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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!osu-eddie!karl
From: karl@osu-eddie.UUCP (Karl Kleinpaste)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: proposed new structure for `fa' groups
Message-ID: <660@osu-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Oct-85 07:47:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: osu-eddi.660
Posted: Fri Oct 18 07:47:07 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 19-Oct-85 04:11:14 EDT
References: <10523@ucbvax.ARPA> <228@epicen.UUCP> <10569@ucbvax.ARPA> <13213@Glacier.ARPA> <10688@ucbvax.ARPA>
Organization: OSU
Lines: 28

> >(a) The name of laser-lovers is "laser-lovers", and that's all
> >there is to it. Any attempt to change its name is fraudulent. Do you want to
> >change the name of "Life" magazine to "Weekly-cute-pictures-and-stories"
> >because it doesn't have enough biology? Be serious. Leave the names of the
> >USENET versions of things equal to the ARPAnet names of them.
> 
> There is no excuse for `cute' names. There is no defense for `cute'
> names.  `Cute' names exist to tickle the egos of an `in' group of
> people who understand them. `Cute' names cause confusion, and make the
> network LESS approachable, because there is that much more to learn.
> The magazine analogy does not hold because the media are not equivalent.

Although I agree that `cute' names are not a good idea in this
context, watch where you tread.  The Usenet has other cute names,
completely unrelated to the ARPAnet mailing lists.  Consider the
naming of the group net.motss; incredibly cryptic, and therefore cute.
Also, perhaps, net.columbia.  Although the intended purpose was to
create some `instant nostalgia' (cf. Answers to Frequently Asked
Questions, currently 1376@gatech.CSNET in net.announce.newusers), I
would describe that motivation as cute.  Offhand, I'm not even con-
vinced that a name like laser-lovers is particularly `cute' in the
first place.

[The following disclaimer should be unnecessary, but nonetheless...
 Disclaimer: I am not criticizing either group's existence, merely
 the naming conventions applied to them.]
-- 
Karl Kleinpaste