Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!phri!roy From: roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) Newsgroups: net.followup,net.rumor,net.news.group Subject: Re: The elimination of certain non-technical newsgroups by so called "powers-that-be" Message-ID: <2340@phri.UUCP> Date: Wed, 7-May-86 19:32:55 EDT Article-I.D.: phri.2340 Posted: Wed May 7 19:32:55 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 10-May-86 14:08:40 EDT References: <588@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> <183@brl-sem.ARPA> <2697@jhunix.UUCP> <2079@hao.UUCP> Reply-To: roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) Organization: Public Health Research Inst. (NY, NY) Lines: 48 Xref: linus net.followup:5242 net.rumor:1932 net.news.group:4781 Summary: Vote with your wallet, not with your mouth > it would seem that the powers-that-be are hardly playing fair. So far, there have been several responses to this from SA's at backbone sites. Unfortunately, you have to admit that these people have a built-in bias. I'm not on the backbone, so I don't have that bias and would like the opportunity to throw in my two cents. What the hell does fair mean? Is it fair that a few big sites pay all the costs to run this network? I think not. It's great that the backbone sites have been willing to be so generous in the past. Why does that obligate them (legally, morally, or otherwise) to continue their generosity regardless of the fact that the content of the net is rapidly changing from technical discussions to sewage? I see 2 possible scenarios for the future of the net. The first scenario is that we have a net-wide discussion about what groups the backbone should carry and what groups they shouldn't. This discussion will go on and on forever and not get anywhere and eventually the backbone sites will get fed up with the whole mess and pull the plug entirely. Scenario number two is that the backbone sites talk between themselves and decide what they have to do to keep the groups they consider important going. They don't consult the net at large, they just do it. No votes, no soliciting of opinions. Nothing that even resembles Democracy. Autocracy at its worst. There is, of course, a third scenario, in which the backbone continues to shell out tons of money to keep the torrents of drivel flowing without regard to cost. Given that scenario number 3 won't happen, I'd much rather see number 2 than number 1. And dammit, why shouldn't that be the proper way to do things? Who the hell am I to tell the backbone sites what they should or shouldn't carry? If they decide not to carry some group I want to get and I can't arrange for an alternate feed (i.e. I'm too cheap to shell out real money to call somebody long distance to get it), well, that's my problem, isn't it? According to the netiquette document I got with news, you're supposed to wait a while before posting flames in the hope that you cool off a bit first. I first posted this several days ago and then changed my mind and canceled it. Unfortunately, I didn't save a copy, which is a pity because it had a nicer ring to it the first time when the sense of outrage was still fresh. -- Roy Smith, {allegra,philabs}!phri!roy System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016