Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!watdcsu!andytoy
From: andytoy@watdcsu.waterloo.edu (Andy Toy, Applications Support Group)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Discussions for new groups
Message-ID: <5001@watdcsu.waterloo.edu>
Date: 25 Aug 88 18:30:52 GMT
References: <2129@silver.bacs.indiana.edu> <47200010@hcx1> <3684@drivax.UUCP>
Reply-To: andytoy@watdcsu.waterloo.edu (Andy Toy, Applications Support Group)
Distribution: na
Organization: Dept of Computing Services, U of Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
Lines: 44

In article <3684@drivax.UUCP> frotz@drivax.UUCP (Frotz) writes:
>How about trying to shorten the names/heirarchical levels of the
>group?  I think that the amount of traffic in comp.sys.ibm.pc covers
>non-100% compatibles close enough to initially make the following name
>changes:
>	comp.pc.hard		technical discussions
>	comp.pc.soft		software discussions
>	comp.pc.prog		programming discussions
>Further expansion might be as follows:
>	comp.pc.hard.tech	for PC [clone/peripheral] discussions
>	comp.pc.soft.apps	for PC Application discussions
>	comp.pc.soft.dos	for PC/MSDOS (or compatible) discussions
>	comp.pc.soft.os2	for OS/2
>	comp.pc.soft.os		for non DOS/OS2 OS' or environments

I don't believe that creating a new hierarchical level for the IBM PC
and compatibles would be beneficial.  The PC is an IBM system so
comp.sys.ibm.pc seems perfectly reasonable for a newsgroup name.  If
you want to talk about OS related topics then create a newsgroup that
conforms to the current naming conventions, i.e. comp.os.msdos,
comp.os.os2.  Those wanting to discuss other operating systems can post
to the other comp.os groups.  Discussion about other software is
another problem.  Where should one post articles about other software
such as applications?  Should there be a comp.os.msdos.soft or
comp.sys.ibm.pc.soft or perhaps comp.soft.ibm.pc or ...?  Or is posting
to comp.os.msdos or comp.sys.ibm.pc adequate?  Seems to me that it
would fall under the comp.os category more that comp.sys, but it
depends if the discussion is OS or system related.  And then there may
be more general questions about software that runs on multi-vendor
environments such as software that has versions for IBM, DEC, Apple,
UNIX, VMS, CMS, etc...  Where should these be discussed?  I guess one
could cross-post to the various newsgroups or else create comp.soft...
or something like that.  These are juat some thoughts.

My original point was that the current hierarchical framework should be
used (i.e. comp.sys and comp.os) if possible and that creating a new
second-level subgroup for the pc is a bit out of line (might as well
create comp.vax while we're at it).

-- 
Andy Toy, Applications Support Group, Department of Computing Services (DCS),
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA N2L 3G1, 519/885-1211 x3417
UUCP: ...!watmath!watdcsu!andytoy    NetNorth/BITNET/EARN: ANDYTOY AT WATDCSU
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