Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 6/7/83; site hao.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!grkermit!masscomp!clyde!floyd!cmcl2!philabs!seismo!hao!pag
From: pag@hao.UUCP (Peter Gross)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: a proposition
Message-ID: <729@hao.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-Nov-83 16:20:26 EST
Article-I.D.: hao.729
Posted: Wed Nov 23 16:20:26 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Nov-83 06:40:52 EST
References: <163@cae780.UUCP>
Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO
Lines: 20

> Here is my thought. Lets set a limit on the NUMBER of usenet topics that
> can be available at any one time (say, 100, or 150, or whatever is
> agreeable). After that limit is reached, anytime someone wants to create a
> new topic, they must also suggest what old, decrepit, unused topic can be
> zapped to make room for it. If everyone can agree to it, then it is so
> done. If not, then it isn't. 

I just don't think this is the right approach.  The proliferation
of newsgroups is not necessarily a bad thing -- it helps categorize
and isolate discussions, making it easier for news readers to filter
out what doesn't interest them.  If the news software can't handle
it, then the fault lies in the software.  Future versions of news
should place a heavy emphasis on making the news system's performance
and operation relatively independent of the number of groups.  The
current method of using a separate directory for each group is a definite
step in the right direction.  The only real drawback is the limitation
on the size of the group name (and of course, disk space -- but that
will be a problem under any version).

--peter