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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!alice!rabbit!jj
From: jj@rabbit.UUCP (Marmaduke Surfaceblow)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: About nuking newsgroups:
Message-ID: <2789@rabbit.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-May-84 10:54:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: rabbit.2789
Posted: Fri May 11 10:54:40 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 12-May-84 11:34:33 EDT
References: <198@homxa.UUCP>, <932@nsc.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 33


What's wrong with this?

In a future version of news software (I'm not a 'C' programmer,
folks, so don't tell me to write it, you'll regret it!) why don't
we just do the following:
	Whenever there are no active articles in any given newsgroup
at any give site, DELETE the directories, etc, for that newsgroup,
and put the newsgroup name and sequence number in a file called
"tiredgroups" <or something like that>.  When and if a new article
comes up, take it OUT of "tiredgroups" and put it back in its usual
place.  

If creation or deletion messages go around, fine, just handle them as normal.

That way, we won't HAVE to delete old groups, since their only tracks
will be 30 bytes in one file in /usr/spool.

In addition, people who introduce groups that die don't cost us all space,
speed, etc.

Why insist on human discussion and moderation for this, anyhow, when
an automatic method could suffice, indeed work better?

No flames, please, this is a serious proposal.  I don't think that
"separatism", "newsgroup proliferation", and the like are problems,
I think they are manufactured red herrings.
-- 
TEDDY BEARS ARE MUCH NICER THAN PEOPLE--HUG YOURS, I DO!
(Instead of spa, we'll drink brown ale,
and pay the reckoning on the nail, ...)
 
(allegra,harpo,ulysses)!rabbit!jj