Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!cmcl2!shemesh!ittai From: ittai@shemesh.GBA.NYU.EDU (Ittai Hershman) Newsgroups: comp.ivideodisc Subject: Re: Call for discussion: comp.multimedia Message-ID: <7693@shemesh.GBA.NYU.EDU> Date: 4 Dec 90 18:48:41 GMT References: <4011@mindlink.UUCP> <224@tivoli.UUCP> Organization: NYU Stern School of Business Lines: 54 Follow-Up: /dev/null > I still have to object strongly to comp.multimedia. Multimedia is almost > useless as a descriptive word. I went to a multimedia art show recently, > that featured art, for example, of papier-mache, gouache, and acrylic. I > have attended multimedia lectures with three slide projectors and a > tape player. I have seen a multimedia tutorial that I just sat and watched > after pressing the Enter key. First. According to the Usenet guidelines (and reiterated in my proposal) discussions take place in the newsgroup news.groups. Second. I have received a pile of e-mail responses which have been favorable to comp.multimedia both the group and the name (including one from Kathy Strong whom you mention by name). And most of the traffic to news.groups is favorable. Third, I volunteered to do this because I think its important that we have a proper forum in which to discuss this stuff. This is not what I get paid to do. It takes two plus months to get a newsgroup going, and I am willing to go through that process. I really think that we should devote our energies to making the newsgroup a success rather than quibbling about the name. Finally, here is a summary of why comp.multimedia is the best name: 1. As has been pointed out by a number of people, rec.multimedia would be the right place for slide-show type multimedia. Because comp.multimedia is in the comp group, it is pretty obvious that interactive multimedia is being discussed. 2. The press calls this stuff "multimedia" (from the NY Times and Wall Street Journal to Computerworld, PC Week, Datamation etc.). 3. The industry calls it "multimedia" -- not just Apple, but IBM, Microsoft, Digital, Sun and HP. 4. Even if it were a lousy term, most Usenet participants are most likely to find it under this name. 5. Even USENIX is calling this stuff "multimedia". I just received the Call for Papers for the Usenix Summer 1991 conference in the US mail this morning. Guess what its called: "MULTIMEDIA - FOR NOW AND THE FUTURE" And I see no mention of multimedia slide shows as being an appropriate topic for discussion at that forum. In fact, they outline the same basic things I did in my proposal -- "systems integrating voice, video, audio, touch, or music". I imagine an online version will be posted to comp.org.usenix soon. Enough? I think so. Let's get the show on the road, folks, and start discussing content rather than nomenclature. -Ittai Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com