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From: emv@msen.com (Edward Vielmetti)
Newsgroups: news.admin,comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: What is Usenet? LONG!
Keywords: death of the net! film at 11!
Message-ID: <1991Jun30.174307.10721@msen.com>
Date: 30 Jun 91 17:43:07 GMT
References: <1991Jun20.212602.14470@newshost.anu.edu.au> <1991Jun23.050938.29045@wolves.uucp> <1991Jun30.100732.11768@newshost.anu.edu.au>
Organization: MSEN, Inc. -- Ann Arbor, MI
Lines: 24

Albert says:

 The crude structures evolved so far may have been adequate for the original
 community but they cannot last much longer. Usenet will either recognize
 that it is a separate entity from its sites and establish structures that
 can adapt to future requirements or it will be left behind in a technological
 backwater and die.

This is of course the famous "death of the net" prediction, which appears
every so often and can be conveniently ignored when it does.

I challenge you to characterize the substantial efforts at self-organization
which are evident on Usenet as "crude".  Certainly they could be more 
effective, but there's an enormous richness and complexity about that ensure
that the net is not going to just be a "technological backwater".  (hmpth.)

--Ed
Edward Vielmetti, vice president for research, MSEN Inc. emv@msen.com 

"people of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment or
diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public,
or some contrivance to raise prices"  Adam Smith, _Wealth of Nations_

--Ed