Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!charles From: charles@utastro.UUCP (Charles Sandel) Newsgroups: net.astro Subject: Date of Stardate postings Message-ID: <406@utastro.UUCP> Date: Fri, 17-Aug-84 18:49:16 EDT Article-I.D.: utastro.406 Posted: Fri Aug 17 18:49:16 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 19-Aug-84 13:21:36 EDT Distribution: net Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas Lines: 59 Since I am responsible for getting the Stardate scripts posted to the net (although I have nothing to do with actually producing it), let me discuss a couple of relevant topics: There have been several requests from readers that we post them in advance so that they receive them on or before the actual air date of the script. This presents a couple of problems: 1) There is no way (due to propagation delays between USENET sites) for every site to receive the scripts on the exact air date. Posting the scripts far enough in advance so that every site would receive them at least by the air date would mean that sites near to us would receive them up to several days prior to the air date and would lose their timeliness for these folks. 2) The scripts are actually posted by a shell script that runs once each night. Teaching the shell script how to post articles X number of days in advance is a problem I don't really have time to tackle right now. 3) It is not clear that it is desirable (from the radio show's point of view) to pre-post the scripts. After all, if you've already read the script, why listen to the show? If this happens, the listening audience will drop and the support for the radio show will go away - and with it will go the scripts posted to the net, not to mention the jobs of the people who produce it. The most serious drawback is #3. Please remember that we are posting Stardate only as an interesting service to the net. In fact, there is some reasonable discension here at McDonald as to the wisdom of doing so. If at any point the net postings become a detriment to the radio show, the postings will stop immediately. I support the postings, but I refuse to let them jeopardize the future of Stardate. There has been some misunderstanding about what Stardate is and why it is being posted to the net. Shortly (I hope), we will have a blurb that explains Stardate's presense and describes what it is. Maybe we can also post a list of radio stations carrying the program. Since the scripts are posted regularly and since new subscribers are always signing up, the blurb will also be posted regularly, so that new subscribers won't be left completely in the dark. I think probably once a month or every-other month will be sufficient. The subject on the blurb will be clear so that if you've already read it, you can exercise your 'n' key. Lastly, I'd like to add my thanks to Debbies (dipper) for all the favorable comments from the net about Stardate. -- *>> Charles Sandel <<* uucp: {ut-sally, ut-ngp, noao, charm}!utastro!charles arpa: charles@utastro.UTEXAS.ARPA charles@ut-sally.UTEXAS.ARPA at&t: (512) 471-4461 x439