Asri-unix.429
net.news
utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!menlo70!sri-unix!knutsen
Tue Jan  5 17:46:42 1982
USENET policy
       I was involved in a discussion about USENET policy
awhile ago, and wrote the following message. My bandwidth was
limited (long distance phone call) while the current discussion
evolved, but Id like to submit this now that Ive caught up.
       Also, re {net, fa}.unix-wizards: the reason for the
change was that the group was restructured to resemble a net.
rather than fa. group, in that it can be replied to directly.
We implemented a gateway here to do the "right thing"(?). However
the list is still moderated on the arpa side, which can be confusing.

Date: 15 Dec 1981 at 1522-PST
From: Andrew Knutsen <KNUTSEN@SRI-UNIX>
Subject: Re: read-only newsgroups (net.news cbosg.193)

       What I would really like is to work out methods that
would allow as free a flow of information as possible. Some
of the problem with lack of control we have now (ie either
too many newsgroups/lists or too many messages on one list)
may be solvable by implementing new tools and conventions,
without resorting to brute force.
       I believe that there are limits to how much the group
of users on one machine can store and comprehend, and that we ought to
try to have this be what moderates groups (along with a certain
amount of peer-pressure to keep the quality up). Something more
along the lines of democracy or physical law than dictatorship,
anarchy or even socialism.

       Some suggestions:
Make it easier to flush a newsgroup.
Create methods of merging/dividing existing groups.
Let old unused groups die naturally (automatically).
Have a way to let a question-asker moderate his question, by collecting
       answers and reporting back.
Make it easier to find an appropriate group (like "apropos"... this
       probably involves keeping a directory with descriptions).
Implement some voting scheme for answering questions (like "should
       this group be flushed/created?").

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The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996
Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.