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From: ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mqcc.mq.OZ (Ian Farquhar)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: What is ".tech"?  (was: Technical subjects?)
Summary: What isn't .tech.
Message-ID: <30@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz>
Date: 11 Dec 89 11:40:15 GMT
References: <89120318304879@masnet.uucp> <19481@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>
Sender: news@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz
Reply-To: ifarqhar@mqccsunc.mq.oz (Ian Farquhar)
Organization: Macquarie University, Sydney
Lines: 51

In article <19481@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> 2FHDDOWEL@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (John A. Thywissen) writes:
>
>Perhaps we need to set more concete guidelines (not directives cast in stone,
>just guidelines) about what is ".tech".  I think most of the people who post
>the "Help, it's broke" messages just don't know the difference.
>
>So: Issue:    >> WHAT IS .TECH? <<       Any thoughts?
>
>Now, there are some people who needlessly cross-post to the world.  In these
>cases, we need to get more defensive of our time and explain to the
>perpetrators how that is unacceptable behavior, and point them to
>news.announce.newusers (Emily Postnews's guide to nettiqute).

I would tend to define .tech as what DOES NOT belong in this newsgroup.
Things that fall into this "exclusion" list are:

   1.  Games.  They do not really belong in comp.sys.amiga either
       but it is in a much worse state than this one.
   2.  "My computer is broken..." problems, UNLESS they indicate
       an interesting technical problem.
   3.  "Where can I buy...", "How much is this...", "Has anybody 
       had any experience with product XYZ...", "Where can I get
       this fixed...", and other such commercial questions.
   4.  "My computer is better than your computer" matches.
   5.  Whinging about CBM.  It never gets any response anyway (am
       I breaking my own rule here?)
   6.  Late orders.
   7.  People trying to contact others.
   8.  Cross posting.  It is a pity that the multitude of differing
       news systems in use about the world does not allow the
       net community to jump on those obnixious cross posters!

I estimate a newsgroup's worth by its S-N ratio.  Comp.sys.amiga.tech is
about 5% (ie. I feel that 1 in 20 articles are worthwhile), and   
comp.sys.amiga is about 1%.  By comparison, Comp.lang.postscript is 20%
and aus.general is 50%.  This makes both amiga newsgroups look rather
doubtful.  If they were not amiga newsgroups they would have been
unsubscribed months ago.

My main fear is that is guidelines are laid down defining EXACTLY what
should go in this newsgroup, it will degenerate into flames about
inappropriate postings, a situation much worse than the problem we are
trying to solve.

Standard Disclaimer:  I have no idea what my employers opinions are,
                      My employers have no idea what my opinions are,
		      We both seem happy by this present arrangement,
		      And thus all opinions must be my own.



D