Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu!bob
From: bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield)
Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.lisp.manual
Subject: Re: Where can I find it?
Message-ID: <26417@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 2 Nov 88 15:49:15 GMT
References: <8811020232.AA16766@nav.icst.nbs.gov>
Sender: news@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Distribution: gnu
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Computer & Information Science
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(Isn't this straying a bit far from the subject of the GNU Emacs Lisp manual?)

In article <8811020232.AA16766@nav.icst.nbs.gov> rbj@NAV.ICST.NBS.GOV (Root Boy Jim) writes:
>Bob Sutterfield wrote:
>> No, we don't support a mail archive server because that would unfairly
>> burden each mail link between a requester and our systems with the
>> cost of passing along the archives.

>Sounds like BS to me.

That's right, that's who wrote it :-)

>Why should he have to pay when you can mail it *FOR FREE*. That's
>right, the internet is *already* paid for, much like unlimited phone
>service, you might as well use up all you can.

Yes, we can mail things everywhere at no direct incremental cost to
us.  But it's inconvenient for a mail-based archive server to tell
whether the entire route to a requester is via free links, or whether
parts might pass over expensive links.  Until that problem is solved
(and it's a very hard problem), we're stuck where we are.

>And other people's mail links are there to be used.

Not by me.  Normally, I am in favor of letting people make their own
decisions about everything.  But many users of mail-based archive
servers are (as they should be) unaware of the ugly details of
lower-level connectivity, and will unknowingly impose themselves upon
their neighbors.  I'm trying to be nice to those neighbors and
distribute the costs of distribution more fairly.  You want it, you
pay for it.

>...and it is morally wrong to allow them to keep their money.

Then you're welcome to set up an archive server, and try to keep your
friends as well.
-=-
Zippy sez,								--Bob
Do I have a lifestyle yet?