Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!rutgers!ucsd!ucbvax!lynx.northeastern.EDU!tmetro From: tmetro@lynx.northeastern.EDU Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: APPLE2-L Message-ID: Date: 7 Aug 88 22:11:37 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 54 I have been talking to Christopher Chung, moderator of APPLE2-L, about the problems with APPLE2-L. I thought it would be a good idea to get the net's opinion on them. Some of the problems include: o tying up the net sending unwanted files o subject fields not listing important information o lacking standards for both file encoding and description o new user education One of the bigest problems I personally have with APPLE2-L is that I can't subscribe to it so I have to request files from the archives based on the information given in the INDEX. This has some advantages to it: if things go well I don't receive files that won't run on my particular Apple // or that I'm not interested in and net resources aren't wasted. The problem is that the descriptions given in the subject (which are listed in the INDEX) usually don't contain enough information. So the first question is: What should the subject field contain? Maybe a file name, a program type descriptor (telecom, text, utility, etc.), and a code representing the machines it will run on (maybe ][ for ][,][+, // for //e,//c, and gs for //gs(+)). Another alternative is to have a description list or newsgroup which would only distribute a brief description of each file uploaded to APPLE2-L. Then users could subscribe to the description list - taking up a minimum of space/resources - and request only the files of interest. Second question: Should a description list be created? Chris informs me that it's not likely that he could create one at Brown. The easiest way out would be to use Info-Apple. Would people object to having program descriptions floating through Info-Apple along with everything else? A standard subject could be used (like "APPLE2-L Description") to help people aviod the messages if they wish to do so. Some standards should be agreed appon for pre-processing programs (Executioner, BLU, etc) and settings (4-bit, 6-bit). Chris said that even if we could agree on standards it would be hard to get users in general and especially new users to conform. One possible solution to this is to create a brief file that covers all the "standards", APPLE2-L addresses, and any other reminders that could be distributed on Info-Apple once every month or so. What do you think? ___________ ./ Tom Metro \_____________________________________________________________. | _ _ | | INET: tmetro@pro-angmar.uucp --/\/\_| |_| '- DigiTell, Inc. | | ARPA: crash!pnet01!pro-angmar!tmetro@nosc.mil Newton, MA | | UUCP: [ihnp4 sdcsvax nosc]!crash!pnet01!pro%angmar!tmetro | |_Alternate: tmetro@lynx.northeastern.edu__________________________________| "I think I was kidding" - Reagan