Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site gatech.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!emory!gatech!spaf
From: spaf@gatech.UUCP (Gene Spafford)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: list of groups in mod.newslists
Message-ID: <10860@gatech.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 18-Nov-84 01:42:10 EST
Article-I.D.: gatech.10860
Posted: Sun Nov 18 01:42:10 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 19-Nov-84 03:14:49 EST
References: <255@amdcad.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech
Lines: 67

> This monthly list of groups is very nice but it is a pain to
> check my active file against it. If it came out in a machine
> oriented format I could hack a program to automatically combine
> it with my local groups to update my active file.

Surprise!  That feature is in news2.10.2 and will also be in 2.10.3!!
It's known as the "checkgroups" control message, and up until a short
while ago, I was posting those exact same control messages.

I'm not posting those messages anymore, though.  I got tired of getting
800+ messages from the news software at sites running old news.  When I
tried to politely suggest that people upgrade their news, I got
attacked for suggesting that anyone spend the time to install better
software.  

However, Phil, since you posed the question in the first place, I can
come up with a solution for you.  Since most of my news neighbors have
expended the superhuman effort and months of time it takes to upgrade
to 2.10.2, and since you're one of my neighbors, I can set it up so
that "checkgroups" gets sent out to sites receiving the "to.gatech"
group.  Is that okay?

As for everybody else, hey -- sorry about that. Maybe in a few months
I'll try again if it appears that a majority of news sites are running
up-to-date software. Until then, please don't anyone complain about
me not posting the "checkgroups" message unless you're willing to
have me put you down as the person to get all the automatically
generated replies.
    (For the record:  I don't get paid to maintain the lists or help
    maintain the Usenet.  I don't get any particular jollies out of it
    either.  I do it as a favor to people on the net.  I don't have the
    time or patience to deal with the abuse from "busy programmers" who
    think that because people like Chuq and Mark and Rick and I are
    visible, that it means we're fair game for whatever shit they want
    to give us.  As far as being busy goes, for starters, I'm helping
    administer 5 machines with two more on the way, I'm directing the
    students putting the Clouds OS together, and I'm doing my PhD
    thesis.  I'm not a good person to complain to about being busy.
    Especially when it is coupled with abuse.  I'm pretty hacked off
    about some of the garbage I've gotten in my mail recently. It's
    so easy for some people to complain, especially when they're
    not offering solutions.  Vegans have feelings too, ya know.)

    (Also for the record:  2.10.2 seems to have far fewer bugs than any
    other news release in recent memory.  There were a few minor ones,
    however, and a lot of suggestions for enhancements.  Rick Adams
    (rick@seismo) also gets lots of (undeserved) abuse for the work he
    has been putting into improving the software.  He's almost got
    2.10.3 ready for beta test.  If you have found a bug in news 2.10.1
    or 2.10.2, don't bitch and moan on the net about "buggy software",
    or proclaim about how you won't upgrade your news until everybody
    else has been using it for 2 years to make sure it's stable.
    Instead, send your bug reports to Rick so he can include them in
    2.10.3.  Better yet, send Rick a bug report and a fix he can
    include.  Far better to light a candle than post an article to
    net.flame complaining about the dark. So to speak.)


I hope that answered your complaint, Phil.  Even if it didn't, I feel
better for saying a few things. 

We now resume your news, already in progress.
-- 
Gene "8 months and counting" Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet:	Spaf @ GATech		ARPA:	Spaf%GATech.CSNet @ CSNet-Relay.ARPA
uucp:	...!{akgua,allegra,hplabs,ihnp4,linus,seismo,ulysses}!gatech!spaf