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From: wcs@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (Bill Stewart 201-949-0705 ho95c.att.com!wcs)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: Just what does ``Distribution'' mean?
Message-ID: <6484@cbnewsh.ATT.COM>
Date: 11 Dec 89 03:44:56 GMT
References: <1989Dec4.135800.5764@axion.bt.co.uk>
Reply-To: wcs@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (Bill Stewart 201-949-0705 ho95c.att.com!wcs)
Organization: News Busters
Lines: 25

In article <1989Dec4.135800.5764@axion.bt.co.uk> nkings@zeus.axion.bt.co.uk (Nick Kings) writes:
> Is there a definative list of of valid distribution areas?

No.  Any site can create a Distribution: for themselves or in conjunction
with other sites, so there can be no definitive list. Some popular
ones include:
	world		-
	alt		- alternative distribution for newgroups
			  not controlled by backbone cabal*
	local		- most sites have one
	your-country	- usa, can, ...
	na 		- North America, but may really mean USA + Canada
	your-region	- nj = New Jersey (also New York City)
	your-city	- ba = San Francisco Bay Area  chi=Chicago
	company		- att, bbn
	unix-pc		- owners of an ancient machine once sold by AT&T.

To find out what distributions your machine has, look in the news
administration directory (typically /usr/lib/news) at the files 
"sys" and "distributions" and whatever NNTP uses if you use it.
Or ask your administrator.
-- 
# Bill Stewart, AT&T Bell Labs 4M312 Holmdel NJ 201-949-0705 api.att.com!wcs

#		We did it for the formlessness ...