Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!amdahl!ames!ig!bionet!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!jgd@csd4.milw.wisc.edu
From: jgd@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (John G Dobnick)
Newsgroups: news.software.b
Subject: Suggesstion for C NEWS and 3.0 NEWS
Message-ID: <1522@csd4.milw.wisc.edu>
Date: 11 Mar 89 09:23:38 GMT
Sender: news@csd4.milw.wisc.edu
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[North American distribution only, since that's where the developers of these
packages reside.]

Since neither C NEWS nor 3.0 NEWS has actually been released to the general
public yet (right?), I would like to propose the following "packaging
requirement".

	ANY and ALL news transport/reader systems shall include a set
	of the "netiquette" articles to "prime" a newly created news
	spool directory.

I suggest this to prevent the following situation, of which I had personal
experience as a neophyte news user.

	A site intially installs news and obtains a feed.  A user starts
	reading news and, in posting a followup to some article, violates
	one of the MAJOR proscriptions of netnews.  Said user gets "corrected"
	(and flamed unmercifully) for this transgression and is told to 
	read the news.announce.newusers articles.  However, there is a
	small problem -- since this is a new site, there AREN'T ANY
	news.announce.newuser articles to read!   (In my personal experience,
	the n.a.n articles arrives two full weeks AFTER the incident.)

To prevent this situation at new sites, I suggest a set of n.a.n articles
be included in each full news distribution.  Source archive copies of news 
should, in my opinion, be so modified.  If C NEWS and 3.0 NEWS are released
in this manner, the archive question is resolved.  I believe this will help
*new* sites, and is thus a "win".


I also propose the following change to any and ALL newsreader programs.

	When a new user is detected (perhaps by an empty .newsrc file?),
	create a "prototype" .newsrc  file for that user which displays
	news.announce.newusers FIRST! This will expose the new user to
	the "rules of the game" as the DEFAULT action of news.
	
	Of secondary importance, most other newsgroups should be marked
	UN-subscribed.  Exceptions would be selected local groups and such
	things as news.lists, and the various "important" groups (the
	"general" groups, news.announce.important, etc.).
	[Personally, I would place the talk and soc groups at the very bottom
	of the list -- personal prejudice.]

I believe that this (first) change, in and of itself, will prevent many
missteps by neophyte users.  (The second won't hurt things, either.)
Unfortunately this requires changes to *many* programs.  Since at least
one of these new NEWS releases includes newsreader programs, this seems a
good time to implement this policy.  This will, I believe, make news more
"user friendly" (I dislike this term, but "kinder and gentler" seems a bit
too much), especially to non-computer-oriented or computer-phobic persons.
This change will not only assist new sites, but individual new users, and is
thus also a "win".

[I would also go one step further and make n.a.n a PERMANENTLY subscribed
newsgroup!  This, however, is a subject to be dealt with elsewhere.]

(I had proposed these changes about two years ago and was hooted down.
Some people agreed with me.  More disagreed -- and quite loudly, too.  The
general reaction then, as *I* interpreted it, was "it won't cure the problem
at *all* sites, so let's do nothing!", and "nothing" was done.  Inertia is a
powerful force to tangle with -- I hope we can overcome it this time around.
Perhaps a Bran' Spankin' New news system will do it.)

Burned once by ignorance of netnews; trying to save others the discomfort.
-- 
John G Dobnick 
Computing Services Division @ University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
INTERNET: jgd@csd4.milw.wisc.edu
UUCP: <backbone>!uwvax!uwmcsd1!jgd

"Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation,
and is thus a source of civilized delight."  -- William Safire