Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cwjcc!hal!nic.MR.NET!umn-cs!bungia!sialis!rjg
From: rjg@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: I'm tired of alt.rissa!
Message-ID: <1260@sialis.mn.org>
Date: 14 Mar 89 14:30:09 GMT
References: <763@twwells.uucp> <13356@steinmetz.ge.com>
Reply-To: rjg@sialis.mn.org (Robert J. Granvin)
Organization: Dr. Ho Laboratory and Day Care Center
Lines: 33

>  I think you're looking for a solution to something which isn't a
>problem. The alt groups are only carried by those who want to carry
>them.

This is not entirely true.  This argument has been around forever, and
it's rare that someone steps up and counters it.

Many sites carry a full news distribution and then redistributes it to
a number of downstream sites, who in turn do the same.  These upper
tier sites feel that they have a responsibility to their sites to
maintain a complete and reasonable news feed.  Therefore, alt is
carried, even though it is not wanted.

It can always be argued that the upper tier site(s) can just cease to
carry alt and let it impact their fed sites in any way it does.  The
sites below them are perfectly able (theoretically) to locate another
source for their alt distribution should they choose to receive it.

But that's almost considered "anti-social", and just doesn't fit in
with the "spirit of Usenet" we hear about so often (Whatever that is
:-)

Every argument has a counter-argument, and the solutions to
individuals are easy, but it's no longer a global situation that
"whoever doesn't want to carry alt, doesn't."  Unfortunately, no
matter what its value is, if it gets to be unreasonable and/or
unmanageable, people will be tempted into turning it off.

-- 
       Robert J. Granvin           "Mueslix: A natural blend of oats, barley,
 National Information Services      octopi, Toyotas, cement and small furry
       rjg@sialis.mn.org            animals too slow to escape our field
{amdahl,hpda}!bungia!sialis!rjg     agents."   --'corsair'