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From: reid@decwrl.DEC.COM (Brian Reid)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp
Subject: Re: mod.map problems and directions
Message-ID: <6685@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Wed, 3-Dec-86 01:32:51 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.6685
Posted: Wed Dec  3 01:32:51 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 3-Dec-86 07:10:29 EST
References: <3129@cbosgd.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: reid@decwrl.UUCP (Brian Reid)
Organization: DEC Western Research
Lines: 18


I suppose that it is progress that the u. files are being phased out. To my
mind the only real problem with them was the product of size and frequency of
posting.

The thing that I am wistful about is that I have just finished writing a very
elaborate program that can make high-quality geographic maps of USENET, using
the #L and #U fields. This information is not present in the d. files, and in
the case of the #L field it is often meaningless, since domains do not have a
specific geographic location.

The u. files, though intended for mail routing maps, serve an immensely
valuable purpose as a "white pages" directory; the d. files cannot possibly
provide this information. It certainly would be nice if there could be
posted, perhaps once or twice a year, files that constitute a "site
directory" rather than a "mail routing map", for such ancillary purposes.

Brian Reid