Xref: utzoo comp.sys.att:2109 news.groups:2203
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!homxb!mhuxt!mhuxm!mhuxo!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!rutgers!sri-spam!ames!sdcsvax!nosc!humu!uhmanoa!aloha1!islenet!richard
From: richard@islenet.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att,news.groups
Subject: Re: unix-pc.* newsgroups
Message-ID: <3788@islenet.UUCP>
Date: 16 Jan 88 06:11:42 GMT
References: <3764@islenet.UUCP> <164@flatline.UUCP>
Reply-To: richard@islenet.UUCP (Richard Foulk)
Organization: Islenet Inc.,  Honolulu
Lines: 42

In article <164@flatline.UUCP> erict@flatline.UUCP (eric townsend) writes:
> In article <3764@islenet.UUCP>, richard@islenet.UUCP (Richard Foulk) writes:
> > Disregarding network traffic loads for a moment; is there some
> > reason why it would not be a good idea to gateway the unix-pc.*
> > groups to mainstream Usenet?
> 
> I've been wondering about this too.  What does it take for an
> 'alternate' newsgroup to get added to the 'regular' newsgroups list.

After getting a large enough number of favorable responses from the
net in support of such a move, one or more news admins could add a
line like the following to their /usr/lib/news/aliases file:

unix-pc.general	comp.sys.att

Apparently there are strong opinions on both sides right now.  It's
my feeling that to continue to keep the unix-pc.* groups separate
will only help to fragment the 3b1 user community and reduce the
support for the system.

Remember, we'll be on our own soon.  And the distribution of the 
unix-pc.* groups can't help but be much less than that available
though the mainstream Usenet.

Some of the people that started the unix-pc net seem to have some
strong attachments to it, and would prefer not to see it changed.
I can appreciate this sentiment.  And I appreciate their having
started and continually supported the group even more.  But I
think that sentiment may be counter-productive.

Increased net readership means increased responses to queries and
more free software as people get help and ideas and a forum to
post to.  And increased readership right now tempts more people
to buy 3b1's, feeding the whole cycle again...

(Perhaps I should have been a politician...)

Anyway, you get the idea.  Thanks for listening, sorry for the length.

-- 
Richard Foulk		...{dual,vortex,ihnp4}!islenet!richard
Honolulu, Hawaii