Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site redwood.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!zehntel!dual!amdcad!fortune!rhino!redwood!rpw3
From: rpw3@redwood.UUCP (Rob Warnock)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Software to screen future net news.
Message-ID: <123@redwood.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-Jan-85 00:03:36 EST
Article-I.D.: redwood.123
Posted: Wed Jan 16 00:03:36 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Jan-85 07:55:28 EST
References: <494@vortex.UUCP> <32@osu-eddie.UUCP> <1326@eosp1.UUCP> <483@ukma.UUCP> <84@tove.UUCP> <374@hercules.UUCP>
Organization: [Consultant], Foster City, CA
Lines: 35

+---------------
| 	I would relax if we could be sure of having "USENET, as it is" after
| stargate went into effect. There has been NO mention of continuing any
| service other than [<picture>]...  | Frank Adrian
+---------------

Frank, slow down. Just remember one VERY important thing. The news software
is out there in the public domain. Any time your site and ANY OTHER SITE(S)
wish to exchange articles nobody in the world can stop you. You're paying
the phone bills.

For all we know, there may already be other nets using the netnews software
which do not talk to USENET. (USENET is defined as that set of sites which
receive and propagate the official "net.announce".) In fact, any group of sites
that has a local distribution going is in fact such a disjoint net (for example,
"ba.all" in the San Francisco Bay Area). I know of several companies which
have "xyz.all" groups that only circulate within XYZ Corp.

So even if the official USENET should (and I don't think it will) become 
"merely" a funnel into StarGate, you and as many friends as you could interest 
could start another net going, and no-one in USENET need ever know or care.

If the policies of a StarGate-based net got too odious, I suspect quite
a lot of sites would join NTOUNET ("Not The Offical USENET" net).  Many
of those might also feed/take StarGateNET. So what?

Quit worrying, o.k.?        (That doesn't mean quit criticizing though...)


Rob Warnock
Systems Architecture Consultant

UUCP:	{ihnp4,ucbvax!dual}!fortune!redwood!rpw3
DDD:	(415)572-2607
USPS:	510 Trinidad Lane, Foster City, CA  94404