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Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!grkermit!masscomp!clyde!burl!ulysses!cbosgd!mark
From: mark@cbosgd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: A Thought on Newsgroup Structure (lo - (nf)
Message-ID: <900@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 31-Jan-84 22:42:23 EST
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.900
Posted: Tue Jan 31 22:42:23 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 2-Feb-84 01:29:45 EST
References: <5248@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
Lines: 32

I agree with Ray, dynamic creation/removal of newsgroups is not
the solution.  Notesfiles has (apparently) shown that having subdiscussions
marked within newsgroups is sufficient.  News does this as well,
with the References line.  It's just that most of you out there
are running 2.10 or earlier, which pays no attention to this line.

2.11 is under development and sorts by discussion.  There are also
commands being considered to do things like "skip the rest of this
discussion" and "unsubscribe to this discussion".

In doing this, a problem is emerging.  A lot of you "wonderful people"
(-: out there don't use the built in followup command, but instead
post a fresh article.  Often you type in any random subject you can
think of, and of course you don't include a references line.  (I understand
that some of you want a cooling off period, or a line printer interface.
We're working on this but it's a hard problem and suggestions are
welcome.)  When somebody posts a fresh article with a different subject,
there is no way the news system can tell it's really a followup.

The major distinguishing factor, as I understand it, between news and
notes in this regard is that notes forces you to use their one user
interface, so if you want to follow up you must use their command.
News allows several different user interfaces, including delayed things
like the line printer, and so can't force you to use the followup command.
It isn't clear which is better, obviously both have their advantages.

If you have a wonderful idea to ensure that followups are properly marked
as such, please let us know (cbosgd!uucp-news)

	Mark Horton

	Mark