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From: emv@math.lsa.umich.edu (Edward Vielmetti)
Newsgroups: news.groups,comp.misc
Subject: top 10 needed new comp or sci newsgroups
Message-ID: <EMV.90Mar20161937@duby.math.lsa.umich.edu>
Date: 20 Mar 90 21:19:37 GMT
Sender: news@math.lsa.umich.edu
Organization: University of Michigan Math Dept., Ann Arbor MI.
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This is my assessment of the top 10 newsgroups that don't exist
yet and which should.  This is not a call for votes. These
are in the order I typed them which is not necessarily the
order they should be created.

1.  "novell" -- move bit.listserv.novell into the comp hierarchy.
	        naming is perhaps tricky; I suspect that
		"comp.sys.novell" or "comp.dcom.sys.novell" might work
		out best.  this could be done NOW if the bitnet
		gateway were to x-post stuff, though it would be a
		"moderated" group.  there is an existing archive site
		already, this one *should* be easy to do under the
		"inet" rules.

2.  "fractal" - mainstream sci or comp group for fractals.  probably
		"sci.math.fractals" or "comp.graphics.fractals", the
		name is probably half the battle.  Get to this one
		quick before someone goes and creates an alt group.

3.  "SGML" ---- to discuss the Standard General Markup Language, an
		ISO standard.  Discussed occasionally now in comp.text
		and comp.text.tex, I have a personal interest in
		getting this one going because of some work I'm doing
		in after-the-fact markup of netnews articles.
		probably "comp.text.sgml".

4.  "xannounce" for announcements from the X Consortium.  Pretty close
		to done, it'll come in under the "inet" rules as
		"comp.windows.x.xannounce".  Gatewaying is all that's
		needed.

5.  "xview" --- Split off the first of the widget-groups from
		comp.windows.x, this one for the XView toolkit.
		There's an archive server already, & xview talk has
		taken a lot of volume in xpert of late.
		"comp.windows.x.xview".

6.  "ibm risc" For the new IBM RISC system, the rs/6000.  problem here
		is mostly with the names; it's not clear 	 how
		IBM is going to market this box when it eventually
		comes to market, since "RS" is Oz for "Rat Shit".
		(Not smart....)  Suggest a quick alt group, to be
		removed when the real thing hits the shelves.

7.  "bibliography" A central clearinghouse for bibliographic software,
		collections, converting on-line catalogs to bib
		records.  Key words might be "bib", "refer", "tib",
		etc.  Handled right now in a mediocre fashion by a few
		bit groups, but really quite scattered; there's also
		primitive or well-developed bibliographic work going
		on in a number of comp groups.  Name to be determined,
		though "comp.bibliography" or "comp.text.bibliography"
		might work.  (Almost all that's needed for this one is
		eugene@eos to read it.)  To focus on the technology
		or the contents is a fair question.

8.  "fax" ----- move the fax group, alt.fax, into comp.  hard to
		name it here, I'd go for "comp.fax" (too easy) or
		"comp.dcom.fax".  already there's an archive,
		readership is decent, but it might be nice to move
		it into the mainstream.

9.  tcp-ip products  comp.protocols.tcp-ip is way too heavy to read,
		and there's periodic spats about "commercial content".
		slice off a piece of it where vendor comments and
		product talk is specifically encouraged, and
		leave the main group to its original charter.
		needs a name, tentative "comp.protocols.tcp-ip.products".

10. elisp ----- a fair amount of emacs lisp gets slung around
		gnu.emacs / comp.emacs, but there's also how-to
		chatter there.  suggest a moderated group to collect
		this stuff & handle coordination, archiving.
		"comp.sources.elisp" or "gnu.emacs.lisp" or something,
		the name isn't clear.  probably within the charter
		of the GNU project and not a fun task.

Comments welcomed.

-- 

--Ed

Edward Vielmetti, U of Michigan math dept.
emv@math.lsa.umich.edu