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From: garys@bunker.UUCP (Gary Samuelson)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: re: Paths to Users
Message-ID: <440@bunker.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 6-Jul-84 11:04:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: bunker.440
Posted: Fri Jul  6 11:04:33 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 9-Jul-84 01:01:06 EDT
Lines: 77

Gary Benson complains as follows:

> What kind of jerk is it who posts articles asking for paths to places? My
> opinion is that these moronic dodoes are probably closely related to the
> imbeciles who sign their messages to the net with junk like:

  [multiple choice path example omitted - GMS]

> Haven't you pitiful troglodytes heard that there is a USENET map of the
> WHOLE WORLD posted regularly?

Yep.  It makes a pretty substantial pile of paper when you print it
out, too.  Almost as much fun to read as an octal dump of the kernel.

> Don't you know that unix has a command called
> "path" to assist you in determining the shortest path from your machine to
> the one you want to post to?

There is??? Where??  Speaking of jerks, moronic dodoes, and imbeciles,
why do you assume that every site on the net looks exactly like every
other site?  There doesn't seem to be such a program on this machine.
I'll bet there isn't one on the Fortune 32:16 I regularly use, either.

> For those who are forever requesting path
> information, why don't you get up off your lazy butt and print out a copy of
> the map for the region you want to communicate(?) with?

In the first place, it would be necessary to print all regions, since
the links typically have no respect for geography.  It is a rather
tedious process to search through the list of sites which my site
is connected to, then search throught the lists of sites which all
of those sites are connected to, and so forth, until I find one
which your site connects to.  In the third place, if that path
command you mentioned really existed, why should I print anything?

> And for the nerds
> who print 8 lines of garbage showing me the direct path into your account, I
> can't help but wonder what sort of inflated ego you must have that you think
> it necessary to proclaim in minutest detail the path from every machine in
> the known universe into your personal account.

What does ego have to do with it?  Tell me which is easier: to search
the printed usenet map, assuming you print it every time it's
updated, and that no changes have been made since the last update,
or to look at the signature lines and find a backbone site which
you know your site communicates with?  People who include the path(s)
to their account are trying to be helpful.  Most of us, I think,
appreciate the information.  If it isn't helpful to you, since
you have this mythical path command, or have memorized the usenet
map of the world (not being lazy like the rest of us), fine; it
isn't hurting you, either.  Or do you think that, since the same
information is available elsewhere, albeit inconvenient to retrieve,
that providing it in the immediate context will wear it out?

By the way, I have never had to post an article requesting a path
to someone.  This is probably because most people provide paths
in their articles.  In other words, if people left out the paths
at the ends of their articles, since you find them so offensive,
then there would no doubt be even more articles requesting paths,
which you also find offensive.  Personally, I think including
paths is preferable to having to post articles requesting them.

>			 HOT DAMM that felt good!

It may have felt good, but it shows you to be inconsiderate.

Gary Samuelson
normally, I have a one line path; just for you, however:

ittvax  ------------------> bunker!garys
decvax  -----------------/
philabs ----------------/
bunkerb ---------------/
easi    --------------/
fortune -------------/
micom   ------------/
marx    -----------/