Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!hp4nl!star.cs.vu.nl!ast
From: ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: comp.os.minix splitup
Message-ID: <9146@star.cs.vu.nl>
Date: 2 Mar 91 23:17:10 GMT
References: <1991Mar1.213647.13550@mp.cs.niu.edu> <30737@usc>
Sender: news@cs.vu.nl
Organization: Fac. Wiskunde & Informatica, VU, Amsterdam
Lines: 33

In article <30737@usc> kjh@pollux.usc.edu (Kenneth J. Hendrickson) writes:
>This is a very good idea, and also a very good name.  I like
>comp.sources.minix for a name.  Lets start the voting proceedure, 

I think that splitting along CPU lines is not a good idea.  I am convinced
that people with an X CPU will post general information to comp.os.minix.X
just because all they ever think about is X.  Thus everyone will have to
read everything to avoid missing anything.  No win.

As to a sources group, it is a possibility, but I'd be surprised if
there were many people who would read one but not the other.  If there
are such people, please post messages explaining why.  The main advantage
of splitting is to make the administration easier, i.e., the archive of
the source group would have all the sources.  On the other hand, the
people running the archives could store the sources in the archives
separately, even with one group.  If we do split, I have a small
preference for comp.os.minix.sources rather than comp.sources.minix,
i.e., it is "our" group.

I think the sources group should be unmoderated.  There is no reason
a priori to think that people will post discussions to the sources
group.  If someone does, I propose a way to make the point that this
is a protocol violation:  will all 44,000 readers send that person a
polite message asking not to do it again.  That will break his mail
system and give him negative feedback from his postmaster.

Before starting on a voting procedure, which should follow the normal
net news rules, I think we should have a discussion here to see what
we think.  My own feeling is that with only 20-30 messages a day, a
split is not really necessary, but if there is an overwhelming feeling
for a separate sources group, ok.

Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)