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From: wls@astrovax.UUCP (William L. Sebok)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: net.astro
Message-ID: <126@astrovax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-Nov-83 02:14:34 EST
Article-I.D.: astrovax.126
Posted: Wed Nov 16 02:14:34 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Nov-83 02:26:23 EST
References: <124@astrovax.UUCP>, <600@cbosgd.UUCP> <602@cbosgd.UUCP>
Organization: Princeton Univ. Astrophysics
Lines: 32

> I would prefer to see it called net.astronomy, since net.astro
> might be about astronauts, the Houston baseball team, or George
> Jetson's dog.  (Seriously, "astro" does not automatically mean
> "astronomy" to me.)
>   The disadvantage is if you want subgroups, since net.astronomy
> is 13 characters long.

 It is precisely because I would like to leave open the possiblilty of
subgroups that I first considered, then rejected, the name net.astronomy.
I know it seems somewhat premature to talk about establishing subgroups
before the original group is established.  However the people I envision
this group serving have different enough needs that I don't think it good
to forclose the ability to split it into subgroups.  I want to draw out
the professional astronomers who have something interesting to talk about.
The main concern I have been told about in the month of consultation I did
before posting the original article was a fear that the level of discussion
in this group would be too trivial to be worth following (and contributing
to).  Thus the idea of a separate subgroup, tentatively named
net.astro.wizards.  These people are less computer oriented, and thus need
more encouragement, than professionals in systems programming
(net.unix-wizards) or artificial intellegence (net.ai).  Also, as I previously
mentioned, amateur astronomers would then be in good position to establish
their own group, tentatively net.astro.amateur.  Amateur astronomers and
professional astronomers are mostly (but not always) different people. There
would then be a well defined place, net.astro, to put beginners questions. 
For all I care such questions could remain in net.space but I doubt it would
work out that way.
  I think that astronomy has predated astronauts, the Houston baseball team,
or George Jetson's dog, and has a better right to the abbreviation "astro".
-- 
Bill Sebok	Princeton Univ. Astrophysics
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