Xref: utzoo news.groups:2894 news.admin:1781
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!necntc!dandelion!ulowell!page
From: page@swan.ulowell.edu (Bob Page)
Newsgroups: news.groups,news.admin
Subject: Re: sniff the wind folks!
Message-ID: <5507@swan.ulowell.edu>
Date: 16 Mar 88 17:24:14 GMT
References: <3458@cbmvax.UUCP> <1480@looking.UUCP>
Reply-To: page@swan.ulowell.edu (Bob Page)
Organization: University of Lowell, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 52
Keywords: why?
Summary: What are YOU doing about it?

Folks, the loose committee of net readers isn't going to solve the
problem of NetNoise traffic, newsgroups, etc, by saying "this isn't
right," or even "this is the way it should be."  The way to do it is
to DO IT.  We spend (how much time?) in front of our tubes each day
(how many of you call work/school from home at nights/weekends to read
news?); we're all creative computer nerds, we can invest some time
to come up with a solution.

MANY people (myself included) want to see keyword-based news.  A
couple of people have started keyword-based newsreaders within the
current system.  If that's your bag, help work on an implementation!

Other people (myself included!) want to see a heirarchical network,
where NetNews splinters into regional nets with moderated feeds into
national and international lists.  Less traffic, less propagation
delays (at least at teh regional level).

Think about the way you get paper information now: a local newspaper,
a regional newspaper, magazines.  All are for different purposes, and
all have both keyword (headlines) and subject (columns) based news.

There's no reason electronic news can't do much of the same.  Usenet
can't last a whole lot longer in it's current form; it's going to
collapse on itself.  Entropy wins.  But we can learn from it, and
architect some new ideas in the meantime.  But we have to DO IT,
not bitch about the current system.

You say "So Bob, what are YOU doing about it?"  At the moment, I can't
spend a lot of time coding a new system, but I think about keyword and
regional news all the time.  I tried to get regional news started here
in New England but was too ambitious; a new plan of attack is needed,
but I think it can work and will try to do it.  At least I got many
of the NE news admins talking to each other!

I'm also formally starting a mailing list for a keyword-based news
system.  The list will discuss design issues, and coordinate
development of such a system.  I'd like to see a mailing list or
newsgroup devoted to interest and research of NetNews-futures, which
Chuqi & I were hot on a while back, but neither or us had the time to
do anything about it.

Want to help with keyward-based news?  send a request to
knews-request@ulowell.{edu.uucp,csnet}, and tell me how you can help,
even if it's "I have lots of ideas".  I'll put together a list of
people with similar interests and we can get the ball rolling.

What are YOU doing to solve the problem?

..Bob
-- 
Bob Page, U of Lowell CS Dept.  page@swan.ulowell.edu  ulowell!page
"Why?  It's the heat."	-- Laurie Anderson