Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ut-ngp.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!werner From: werner@ut-ngp.UUCP Newsgroups: net.news.group Subject: Re: proposal for unix novices' newsgroup Message-ID: <485@ut-ngp.UUCP> Date: Mon, 9-Apr-84 04:12:01 EST Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.485 Posted: Mon Apr 9 04:12:01 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 11-Apr-84 06:41:47 EST References: <2690@alice.UUCP> Organization: Comp. Center, Univ. of Texas at Austin Lines: 27 to me, it seems understood, that any questions which can get answered locally, should not be propagated world-wide. So talk to your local administrator and get a local group set up named "unix.forum" or something similar (the name should encourage the "shy" person to use it) Better, even, would be to get the phone-number of a person whose job it is to advice users (what, you don't have such a person? demand just may create one, reduce unemployment, get Reagan reelected ....:-) What if he won't, or if local users ignore novices? Kismet, sometimes we are out of luck, because all solutions are too costly. And even though I am very sympathetic, I am concerned that any more increase in traffic will put the net in danger of getting "managed" to reduce cost. Just put yourself into the shoes of the manager who has to make a cost/benefit analysis of USENET. I would seriously doubt that spending money to educate users of another site in the basics of UNIX would be a "plus". On the other hand, it just might entice not to make any efforts to support local novices, i.e. let others support them. User support is expensive and may not fit into the budget of a small shop, but forcing others to pay the (phone)-bills will kill the "goose that lays the golden eggs". Oh, and by the way, when I first read the description I did not know what "neophyte" means - and I suspect that it's not only "us foreigners" who are not familiar with this term ... (hint, hint) werner@ut-ngp (.ARPA and .UUCP via ihnp4)