Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!edinburgh.ac.uk!J.Wexler
From: J.Wexler@edinburgh.ac.uk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.transputer
Subject: Commercialism
Message-ID: <10.Apr.89..13:48:48.bst..330714@EMAS-A>
Date: 10 Apr 89 12:48:48 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 19

I do not believe that commercialism on this newslist has yet become excessive,
offensive or inappropriate.  As a non-commercial reader, I do not want to see
advertising swamping the useful news and exchanges, but we haven't yet reached
that point.  We do hear a lot from people with something to sell, but much of
that is actually interesting information rather than publicity hype.  It appears
with background and explanations which make it far easier to understand and
evaluate than advertising copy.  Most commercial contributors seem to be aware
that it's more important, for the time being, to expand the total market for
Transputers and concurrent systems than to maximise their share of the present
rather small market.  Consequently they show a degree mutual tolerance -
sometimes even cooperation - and there are signs of realism and honesty in what
they write.  I am willing to read what they want to tell us, whereas I have no
inclination to seek out and read glossy brochures about the same products. And
it's always easy to skip a message if it is boring or annoying. I'm assuming, of
course, that I am seeing the same messages that you are seeing.  Perhaps there
are problems with commercialism in the news circulating in the USA, and it's all
filtered out before it reaches me.

    John Wexler