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From: spaf@cs.purdue.EDU (Gene Spafford)
Newsgroups: news.misc,news.config
Subject: Re: The USENET Backbone (Last changed: 10 December 1987)
Message-ID: <2844@arthur.cs.purdue.edu>
Date: 3 Jan 88 00:31:47 GMT
References: <2802@arthur.cs.purdue.edu> <14191@oddjob.UChicago.EDU>
Sender: news@cs.purdue.EDU
Reply-To: spaf@uther.cs.purdue.edu.UUCP (Gene Spafford)
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Purdue University
Lines: 51

In article <14191@oddjob.UChicago.EDU> matt@oddjob.UChicago.EDU rants:
>How do you know that there are no sites other than the ones you list
>which exchange all news with two sites that are on the list and which
>run recent news software, maintain reliable mailers and are staffed
>by adept and responsible people?  I have NEVER seen evidence that you
>check for the existence of any.  If, in fact, you don't then your
>so-called backbone is nothing but a club and you should not try to
>pass it off as anything else.

Bad day, Matt?

No, I don't try to make the list exhaustive and neither does anyone
else for one simple reason: if admins don't want their sites listed as
a "backbone" site, they aren't.  If some admin sends mail to the
backbone list and shows they meet all the other requirements *and* they
request to be added to the list, I add them to the list.  Those
requirements include more that just recent software and reliable
mailers, btw.

There have been occasions in the past where we have contacted admins at
a site and noted that they meet the requirements and asked if they want
to be so designated.  Two of the last three I contacted this way
indicated they did *not* want to be listed because of all the abuse
heaped upon site admins listed as "backbone," or because they wanted to
keep their news activity at a low profile, or because they didn't want
one of their news links widely publicized. I'm sorry that you "have
NEVER seen any evidence..." -- I didn't know you were supposed to be
notified whenever anyone sent mail about this.

The "backbone" is not a club in any sense, unless you consider the
Usenet itself a "club." Rather, "backbone" is an informal designation
intended to help other sites improve news propagation, find where to
obtain the latest news software, know where to obtain experienced and
(usually) cooperative assistance, provide reliable "anchor" service for
UUCP mail, and provide a very knowledgeable and experienced group of
news users and admins to discuss items of mutual interest and develop
new software.  Not every site meets those requirements, nor does every
site admin want to be widely known as willing to provide such
assistance to the rest of the Usenet.

I'm not sure what you are upset about, considering that your posting is
the first thing I can recall seeing from you on the subject.
From what you wrote, I suspect that there is something in particular
that prompted your outburst, but I cannot tell from your posting what
it might be.  Whatever it was, I hope this addresses it.  Also, may I
suggest that next time you consider some e-mail or a more restrained
posting to discover the facts before you blast away in public?
-- 
Gene Spafford
Dept. of Computer Sciences, Purdue University, W. Lafayette IN 47907-2004
Internet:  spaf@cs.purdue.edu	uucp:	...!{decwrl,gatech,ucbvax}!purdue!spaf