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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!tektronix!teklds!davidl
From: davidl@teklds.UUCP (David Levine)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac,net.news.group
Subject: A way to save net.sources.mac
Message-ID: <1308@teklds.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 23-Nov-85 14:56:51 EST
Article-I.D.: teklds.1308
Posted: Sat Nov 23 14:56:51 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 25-Nov-85 07:20:11 EST
Reply-To: davidl@teklds.UUCP (David Levine)
Followup-To: net.micro.mac
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 33
Xref: watmath net.micro.mac:3576 net.news.group:4694

I've thought of a way we could reduce the traffic in net.sources.mac enough to
placate the cash-strapped backbones into keeping it going.  This method would
not require moderation (although moderation might help), would not eliminate
the posting of binaries, and would reduce flames about shareware.

One simple rule: POST NOTHING NOT WRITTEN OR MODIFIED BY YOURSELF.

This rule would allow the posting of binaries, so those of us with no compiler
(or who don't have that particular compiler) could still use them.  It would
also tend to increase the amount of source posted, since almost all of the
non-source postings have been of programs snagged off of CompuServe, and many
people on Usenet who write their own programs want to show off their nifty
algorithms.

This rule would discourage the posting of programs readily available from other
sources (e.g. user's groups) and make the net into a unique resource.  It would
encourage the sharing of "neat hacks" and increase programming participation.
It would also lead to the evolution of code (as the code mutates in the hands
of hundreds of programmers and only the bug-free versions survive to
reproduce).  Also, if the author of every posting is on the net, everyone on 
the net can contact the author with bugs (and fixes!)

Bad points: No enforcement is possible, and if the rule is not enforced it's
likely to be violated, leading to exactly the situation we have now.  Posting
of source rapidly leads to multiple versions, many buggy and all kludges-on-
kludges.  

What do you think?  I'd like to see discussion in net.micro.mac only, since
net.news.group is a hotbed of flamage and the issues involved here are in large
part technical Macintosh issues.

David D. Levine     (...decvax!tektronix!teklds!davidl)  [UUCP]
                    (teklds!davidl.tektronix@Udel-Relay) [ARPA] (experimental)