Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!wuarchive!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!SHAMASH.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU!mouse
From: mouse@SHAMASH.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU (der Mouse)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re:  splitting up comp.windows.x
Message-ID: <9008210038.AA02928@shamash.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Date: 21 Aug 90 00:38:38 GMT
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 40

>> ...  So the alternatives are few:
[edited]
>>	1) what we have now
>>	3) many newsgroups, one of them gatewayed with xpert

>> The third is not good; netnews will see many articles in
>> inappropriate groups, creating much flamage of innocent posters to
>> xpert, and the non-gatewayed groups will probably die out for lack
>> of postings - and then we're right back where we started.

> Why would the news side see many inappropriate postings?

Because xpert types will send articles on all subjects to xpert, where
they will get gatewayed into the froup corresponding to xpert.  Then
someone who knows nothing of the existence of xpert will start flaming
about "get this out of here and over in comp.windows.x.motif.questions
where it obviously belongs" and tempers will rise....

> Why would non-gatewayed groups have insufficient traffic?  (Look at
> the percentage of xpert traffic that comes from the comp.windows.x
> side.  Last time I checked, xpert was roughly 80% news/20% mail.)

Okay, they likely wouldn't then.  I had no statistics and was taking a
guess.  The reason I guessed as I did is the apparent-to-me likelihood
that as xpert-side posters contribute to discussions, they will have
the effect of moving traffic on all topics into the xpert-gatewayed
froup.  Perforce, many of the netnews posters will follow, and it
becomes a self-reinforcing exodus towards the gatewayed froup.

> I think the best split would be to break out the X programming topics
> into comp.windows.x.programmer (a new mailing list), and rename
> comp.windows.x to comp.windows.x.misc (xpert).

If you can find a volunteer somewhere to run xprogrammers, go for it.
I certainly can't see that we have anything to lose by trying it.

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu