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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ut-sally.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!ut-sally!riddle
From: riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Anarchy in (in)action, part 1: net.bio
Message-ID: <811@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Jan-84 20:26:26 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.811
Posted: Fri Jan 20 20:26:26 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Jan-84 08:32:03 EST
Organization: U. of Tx. at Houston-in-the-Hills
Lines: 37

Sigh.  The mobocratic nature of the net strikes again.  Sometimes a
newsgroup is proposed, minimal discussion follows, and bang! for better
or for worse, a superuser somewhere creates it.  Other times a proposal
can be followed by intense discussion, a consensus can be reached, and
yet no superuser takes it on himself to do the job of creating the
newsgroup.

In my opinion, one victim of the latter phenomenon was net.bio.
Proposed in early December, the newsgroup quickly received approval
from all of the following users:

	aecom!yechiel        denelcor!neal        uokvax!rigney
	alice!alb            ecsvax!emigh         ut-sally!riddle
	cae780!chuqui        elsie!mark           utzoo!david

Although this number might seem small, several of the users were from
sites where a significant amount of biological work was being done, and
indicated that such a newsgroup would interest numerous users at their
sites.  Other users pointed out several biological topics which had
come up in other newsgroups and which demonstrated widespread interest
in biology.  Perhaps most important, there were no negative votes; all
who mentioned the issue were for the newsgroup's creation.

One small disagreement confused things, however: some users proposed a
subgroup, net.bio.expert, for discussion at a professional level.
After some argument about whether the subgroup was justified, those who
had made the suggestion agreed that, once net.bio had been started up,
subgroups could be added as their need was demonstrated.

Nevertheless,  n o b o d y   c r e a t e d   i t .

So, all you superusers out there:  where is net.bio?


--- Prentiss Riddle
--- ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle