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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!gatech!emcard!stiatl!meo
From: meo@stiatl.UUCP (Miles O'Neal)
Newsgroups: news.groups,comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: CALL FOR DISCUSSION -- splitting comp.windows.x
Message-ID: <3794@stiatl.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 89 17:20:48 GMT
Organization: Sales Technologies Inc., Atlanta, GA
Lines: 46

In article <564@peritek.UUCP> dig@peritek.UUCP (Dave Gotwisner) writes:
-    In looking at subjects for a random 92 articles in my comp.windows.x
-directory, I could classify 35 client related, 30 server related, and 32
-which are not really either.  5 of the 92 I listed as both client and
-server because they were about problems/questions about the client/server
-interface.
-**************	PROPOSAL **************
-What I am opening up to discussion is a proposal to split comp.windows.x into
-comp.windows.x.server, comp.windows.x.client, and comp.windows.x.misc, to
-correspond with the way X is architected.
-
-comp.windows.x.server		Discussions about X Window servers
-comp.windows.x.clients		Discussions about X Window clients/applications
-comp.windows.x.misc		Discussions about X Window not fitting into the
-				above two catagories

I don't think this is a good idea. A split may or may not be a good
idea, but at this stage of the game, I don't think this split will
be in the best interests of the X11 community.

1) For newcomers, especially, it can be very difficult to easily determine
   where their question belongs. Result, you get postings in both groups,
   resulting in (at best) wasted traffic teling the newcomer the proper
   protocal, and (at worst) flame wars about the proper protocol, etc.

2) The volume is not all that high yet. Using the headers command (= in rn)
   and the jn key combo, I get through the articles pretty quickly. Most of
   the groups I read/post are either much lower volume, or much higher than
   comp.windows.x (ie, 5-10/day, or 70-100/day).

3) Many areas are blurred between the two. Many of us really don't CARE
   how much of the font/cursor/etc stuff is in the server vs the client.
   We end up with artificial boundaries for a large part of the community.
   (the us here being applications developers)

4) Finally, many postings will contain at least some modicum of information
   interesting to people other than those the article is truly targeting.
   Several times I have come across valuable information in an article that
   was primarily concerned with other issues.


So, I don't think the client/server/misc split will work, nor do I think
something like the unix.{wizard/novice} split would work.

-Miles O'Neal
gatech!stiatl!meo