Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site proper.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!we13!ihnp4!zehntel!dual!proper!geoff From: geoff@proper.UUCP (Geoff Kuenning) Newsgroups: net.news.group Subject: Re: new newsgroups Message-ID: <978@proper.UUCP> Date: Mon, 6-Feb-84 05:05:15 EST Article-I.D.: proper.978 Posted: Mon Feb 6 05:05:15 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 9-Feb-84 13:25:56 EST References: <514@pucc-h> Organization: Proper UNIX, San Leandro, CA Lines: 26 "Besides, what the hell is wrong with hitting the N key?" Darth Wombat Well, Darth, it's like this. I read news at 1200 baud, long distance from LA to San Francisco, on my own time and money. The 1200 baud is only because I borrowed a modem from work; my own mode is 300 baud (that's what I could afford). Every time 'readnews' prints a header it takes three to five seconds; it takes me another two to three to decide whether I want to see the article and hit 'n'. If I say yes and the article is over 16 lines, I also have to pay several seconds while the San Francisco system loads 'more' for me. Multiply this by the 50-100 articles that are posted weekly in an active newsgroup like net.music, and you will see that I pay a lot of $$$ hitting the 'n' key and looking at the first 24 lines of articles I didn't really want to see but that had poor subject lines. (Yes, I can flame at the authors, but that's not a cure--Usenet is big and grows rapidly. I have no way to FORCE Joe Schmuck to post subject lines that are relevant. Even if he tries, I will inevitably misunderstand at least occasionally). In the case of net.music, where there is a clear subdivision, creation of a new newsgroup will help immensely. True, net.music.classical will not get large numbers of postings, especially at the beginning--that's EXACTLY the point! I do not want to wade through endless discussions of the Circle Jerks or whoever to get to the one intelligent discussion of Shostakovich. To take your comment to its extreme, why not just have a single giant newsgroup and let people type "n" to every one of the thousands of articles that are posted weekly? I trust the answer is obvious.