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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!pesnta!phri!pluto!warren
From: warren@pluto.UUCP (Warren Burstein)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: Is net.sources beyond hope? (changes to news software)
Message-ID: <341@pluto.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Feb-86 21:44:33 EST
Article-I.D.: pluto.341
Posted: Wed Feb 12 21:44:33 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Feb-86 04:33:13 EST
References: <478@kepler.UUCP> <247@maynard.UUCP> <9177@amdcad.UUCP> <345@watdragon.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: The Mayhem Institute
Lines: 21
Keywords: net.sources, rn, unsubscribing, newusers, new

> >> ...  If someone who really cared would post
> >> a short article giving tips on what should go to mod.sources, ...
> >
> >In each mod group, such as mod.sources, rules are posted periodically.
> >The information is there.  There is no way to force people to read it.
> 
> Maybe one of the reasons that they are not read has to do with the (probable)
> behaviour of new net users when confronted with the volumes of news that
> exist when they read news for the first time...
> 
> Thus, I propose the following change to the next version of rn:
>  - Make it illegal to use the 'u' to unsubscribe from 'special' newsgroups.
>    The concept of 'special' would be defined by the system administrator at
>    each individual site.  Groups that could fall under this category could
>    be net.announce.newuser and net.news.group.  This would *only* prevent
>    mindless unsubscribing; the freedom of choice to go into your .newsrc
>    and delete it manually would still be there....

How about a message "this group is of vital importance, do you *really*
want to unsubscribe?" instead.  Changes should be made to readnews, vnews,
and notes, too.