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From: tim@cmu-cs-k.ARPA (Tim Maroney)
Newsgroups: net.news.stargate
Subject: Stargate Deployment: possibilities
Message-ID: <233@cmu-cs-k.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 23-Jan-85 17:50:39 EST
Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-k.233
Posted: Wed Jan 23 17:50:39 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Jan-85 04:53:34 EST
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 56

There are a variety of goals which USENET and Stargate attempt to satisfy.
For USENET, these seem to be:

(1)	Providing a means of distributing technical expertise.

(2)	Fostering discussion of issues of interest to a large and diverse
	net population.

Stargate attempts to allow these goals to be satisfied, while satisfying
the additional goals:

(3)	Providing a cheaper way for sites to participate.

(4)	Providing a more useful network by reducing the amount of trash
	individual participants must "wade through".

All these are worthwhile goals.  I think we can all agree on them.

Stargate is being deployed in an incompletely controlled fashion.  There is
no way to guarantee that any particular description of USENET after
deployment of Stargate will be accurate.  Therefore, we can not be sure that
deployment of Stargate will satisfy even the goals (1) and (2).  Nor can we
be sure it will not.

If Stargate satisfies its goals, it will be a worthwhile system.  If not,
then we may be able to return to the old (current) system, or we may not.
Stargate's failure may only become apparent after the existing phone-based
distribution system is disrupted beyond repair.  The costs of going back to
the current system may cause sites to drop out altogether.  Phone bills may
go up significantly.  And so on.  Remember Murphy's Law!

The point is that we have to be ready for the possible contingencies of
deployment.  We have to have plans in the case of various things coming to
pass. And I see none being developed.  Instead, we have true believers
claiming that this description, or that description, is definitely the
single one that will be accurate.  "I can't see a USENET moderator acting in
an obnoxious fashion."  "The moderators will all be fascists and abuses of
moderation will crush free speech!"  "All the backbone sites will keep the
current phone line distribution system."  "The backbone sites will drop out
and phone-line distribution will only be used locally."  "Will not!"  "Will
so!"

What we need are plans with alternatives.  What we do not need is more
specious and ranting "proofs" of what USENET will look like after Stargate,
or people telling us "Don't worry, everything will turn out all right."  It
may not turn out all right, and we need to be ready if that happens.

Can we all agree on at least this?
-=-
Tim Maroney, Carnegie-Mellon University Computation Center
ARPA:	Tim.Maroney@CMU-CS-K	uucp:	seismo!cmu-cs-k!tim
CompuServe:	74176,1360	audio:	shout "Hey, Tim!"

"Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are
but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains."
Liber AL, II:9.