Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!uunet!bionet!kristoff
From: kristoff@genbank.BIO.NET (David Kristofferson)
Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.genome-program
Subject: Re: JITF information on Bionet
Message-ID: <Mar.14.22.45.46.1990.16853@genbank.BIO.NET>
Date: 15 Mar 90 06:45:46 GMT
References: <9003141547.AA06600@apldbio.com>
Organization: GenBank Online Service
Lines: 59

Leslie,

	While I pointed out the advantages of USENET software in an
earlier posting I do not deny that it is yet another piece of software
to learn.  However, if one only learns how to use a mail program (of
which there are many that are pretty simple to use), one can
participate in the BIOSCI newsgroups simply by sending in one's
address to get on our distribution list and by mailing one's postings
to the newsgroup.  This generally does not entail much more than
knowing how to start the mail program, how to read a message, how to
type in "send" followed by the newsgroup address, and then compose
one's message.  I think that virtually all biologists can handle this,
and those who can't probably wouldn't be interested in an informatics
discussion anyway.  Reading the postings through USENET, however, does
involve learning yet another program besides mail.

	Regarding the ease of use of the news software, that can vary
from site to site.  For the GenBank On-line Service (GOS) system, we
emphasize vnews but also provide rn and readnews.  The GOS user manual
is designed to walk a user through vnews.  I agree that the interface
needs improvement, but I also believe that it can be learned by anyone
who is willing to invest about half an hour to read through the
chapter in our manual and try things out on GOS.  If your systems
staff simply puts up a piece of software on your computer and then
merely says," Here it is ... good luck, sucker!" then I would get
after them to do their job!  

I find it curious that after teaching probably a dozen people how to
use an electronic microscope during my lab days, the same group might
approach something like vnews with greater hesitation even though
proper operation of the microscope was much more involved.  There was
always an initial suspicion about the use of electronic mail on behalf
of users who were new to the BIONET Resource (R.I.P.), but I knew many
who, after they actually tried it, found out that it really wasn't as
hard as they had feared after all.  Too many people still recall
struggling with computers for hours at some point in the past to
accomplish a job which they could have done manually in minutes.  This
memory prevents too many from wanting to get involved again.
Fortunately things have changed dramatically since the days of punch
cards!

Nonetheless I think that it would be a very worthwhile project as part
of the Genome Project for NIH/DOE to help fund the development of a
public domain newsreader that was as simple to use as it is to fall
off a log.  This could greatly facilitate communications between the
various Centers that are planned.  So far I have not had much luck in
getting anyone at NIH excited about this yet, probably because it is
not exclusively a biology problem.  Doug Brutlag at Stanford told me
just the other day that there now is a version of USENET news software
which runs on a Mac, but I haven't seen it yet and so cannot comment
on its ease of use. (Doug, care to join in?)  If it is a class job,
maybe this need has been or is about to be filled.
-- 
				Sincerely,

				Dave Kristofferson
				GenBank On-line Service Manager

				kristoff@genbank.bio.net