Xref: utzoo comp.unix.xenix:1257 news.groups:2084
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!spdcc!dyer
From: dyer@spdcc.COM (Steve Dyer)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,news.groups
Subject: comp.unix.microport
Message-ID: <513@spdcc.COM>
Date: 31 Dec 87 23:45:40 GMT
References: <4826@well.UUCP> <2357@dasys1.UUCP> <1386@puff.cs.wisc.edu> <2399@dasys1.UUCP> <2045@chinet.UUCP>
Reply-To: dyer@spdcc.COM (Steve Dyer)
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA
Lines: 28

I see no overwhelming reason to keep comp.unix.microport as "moderated"
other than to keep the Microport prez and veeprez from posting commercials
too often (heh heh, just a joke...)  Moderation is really suitable for
only a few groups, mainly source and binary archives, and those which
are striving for some control over the discussion (e.g., sci.med.aids.)
Even so, the schemes for delivering articles to moderators are often
unreliable or simply flaky.  Just as an example, I have posted to several
moderated groups only to find that the destination path was expanded to
something unrecognizable at a backbone site, only to be bounced back to me
undelivered.  Since I am also a moderator of sci.med.aids, we also suffer
from the opposite problem--when certain sites post articles, we often end up
getting many tens of copies of the same article!

People simply aren't going to put a lot of effort into composing a message
if they can't be sure that it's going to reach the moderator and then get
out to the greatest number of people.  Since comp.unix.microport has a lot
of "pent up" demand, and the audience is at least as well-behaved as
comp.unix.xenix, why not change it to an unmoderated group?  I simply don't
see what benefit is gained through moderation other than to add delay and
unreliability.  The net effect is to keep all UNIX 386/V.3 discussions in
comp.unix.xenix (which isn't necessarily bad, but is obviously not the intent
of having this other group.)  This is not a dig at the present moderator;
this is really intrinsic to the state of affairs.

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@harvard.harvard.edu
dyer@spdcc.COM aka {ihnp4,harvard,husc6,linus,ima,bbn,m2c}!spdcc!dyer