Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site lsuc.UUCP
Path: utzoo!lsuc!msb
From: msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Newsgroups: net.news.group
Subject: Re: Temporary discussions
Message-ID: <1130@lsuc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 26-Feb-86 01:00:27 EST
Article-I.D.: lsuc.1130
Posted: Wed Feb 26 01:00:27 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Feb-86 09:02:23 EST
References: <54@cad.UUCP>
Reply-To: msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Organization: Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto
Lines: 42
Summary: Yes, but what name?


Steven Grady proposed the concept of temporary newsgroups.
His article's References line connected it to the discussion of
net.sources.d.  I'm in favor of his proposal, but I think that
net.sources.d should be considered a separate issue (and I'm in favor
of that proposal too).

Supposing that temporary newsgroups are to be created, there remains
the question of what to call them.  I think a new distribution is the
most logical; now that we have "net" and "mod", distributions don't
necessarily have to reflect geography but can also classify types of
groups.  But unfortunately, the history of "mod" also shows us that
setting up a new distribution requires hgetting past a lot of net inertia
and consequently it takes a long time before everybody that really wants
the distribution receives it.

Therefore I do not favor "temp.*", though I would like to.

But now consider.  If we call the temporary groups "net.temp.*",
Steven's other proposal, then the creation of a parent group
"net.temp" is implied.  It would be nice if the parent group had
its own purpose.  Well, what would that be?  Obviously, for discussions
too short-lived for even a temporary group.

And what does that sound like?  Right, "net.misc".

Which leads to another possibility: that temporary groups could
take the form "net.misc.*".  There is even a precedent for this.

Well, to me, "net.tmp.wombat"* seems a lot more suggestive than
"net.misc.wombat"; but, on the other hand, "net.misc" still seems
more suggestive than "net.temp" for the parent; but if we retain
"net.misc" and add "net.temp", we have two groups of like purpose.

I'm not sure how to resolve this; maybe we can find a hair to split
that will distinguish the two groups "net.misc" and "net.temp".
Anyway, I'm suggesting that comments on this should be mailed to
ucbvax!grady, the proposer, along with your votes on the overall idea.

Don't mail to me on this.
Mark Brader
*I prefer "tmp" to "temp", for obvious reasons.