Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncrcae!hubcap!gatech!bloom-beacon!EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU!rws
From: rws@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU (Bob Scheifler)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: CALL FOR DISCUSSION -- splitting comp.windows.x
Message-ID: <8903151252.AA08526@EXPIRE.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Date: 15 Mar 89 12:52:01 GMT
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 14

An important fact to remember is that there is an Internet mailing list
(xpert) that is gatewayed in both directions with comp.windows.x.  Splitting
up comp.windows.x will do no real good unless the Internet side is also split
up.  A corollary is that making changes to comp.windows.x involves real work,
and somebody has to sign up to do it.  The Internet mailing list is currently
maintained here at MIT, by staff at the MIT X Consortium.  In addition, a large
percentage of "answers" (as opposed to "questions") currently emanate from MIT
staff.  Our current position is that we would refuse to split up the xpert
mailing list (even in two); it simply requires both too much initial overhead
and too much ongoing overhead to maintain such lists, and our priorities lie
elsewhere (e.g., in trying to answer questions posed on the list).  If there is
some other organization out there with a good Internet connection that would
like to take over the service of maintaining these lists long-term, and is
willing to suffer the overhead, then we'd be willing to discuss this.