Xref: utzoo news.groups:32198 comp.sys.handhelds:7941 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!caen!uwm.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!agate!agate.berkeley.edu!matt From: matt@physics16.berkeley.edu (Matt Austern) Newsgroups: news.groups,comp.sys.handhelds Subject: Re: RFD comp.sys.handelds split Message-ID: Date: 20 May 91 20:12:28 GMT References: <7567@rex.cs.tulane.edu> Sender: root@agate.berkeley.edu (Charlie Root) Reply-To: matt@physics.berkeley.edu Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (Theoretical Physics Group) Lines: 46 In-Reply-To: mandel@vax.anes.tulane.edu's message of 20 May 91 13: 39:24 GMT In article <7567@rex.cs.tulane.edu> mandel@vax.anes.tulane.edu (Jeff E Mandel MD MS) writes: > 3) There are several individuals (and I'm sure you know who you are) > whose opinions are well known. I would appreciate it if some other > people would make their opinions known. Not that I don't love hearing > from all of you... All right, my opinions: First of all, I think it is obvious that the hp48 deserves its own newsgroup. It is a computer with a large, and vocal, base of users and programmers---programmers, I might add, in at least three different languages. Over the course of a year, it has been demonstrated that there is a sustained interest in the hp48. (I also think it is obvious that the hp48 should not be grouped with other HP products, for the same reason that the IBM PC should not be grouped with the IBM 360: there is nothing in common but the manufacturer.) I think, further, that the newsgroup name should have hp48 in it. Remember, after all, what the purpose of newsgroup names is: it is to tell people who are unfamiliar with a group what the group is about. "comp.sys.handhelds" fails miserably on this count, and I hope we can choose a name that does better. I don't think that we should be worried about any master reorganization plans of comp.sys.handhelds, or about subdivisions of the hp48 newsgroup. Let's take it one step at a time, and see what things are like after the hp48 newsgroup is created---I suspect that that will solve most of our problems. If we need to subdivide things further, we can worry about it when the time comes. I'm not terribly dogmatic about names. I'd be happy with comp.sys.handhelds.hp48, or comp.sys.hp48, or comp.sys.hp.hp48. I just want the name to make it clear that this is an hp48 newsgroup. Finally, my opinion is that Jeff Mandel has demonstrated extraordinary patience. His first vote was clearly a victory, and I'm sorry that the creation of a demonstrably necessary newsgroup was blocked by people who have yet to reveal their objections, or even their names. -- Matthew Austern Just keep yelling until you attract a (415) 644-2618 crowd, then a constituency, a movement, a austern@lbl.bitnet faction, an army! If you don't have any matt@physics.berkeley.edu solutions, become a part of the problem!