Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!bixpb!bensmith
From: bensmith@bixpb (Ben Smith)
Newsgroups: news.misc
Subject: Re: Adding commercial access to Usenet
Summary: BIX considering posting some netnews
Keywords: news BIX
Message-ID: <206@bixpb>
Date: 12 Feb 89 04:22:34 GMT
References: <796@n8emr.UUCP> <4524@inco.UUCP>
Reply-To: bensmith@bixpb.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE)
Organization: BYTE magazine/BIX
Lines: 27


It is true that BIX is considering posting some of the NetNews articles
in a conference for just that purpose. The reasoning as follows:
   (1) Many BIX users do not have access to UseNet but are interested
       knowing what is going on.
   (2) The articles are editited to include only valuable article of
       interest to BIX readers (this may be considered either a service
       or a limitation, depending on your point of view.
   (3) NetNews may seem to be free, but someone is actually having to
       pay the phone bills, the disk space, the administration time.
       The idea that the news is free is very naive. BIX is actually
       an inexpensive system for individuals.

However, if there is an overwhelming negative reaction to net users about
the possibility of having their articles appearing on one more machine
after being transmitted to tens of thousands around the world, we would
not pursue the plans to bring NetNews to BIX. 

Please direct and comments to me (bixpb!bensmith), the sys and news admin
at this site, or to bixpb!gbond, the editor-in-chief of BIX. (Actually,
I'm not really sure of George Bond's title, but it is his departments
UNIX machine that we are using.)
-- 
Ben Smith - technical editor  | (603) 924-2575  | uunet!bixpb!bensmith
BYTE Magazine                 |                 | uunet!bixpb!smith!ben
One Phoenix Mill Lane         |                 |
Peterborough, NH 03458        |                 | BIX: bensmith