Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site cyb-eng.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hao!seismo!ut-sally!cyb-eng!topher
From: topher@cyb-eng.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Commercial news feeds?
Message-ID: <383@cyb-eng.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 8-May-84 16:55:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: cyb-eng.383
Posted: Tue May  8 16:55:35 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 12-May-84 08:41:47 EDT
References: <1590@brl-vgr.ARPA>
Organization: Cyb Systems, Austin, Texas
Lines: 25

> As far as I know right now, USENET news feeds are done on a courtesy
> basis, one site allowing another to call them to get the news items.
> As uucp becomes proliferated into the micro world, it seems likely
> that the sheer number of machines trying to get news feeds would
> overwhelm this informal arrangement, even with the heirarchical
> nature of the feed mechanism.

:-) As far as I know right now, children births are done on a courtesy
:-) basis, one set of parents allowing another to be born from them.
:-) As having been born becomes more popular, it seems likely
:-) that the sheer number of babies trying to get born would
:-) overwhelm this informal arrangement, even with the hierarchical
:-) nature of the parent mechanism.

But seriously folks, I can see a problem if a lot of non-expert installations
want to get feeds but aren't willing to give them.  The issue
becomes a problem if the ratio of such ungenerous machines to generous
machines exceeds the reasonable news-feed fan-out count in some locale.
But this is one catastrophe I'm going to worry about when it arrives, and
not until.

Cheers,
Topher Eliot
Cyb Systems, Austin, TX
{seismo, allegra, ihnp4}!ut-sally!cyb-eng!topher