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From: bryce@eris.berkeley.edu (Bryce Nesbitt)
Newsgroups: news.groups,news.software.b
Subject: Future news features (was Update of comp.binaries hypercard vote)
Message-ID: <7351@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 3 Mar 88 13:06:55 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: bryce@eris.berkeley.edu (Bryce Nesbitt)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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In article <> farren@gethen.UUCP (Michael J. Farren) writes:
>
>I am going to urge a NO vote on comp.binaries.hypercard.  My reasons?
>Basically, two.  First, the volume...
>Second, the limited applicability of this...
>
>If you take this as a condemnation of binary groups in general, you're
>probably right.

It would be very intersting to see how many times computer-specific
binary messages are actually downloaded by someone.*  I strongly suspect
is is often a much smaller number than the magic "100 message - mail vs.
net breakeven point".

Perhaphs what is needed is a demand based system.**  A reader sees a
*full* description of the binary, and presses a key that means
"I want a copy".  This message is stored by rn, and transmitted
upstream next time news is processed.***  The delay is unimportant
for most binaries, (especially long binaries).****

800K of hypercard stack is not a trivial thing to transmit to the
entire world.


* Yes, I am aware how impossible this would be under the current system.
** Yes I know that it would be much work to add.  Also I know, but do
not like, the fact that not all sites run the same software, and that
may sites run old software.  (-: I'll be more would upgrade if the new
system was made incompatible :-).
*** A backchannel would be great for reader-based "ratings" on the 
quality of articles.
**** Yes, there is justification for this.  The only urgent binaries
are likely to be patches.  Patches are usually small.

|\_/|  . ACK!, NAK!, EOT!, SOH!
{O_o} .     Bryce Nesbitt
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