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From: mojo@kepler
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: The elimination of certain non-t
Message-ID: <596@kepler>
Date: Thu, 24-Apr-86 19:11:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: kepler.596
Posted: Thu Apr 24 19:11:00 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 14-May-86 05:10:17 EDT
Lines: 38

Subject: Re: The elimination of certain non-technical newsgroups by so called "powers-that-be"

I suppose this will be one of lots of follow-ups to this article, and 
it will eventually land in my Kill file.  <sigh>  I'll be brief.

michael@ucbiris.BERKELEY.EDU writes:
>In consideration of the virtues of the current state of USENET, I urge
>the powers-that-be at the backbone-sites to exhaust all possible
>avenues for cost cutting before further newsgroup eliminations are
>implemented.

I'm sure that's being done.  Among other things, cheaper data transmission
is coming into being via avenues like Telenet's PC Pursuit.

But nothing else in your argument supports keeping the non-technical
groups, or justifies paying for them.  Your major argument:

>USENET has the features of an electronic university.

You're correct to a degree.  (oops ... :-))  I think many of the
groups even have "mentors" from which there is a lot to be learned.
Certainly among them are Henry Spencer, Guy Harris, and lots and
lots of other talent.  But are they really there in the non-tech
groups?  Rich Rosen you say?

Even so, this still doesn't justify the expense.  Sure it's a
"good deed".  But the backbone can't even account the expense and
write it off as a "contribution" to something.  It's just money
into a black hole with barely any visible goodwill established.

My feeling:  Make a new service organization and sell subscriptions.

I think this is what's going to happen anyway.  At least I hope it is.

-- 
Mojo
... Morris Jones, MicroPro Product Development
{lll-crg,ptsfa,dual,well,pyramid}!micropro!kepler!mojo