Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!iuvax!watmath!xenitec!edhew
From: edhew@xenitec.on.ca (Ed Hew)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: Results of sci.aquaria vote
Message-ID: <1989Nov24.080920.25712@xenitec.on.ca>
Date: 24 Nov 89 08:09:20 GMT
References: <10397@encore.Encore.COM> <41800010@inmet>
Reply-To: edhew@xenitec.UUCP (Ed Hew)
Followup-To: news.groups
Distribution: news
Organization: XeniTec Consulting Services, Kitchener, ON, Canada
Lines: 36

In article <41800010@inmet> justin@inmet.inmet.com writes:
>A lot of people seem to be missing a major point. You're so wrapped up in
>asking who should or shouldn't be enfranchised in the voting process, that
>you've almost entirely forgotten the *purpose* of that process: to assess
>interest in a group. In general, a sysadmin has only the vaguest idea of
>what his or her users are actually going to read, so it seems rather 
>difficult for him or her to make a fair vote.
>
>In other words, I'm not calling an "only-sysadmins-vote" system unfair. I'm
>saying that it is totally, utterly, and completely *pointless*...

How would my "sysadmin vote" be "pointless" considering that I would
have solicited the opinions of my users (being a generous sort of person
who values the opinions of the intelligent individuals I allow to have
access to my system)?  Certainly, in the final analysis, I'm sure that
I weigh my opinion more heavily than that of junior users I just created
accounts for.  Those that participate and contribute currently have
respected comments evaluated, as opposed to ignored.  I doubt that *my*
users would disagree.  It is precisely the "interest" factor that I do
gauge, within the established hierarchy that we appear to have agreed to.

Yes, I indeed will maintain the right to make the final decision on
*my* system (I personally paid for it, the modems, the phone lines, the
multi-serial card, the larger drives....., the taxes), but I have not yet
reached the point where my mind is so made up that I don't wish to be
confused with facts.

Are conditions so different throughout USENET that the situation here
is out in left field in comparison WRT news?  Yes, there is value to
having "users", but simply consider how many users you'd have without
someone to pay for and maintain "the system".

>					-- Justin du Coeur

  Ed. A. Hew, SCO Authorized Technical Trainer, XeniTec Consulting Services
  edhew@xenitec.on.ca	       -or-	   ..!{uunet!}watmath!xenitec!edhew