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From: sl@van-bc.UUCP
Newsgroups: news.misc
Subject: Re: Binaries/Shareware
Message-ID: <767@van-bc.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 28-May-87 01:43:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: van-bc.767
Posted: Thu May 28 01:43:51 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 29-May-87 05:03:43 EDT
References: <315@pcrat.UUCP> <922@maynard.BSW.COM>
Reply-To: sl@van-bc.UUCP (Stuart Lynne)
Organization: Public Access Network, Vancouver, BC.
Lines: 55
Keywords: Expensive Inconsiderate Chauvinistic

In article <***@*******.***.***> ********@*******.**** (***** ********) writes:
>In article <***@*****.****> ****@*****.**** (**** **********) gripes about:
>
>>	1) A REPOST of
>>	2) A UUENCODED, BINARY copy of
>>	3) A SHAREWARE program (ARC520), which
>>	4) You can get on nearly any local RBBS
>
>I agree.  I, also, was annoyed to have spent real money and tied up valuable
>disk space for binaries for a machine I don't even own, and even if I did
>it wouldn't be running the "operating system" (I'm using the term *very*
>loosely) for which the aforementioned program was intended.
>

If nothing else UUNET promises to bring some reality into this net. 

The backbone sites have been complaining about this for ages. All they got
for their troubles was flame after flame after flame. I mean we all have the
RIGHT to post this stuff don't we.

Quit complaining guys. You're in the same boat as the backbone and everyone
else who pays for their feed. And yes you will continue to get stuff that
you really don't want. You also knew the types of things that your where
likely to get when you signed up for UUNET.

The whole rational behind Usenet is transporting a lot of junk around so that 
you find the pearl hidden inside. If everyone had the same ideas about what 
constituted a valuable posting we could get rid of 95% of the traffic. 
Unfortunately everyone has a different idea about what they want to send and
receive. So we get a large volume of traffic most of which is only
marginally interesting to a small number of people. 

As far as I can see the problem is probably going to get worse before it
gets better. However sites like UUNET may actually help reduce your costs.
Because they are being PAID to do so they will carry anything and everything
(within reason) that there is a demand for. But YOU don't have to download
it. Just tell them what groups you want. 

Of course this only works well if you are not a backbone site yourself. But
even if you are, with some scrutiny of your user base (including the users
downstream) you may be able to reduce your load.

I think we will find the structure of Usenet changing over the next year or
so. The current backbone sites are getting to the point of not wanting to
carry the load. UUNET if it succeeds will show them how to gracefully back
out. So a year or two from now we will all probably be paying a small amount
for our news, rather than a few sites paying large amounts.

This will be a good thing for Usenet. It will force an appreciation of the
net on more of the users. As with most things you enjoy most what you work
and pay for. Things that are free are easily abused and discarded when your
interest lags.

-- 
Stuart Lynne	ihnp4!alberta!ubc-vision!van-bc!sl     Vancouver,BC,604-937-7532