at least from my
perspective, succeeded nicely.   The same example speaks well for
moderating the newsgroup: JoSH has done a good job of balancing freedom of
expression versus keeping the newsgroup clear of contentious political and
religious argumentation.

So I would vote for the proposal as it stands.  If the consensus is that
the name is wrong, then let's agree on another one, but let's not kill off
the idea of the group because we can't decide on a name.

"Small men in padded bras don't look the same falling from high places."
	- R.A. MacAvoy, "The Third Eagle"
Bruce Cohen
brucec@orca.wv.tek.com
Interactive Technologies Division, Tektronix, Inc.
M/S 61-028, P.O. Box 1000, Wilsonville, OR  97070