Xref: utzoo comp.protocols.tcp-ip:16632 comp.archives.admin:64 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!ucsd!hub.ucsb.edu!spectrum.CMC.COM!lars From: lars@spectrum.CMC.COM (Lars Poulsen) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip,comp.archives.admin Subject: Re: building an interstate (data) highway with no roadmaps Message-ID: <1991Jun20.070516.683@spectrum.CMC.COM> Date: 20 Jun 91 07:05:16 GMT References: <9106171612.AA01441@mazatzal.merit.edu> Organization: CMC (a Rockwell Company), Santa Barbara, California, USA Lines: 32 In article emv@msen.com (Ed Vielmetti) writes: > X.500 services are directory oriented. The data in them is relatively > small, of known value, and highly structured. Information about > archive sources is just about completely counter to these basic > principles. In article WOrley@compass.com (Dale Worley) writes: >What can be done to produce good catalogs? As Ed notes, archive >information is likely to be bulky, chaotic, and of unknown (probably >small) value. Given how much money is needed to get a directory >system for information without these problems running, it will >probably take much more to get a good system for archive information >working. Actually, we know quite well what it takes to raise the signal-to-noise ratio. Administration and moderation. One possible option would be for the Internet Society to sponsor an archive registration facility. Maybe each of the IETF task forces can identify valuable programs that need to be archived, with mirrored servers on each continent, available for NFS mounting as well as anonymous FTP. It should be worth $50 for each site to have access to good easily accessible archives instead of having to keep disk space for everything in our own space. (I know; not every "hobby site" can afford $50, but there are many commercial sites, including my own, that would be happy to help feed such a beaST; I'm sure many academic sites would be able to help, too). -- / Lars Poulsen, SMTS Software Engineer CMC Rockwell lars@CMC.COM