Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site rabbit.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!eagle!allegra!alice!rabbit!mjs
From: mjs@rabbit.UUCP (M. J. Shannon, Jr.)
Newsgroups: net.news.adm
Subject: Re: This bothers me a bit, so...
Message-ID: <2327@rabbit.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-Dec-83 15:31:12 EST
Article-I.D.: rabbit.2327
Posted: Mon Dec 26 15:31:12 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 27-Dec-83 04:15:25 EST
References: <420@bbncca.ARPA>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 36

From the traffic generated on this subject already, I'd say a bunch of
folks in netland need to grow up.  Yes, there is a NEED for net.test,
however, many people don't realize that someone (vax135 or decvax) gets
to pay for a transatlantic call the the UK to forward these messages.
I think there's also a link to Australia, which isn't cheap, either.
How many other sites are willing to foot that kind of bill for
net.jokes, net.test, and a whole raft of other `non-technical'
newsgroups?  Or for that matter, how about those folks running Lauren's
news/mail package for micros?  The point Chuck was trying to make is
that some people have ABUSED one group in particular, namely net.test.
Many employers have withdrawn partially or completely from the net
because of these bills, and truly useless articles (not like the
articles Steve Bellovin described) cost ALL netnews sponsors a great
deal of money, and force the advocates of netnews to go to extreme
lengths to persuade their management that it is nonetheless viable (and
valuable) to continue to participate in the net.  Now the net.tester
(sorry, his name scrolled of my screen) claims that his message took
only 1 second to transmit (at 1200 baud).  Anyone who is familiar with
phone company billing is aware that a 1 second call costs as much as a
1- or even 3- minute call.  That means that if the net.test article was
the only one transmitted at that time, at least 1500 more and possibly
4500 more characters could have been transferred `for free' during that
call.  If that site batches news, then the `wasted' bandwidth is
reduced to whatever fraction of a minute is left at the end of the
conversation.  I strongly believe that Chuck's response was absolutely
correct, and as long as his daemon's message was polite and informative,
should have resulted in the same sorts of `Thank you, I didn't know.'
messages he's received from others.  Please remember, ANY ABUSE
JEOPARDIZES THE ENTIRE NET, not just your site.

Please: abuse to rabbit!mjs (if you really feel that you have to);
constructive notes to net.news.adm.  Thanks.
-- 
	Marty Shannon
UUCP:	{alice,rabbit,research}!mjs
Phone:	201-582-3199