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From: conte@crest.crhc.uiuc.edu (Tom Conte)
Subject: Re: RFD: comp.sys.handhelds.hp48
Message-ID: <1991May15.170626.9508@roundup.crhc.uiuc.edu>
Sender: news@roundup.crhc.uiuc.edu
Reply-To: conte@crest.crhc.uiuc.edu (Tom Conte)
Organization: Center for Reliable and High-Performance Computing, University of Illinois
References:  <7498@rex.cs.tulane.edu>
Date: Wed, 15 May 1991 17:06:26 GMT

In article <7498@rex.cs.tulane.edu>, mandel@vax.anes.tulane.edu (Jeff E Mandel MD MS) writes:
> 1) Despite the strongly held views of some that there is a common interest
> amongst all HP calculator users, there has not been a groundswell of HP28, 41,
> etc. users saying that they need to be in with the HP48 users. Having
> previously attempted to get support for .hp2848, and having failed, I believe
> that this is not the option most likely to satisfy the majority. 

Jeff, I believe you have neglected the traffic on handhelds from vintage
calculator collectors.  Even today there were postings relevant to the HP-33C.
A split for *one* model of one kind of handheld is a mistake, IMHO.  There
have been more suggestions for a split besides .hp2848.  Some of these ideas
were quite good (see below!), yet you haven't acknowledged them.

Lets do this RFD right so we don't have to go through this a third time, ok?

> 2) I believe that it will be impossible to understand what other machines,
> architectures, or broad classes of machines need to have new groups until we
> have dealt with the volume of HP48 traffic. No one can contest the fact that
> the major volume of postings to this group over the last year have been HP48;
> that a significant portion of the readership of this group have as their main
> interest HP48 issues, and that anyone who is not interested in the HP48 has a
> hard time in this group.

Again, I submit to the net.gurus: what traffic?  Each day, maybe, I get 20 messages
in comp.sys.handhelds.  That's not a deluge, by any means.

> 3) I know that the HP95 is a new hot interest, and we may need a group for it
> some day, but to do so now is premature. There is not another machine whose
> volume of traffic has even come close to the level where a news group of its
> own is warranted.
> 
> I am sorry that the majority of you are having to read so many rehashings of
> harrangues from the last discussion, but unfortunately there are those who have
> deemed it necessary. 

Come now, this is rather almost rude, wouldn't you say?  You seem to be suggesting
that the RFD be quiet, and that we all submit to your will.  I `deemed it
necessary' to participate in this discussion because (1) the community that
participates in comp.sys.handhelds seemed confused what exactly was going on,
(2) I just don't see the need for a split in this newsgroup.

Let me amend (2).  Someone (sorry for the lack of acknowledgement) suggested:

comp.sys.palmtops
comp.sys.calculators

I support this.  How many others do?


> Aside from the HP IR printer issue (which probably can be
> resolved by application of common sense), are there any compelling reasons why
> an HP48-only group will cause problems now?
> 

Again, a bad split causes cross-postings and self-appointed net-police who
start flame wars about cross-postings.  A HP-48 only group would result in
cross-postings of HP-related items to comp.sys.handhelds.  I am tempted to
even *wager* that if the split occurs crosspostings will become a problem.

There are those of us interested in calculators and those interested in
palmtops.  I believe the comp.sys.palmtops/comp.sys.calculators split will
solve the objections to HP-48 traffic while pleasing Portfolio, BOSS, Wizard,
Poquet, etc., fans.

>  
> Jeff E Mandel MD MS
> Asst. Professor of Anesthesiology
> Tulane University School of Medicine
> New Orleans, LA
> mandel@vax.anes.tulane.edu

------
Tom Conte	  Center for Reliable and High-Performance Computing
 conte@uiuc.edu   University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
  Fast cars, fast women, fast computers