Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!m2c!ulowell!page
From: page@swan.ulowell.edu (Bob Page)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: The USENET Seal of Approval
Message-ID: <5646@swan.ulowell.edu>
Date: 23 Mar 88 16:21:44 GMT
References: <2653@crash.cts.com> <498@cunixc.columbia.edu> <3496@cbmvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: page@swan.ulowell.edu (Bob Page)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Lowell, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 75
Keywords: impartial revues?

Well, looks like I got some attention.

haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) wrote:
>Pehaps we should collect some initial funds

suh@cunixc.columbia.edu (Kenneth Suh) asks:
>How can this group be impartial if it accepts donations from
>manufacturers and softare houses?

schein@cbmvax.UUCP (Dan Schein CATS) adds:
>So whats the answer?   A group of total self supported soles who are
>willing to donate their spare time?  Hmmm.......

Let me give you my view.  No money is involved AT ALL.  What needs to
happen:

	1. We (comp.sys.amiga) come up with an exhaustive list of
	   items to test.  Objective things, like "does it work
	   with fast ram" not subjective things like "are the screen
	   colors nice".

	2. People who can test particular items (people with fast ram,
	   68020's, flickerfixer, PaintJet printers, whatever) with
	   respect to hardware questions, do so.  Likewise for people
	   with particular software items (v1.1 compatibility (?),
	   works with Csh/WShell/AmigaShell/Make/ConMan/ARexx etc).
	   The exact list of requirements depends on the kinds of
	   things we hope to test for.

	3. It requires vendors to supply enough copies of the package
	   so that everyone that does testing (there only need be a
	   handful of people) get a copy.  We can even shuttle around
	   a couple of copies between testers, but the test results
	   (thus the 'seal of approval') will be delayed somewhat.

	4. It requires one person to contact vendors (or have vendors
	   contact if this catches on), distribute and collect the
	   products to/from the testers, coordinate the testing,
	   produce the results, and publish them as far and wide as
	   possible.

So why would anyone want to be the coordinator?  Just for fame and
glory.  Just to see the latest and greatest products.  Just to make
the Amiga software market a little more stable.  Just to help the
Amiga community by providing a service that Amigans can have
confidence in.  Just to be the next 'Fred Fish' of the Amiga world.
Have I got you interested?

So why would manufacturers want to participate?  They probably
wouldn't.  At least not at first.  I suspect we'd reject more than 50%
of the available Amiga software currently available.  However, if we
give them (post, whatever) the tests we use, they can test their
products BEFORE they hand them over to us.  As I said in an earlier
posting, comp.sys.amiga probably represents the largest Amiga user
group in existance.  We should use that clout.

Also, we don't need vendors to start.  We can start with the popular
packages (software on the WorkBench disk, C compilers, public domain
programs, Dpaint, Soundscape, DMCS, Marauder, lots more) and test them.
As more and more pass (or fail), Amigans will sit up and say "hey,
this looks like a valuable service."  As they do, they'll start to
ask commercial vendors - "Is this product good enough that it can
obtain the USENET seal of approval?"  If we do a good job, the
Amiga community will come to respect this "independent testing lab",
and the vendors will want to point out that their products have
indeed obtained the "USENET seal of approval."  A snowball effect.

It's not important that a coordinator be chosen now.  Why don't we
come up with a specific list of things to test (as well as specific
ways in which to test them).  I'll keep the list.

..Bob
-- 
Bob Page, U of Lowell CS Dept.  page@swan.ulowell.edu  ulowell!page
		"Nicaragua" is Spanish for "Vietnam."