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From: 76645572@sdcc13.UUCP ({|lit})
Newsgroups: net.news,net.micro.mac,net.news.group
Subject: Re: Cleaning up net.sources.mac (mod.sources...)
Message-ID: <375@sdcc13.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Nov-85 14:34:40 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcc13.375
Posted: Wed Nov 27 14:34:40 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Nov-85 00:33:13 EST
References: <482@spice.cs.cmu.edu> <689@astrovax.UUCP>
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Academic Computer Center
Lines: 33
Xref: watmath net.news:4442 net.micro.mac:3646 net.news.group:4734
Summary: Yet another comment on net.sources.mac

There have been lots of postings saying that we should send only source
code, since the name of the group is net.SOURCES.mac, or saying that
we should post only binary files, since they are shorter.  The
unfortunate truth is that we need both source and binary files,
since each serves a different purpose.  This may sound strange,
since source and object are two representations of the same thing,
but most of us can't convert between them easily, like some of the
UNIX-heads assume we can.

Source code would
suffice if we all had the same compiler.  But there are 6 C
compilers, soon to be 3 Pascal compilers, Forth, Lisp, Modula, and
who knows what else.  Obviously there is no standard language.  

This is not to say that source code is not useful, it is very
useful.  It provides good examples to many people,
and can often be modified to work on their own compiler.  But
distributing source code is, for the most part, distributing
examples of how to code.  Most people will be unable to produce
executable code from a source file.  This is why we also need to
send binary versions of the programs.  Also, many times the source
to a useful program is unavailable.

Since we do have a problem with the amount of stuff being posted, we
do need to set up some restrictions.  Hopefully voluntary
restrictions will be enough.  Maybe something as simple as: 
Don't post stuff that really isn't useful.  However, I have few
qualms about most of the stuff that has been posted recently, I
have found much of it useful.  The answer my be in mod.sources.mac.
But it is certainly not in arbitrarily prohibiting either binary
files or source files.

David Shayer, UCSD