Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) Newsgroups: net.news,net.news.group Subject: Re: Fear and Loathing on the Clouds Message-ID: <6147@utzoo.UUCP> Date: Sun, 17-Nov-85 00:52:45 EST Article-I.D.: utzoo.6147 Posted: Sun Nov 17 00:52:45 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 17-Nov-85 00:52:45 EST References: <614@h-sc1.UUCP> <1817@hao.UUCP> <1078@trwrdc.UUCP> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 17 > But I do not agree that it is *junk*. The material in the > "soapbox" groups is admittedly not technical or work-related, > but... [isn't junk] The original reference was to net.flame, which is Junk! JUNK! *JUNK*!!! Also, a really significant fraction of the traffic in *any* newsgroup right now -- except for the moderated ones -- really is junk. This is not just a matter of running up phone bills, bad though that is. The proliferation of junk in a newsgroup hurts everyone who reads it, by lowering the signal/noise ratio and making people spend more time getting the same amount of useful information. Some sort of trash filtering is becoming really vital. Moderation, problematic though it is, is the only answer I can see. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry