From: davidg@aegis.or.jp (Dave McLane)
Newsgroups: fj.news.group
Subject: Re: About Fj.life.in-japan CFV[Pidgin English]
Date: 20 Aug 92 10:25:34 GMT
Organization: Aegis Society, Kyoto Japan

Thanks for the post Masahiko!

[my original query omitted]

>It is far beyond my ability to explain all the discussions for the creation 
>of fj.life.in-japan.  I'll post some brief summaries on my articles and
>some of the follow-up articles on a Subject: Is fj kind to minorities

Thanks.

>1) I think majorities of fj now is Japanese majoring information-science.
>   I am not majoring information science, so in that sence I am a minority
>   in fj.  From a minority's viewpoint, I think fj now is not kind to
>   minorities.  This I think comes from the fact that new newsgroup like
>   fj.windows.ms was easily created but fj.sci.medical or fj.life.in-japan
>   are not.

As I understand it, this is because many/most of the machines on
JUNET are for scienticfic endeavors. The humanities isn't well
represented by the hardware necessary to take part. 

>   (Mr. Ohta disagreed because news system is for majorities and for minori-
>   ties you have mailing-lists.)  

This sounds like another Ohta-creation like the control messages that
keep coming onto Aegis :-) 

According to USENET conventions (and fj *is* part of USENET isn't
it?) newgroups are created if a majority of the people who vote,
vote YES. It has nothing to do with what the majority of the people
on the system think about it. If it *was* a majority of the people
on the net, who would keep track of who they were?

>2) I read the foreword on "Guidelines on the use of JUNET", where I found
>   the spirit of the founders of fj is that information science is to 
>   dedicate various fields of science, culture, arts, etc. as an infra-
>   structure in the future.  I want to insist that everyone committing 
>   the creation of newsgroups keeps this spirit in mind.
>   (From this point of view, I argued against Mr. Ohta if he thinks of 
>   majorities as fixed matter, the thought will work as an inihibitor
>   for the expansion of fj as literally major media)

From what I understand, Mr. Ohta, his living in a world of his own
that has little or nothing to do with USENET. If he would like to
change the conventions of the NET, perhaps he could put his ideas in
something like news.admin.policy

>3) On the creation of new newsgroup which is expected to introduce new
>   fields or attendants to fj, the past achievements must not be heavily
>   considered.
>   (On this opinion, Mr. Nakashima posted agreements.  This para is
>   written as what he writes in one of the articles)

Again, assuming that fj. is a part of USENET, there are resonably
clear procedures for introducing and voting for new newsgroups.
From what you are saying I suspect that fj is trying to create some
new procedure. If so, that's OK but then it won't really be a part
of USENET. Oh well....

>4) As for fj.life.in-japan, some are anxious about almost all the commun-
>   ication are done in English, But we already know someone whose mother 
>   tongue is Portuguese has no other means to communicate in English here
>   in fj.  If we do not let a man like him join us, we cannot help being
>   criticized as fj is not kind to minorities.
>   (Mr. Hatano writes he wonders if it is suitable for them foreigners to 
>   create the newsgroup only for them.
>   I wrote to his opinion that some won't need it and some need it.
>   Then we should make it because there are some who need it.)

Please forgive me but I really don't see what the problem is with
respect to the English or any other language. There are already
hundreds and hundreds of newsgroups being carried on USENET in Japan
in English and other languages. People are free to vote for or
against the proposed new newsgroup: it for any reason, and it
doesn't really matter why. 

>I hope this summary would have neither mis-translation nor mis-understanding.

There are alway people who can find fault with anything, so never
mind.  I appreciate your posting very much. 

Thanks again,

Dave

--
Dave McLane  davidg@aegis.or.jp
Sorry, I can only understand replies in English.
You're free to copy/quote/translate this as long as credit is given. 
Nagaokakyoshi, Kyoto Japan Tel: +81-75-951-1168 Fax: +81-75-957-1087

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