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Posting-Version: version VT1.00C 11/1/84; site vortex.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!vortex!lauren
From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.news.adm
Subject: Stargate
Message-ID: <950@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-Aug-86 15:04:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: vortex.950
Posted: Fri Aug 15 15:04:49 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 17-Aug-86 07:47:06 EDT
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
Lines: 44

The following represents my personal opinions.

The current indications are that (given proper pricing) it will
almost always be in a site's advantage to participate directly
in Stargate whenever possible (via cable TV feed or sat receiver) rather 
than try rely on other sites for phone feeds of certain classes of Stargate
materials.  Among many other benefits, those sites receiving materials 
directly from the broadcast channel will always be at an advantage when 
it comes to participation in discussions in a timely manner. 

Especially as the number of sites and traffic grows, the broadcast
channel will be increasingly attractive even to very small sites (including
one person and "read-only" sites).  The amount of coordination, money,
and time it takes operate a phone-based hub, especially in major
metropolitan areas where there may be many potential users,
is rapidly becoming impractical.  Part of the reason for the many
"non-local" netnews links on the current network is that existing
local "hubs" are often unable to reasonably handle more than a relatively
few sites without considerable system, resource, delivery latency,
and/or other cost effects.  And of course the current "solution" to this 
problem, involving sites feeding sites feeding other sites in a fanout
arrangement, only increases the problems with article delivery delays. 
This in turn is made worse by the lack of moderation for most materials,
yet this very arrangement makes moderation difficult to use effectively in 
the existing environment.

With Stargate, on the other hand, there is no direct incremental
cost (to the network) for adding another receiving site.  There is 
no delivery load placed on existing receiving sites by other sites
joining the cable/satellite network.  The fact that all operational
sites receive the same broadcast material at the same time will 
allow moderation, at various levels, to work much more effectively
than in a phone-based network--an important facet as traffic, sites,
and users continue to grow in numbers.

The broadcast nature of Stargate offers tremendous potential
for supporting many more sites and users in a useful manner than
could be supported in a non-broadcast environment.  This will allow
for the participation of many organizations and users who would
not otherwise be reasonably able to contribute to and benefit from 
the quality people/knowledge/information resources that can be
made available.

--Lauren--