Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!usm3b2!ittg!pete
From: pete@ittg.UUCP (2301)
Newsgroups: news.admin
Subject: Re: Article Classification is the key to solving USENET problems.
Summary: ditto
Keywords: ditto agreement
Message-ID: <1055@ittg.UUCP>
Date: 23 May 89 15:45:42 GMT
References: <3222@looking.UUCP> <643@stag.math.lsa.umich.edu> <3345@looking.UUCP>
Reply-To: pete@ittg.UUCP (System Administrator @ 207-796-2301)
Followup-To: news.admin
Distribution: na
Organization: Passamaquoddy Indian Tribe, Princeton, Maine
Lines: 71

In <3345@looking> brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) writes:
>In <643@stag> emv@math.lsa.umich.edu (Edward Vielmetti) writes:
>>A few individuals can by their persistence,
>>great skill, and timeliness can do a lot to add to the
>>content of the group; 
>
>I assure you that I agree with many of the sentiments here.  But I
>believe that we are not attaining these goals.

Ohhh, were communicating, is that not a start?  I bet there are alot
of silent people out there ;-)

>For me at least, the only possible action in many groups has been
>the 'u' key.  These individuals of great skill are there, but they are
     ^^^^^^^                        ^^^^^^^^^^^
     ditto, and what about those of us that have GREAT POTENTIAL.

>lost in a noisy room.  How many of you have unsubscribed to a group you
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^
         comp.unix.[questions, wizards, (and for me) xenix]

>would like to read simply because it contained too much stuff you
>didn't want to read, and there was no way to split things up?

and there are a number of topics I want to discuss but really don't
want to add to the excessive size (NOISE) of the group.

>[...]
>Is there another answer?  Can we continue to have huge sprawling groups
>that have no classification within them?

For heaven's sake, let's not. "Just say NO!"

>[...]
>	a) It changes, adapting to pressures and needs of the users
>	b) It doesn't change, and those who get fed up with it leave,
>		to be replaced by those who don't mind it.
>[...]
>many have just plain gone, and many lurk, or read just a few groups.

Was it here, or maybe 'news.sysadmin', that Dennis Ritchie recently
posted an article.  And it was really a reply to someone else's
posting (I think Rick Adams).  What a shame.  The NOISY ROOM has
chased Dennis, and others away from those of us who could stand to
have a little sanity incorporated and/or re-incorporated into our
knowledge base (not to say there aren't sane people out here).

>Sometimes action (b) above is not bad, but sometimes it's the bad driving
>out the good.  How many times have you seen a newsgroup where the sane
>and interesting people all leave because it becomes too noisy?
>-- 
>Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd.  --  Waterloo, Ontario

If the options exist to improve the situation, shouldn't we utilize 
them?  I think so.  I, frankly, would like to get the chance to "brush
shoulders" with people like Ritchie, Kernighan, Chuq, Horton, 
Templeton, etc, ... before their all gone.  

REFLECTION:
I was so impressed with the fact that Dennis came out of his corner
recently, that I printed that article and brought it to the Maine Unix
User's Group last week and showed the people that One of the Greats
really was still alive BUT lurking...;-(

A sane person (I hope),

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pete Sherwood               pete@ittg.UUCP        uunet!usm3b2!ittg!pete 
Passamaquoddy Indian Tribe, Princeton, Maine      Voice 207-796-2301 8-4 EDT
============================================================================