Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!mordor!sri-spam!rutgers!gatech!hao!noao!mcdsun!sunburn!gtx!edge!doug
From: doug@edge.UUCP (Doug Pardee)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
Subject: Re: Are BINARIES really a waste of disk space?
Message-ID: <1028@edge.UUCP>
Date: 1 Feb 88 17:27:24 GMT
References: <745@umbc3.UMD.EDU>
Organization: Edge Computer Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ
Lines: 31
Summary: 'dem lengthy game reviews

[As the #1 poster of lengthy game reviews, I obviously have a small bone
to pick...]

> The controversy over binary files wasting disk space would be moot if
> people would STOP posting lengthy game reviews, STOP posting redundant
> articles, and STOP using News as a private mail system.

Gee, I didn't know there WAS a controversy...   anyhow, as for the lengthy
game reviews, I'm the main poster of this offensive stuff.  However, I'm
surprised that anyone would complain; I've only posted 5 such reviews in
the last year (Elite, Revs+, Gunship, Advanced Flight Trainer, and most
recently PHM Pegasus), and there have been only 4 such that I've seen from
other netters.

Unless you're "expiring" your news rather slowly, the chances are you'll
only have one on disk at any given time.  My reviews typically run 2000
words or so, about 10,000 bytes.  A 2 to 3-screen review (as suggested)
would be about 5,000 bytes.  So we're talking maybe a 5K savings here.

Anyhow, like I said I don't know WHAT controversy we're talking about
anyway; I just haven't seen that much traffic on comp.sys.cbm whether in
binaries, lengthy game reviews, redundant articles, or private mail notes.
If you want to see clutter, check out the Amiga and PC newsgroups.  Or
worse, rec.autos or misc.legal or the talk.anythings.  I've got no gripe
at all with what goes on *here* -- I'll even tolerate the almost-daily
requests for VT-100 emulators and Kermit :-)

At least we aren't cursed with the "my computer is better than your
computer" flame wars :-)
-- 
Doug Pardee         {ames,hplabs,sun,amdahl,ihnp4,allegra}!oliveb!edge!doug
Edge Computer Corp., Scottsdale, AZ                 uunet!ism780c!edge!doug