From: dstewart+@cs.cmu.edu (David B Stewart)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: 2nd RFD: comp.sys.vmebus
Date: 29 Sep 92 20:28:11 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.BvCwv4.Mnz.1
Organization: The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University

In article <3212@inducom.nl> meindert@inducom.nl (Meindert Kuipers) writes:
>>>3- One person recommends that the charter of the newgroup be expanded to
>>>    include other buses related to VMEbus, such as Futurebus+.
>>>    Additional discussion on this point is encouraged.  
>> 
>> I suggest to open this newsgroup to all open busses. In particular to all
>> busses which are discussed under the auspices of the VITA and ESONE
>> commitees: VME, VXI, CAMAC, Futurebus+, SCI, ...
>
>Good idea! But how about the various mezzanine busses? A lot of users use
>M-modules, Sbus boards and other piggybacks which are not only used on VMEbus
>boards but also on some other open system busses. Note that the VITA does
>have a mezzanine mini-specification and more or less supports these busses.


From what has been said in this newsgroup, plus from talking to a few
people around here, there seems to be general consensus that opening the
proposed newsgroup to all busses supported by VITA is a good idea.

However, I don't think that it should be opened to all "open busses" as there
are so many of them, and one of the purposes of creating this newsgroup is to
be specific for VMEbus and related items.  If the scope is too general (e.g.
allowing everything like Multibus, NuBus, Qbus, Microchannel, etc), then I
think many people who work with the VMEbus will find too much unrelated
material, and hence unsubscribe to the newsgroup, which in turn lowers the
value of the group.

I will therefore modify the charter for the proposed newsgroup to include any
bus supported by VITA.

As for ESONE, I am not familiar with it, so if someone could elaborate, and
others comment on it, then maybe I will include that too.

As for all open busses, I really don't want to do that, because that will get
too general for reasons given above.  If there really is a need for the
newsgroups for other open busses, then those people who work with them should
make the effort to create such a newsgroup.

>Should we call the newsgroup comp.sys.open_bus or comp.sys.VITA or something
>similar?

I think this is a good question.  I don't want to call it comp.sys.open_bus.
However, should we call it 'comp.sys.vita' or 'comp.sys.vmebus'?

While 'comp.sys.vita' would better define the scope of the newsgroup, I think
that 'comp.sys.vmebus' would be more informative to the majority of potential
newsgroup readers.  I know a lot of people that use the VMEbus (at least around
here) know the term "VMEbus" but have never heard of VITA.  Therefore if they
are searching for the newsgroup, they would search for the string "vme" and not
"vita".  I would therefore like to keep the name 'comp.sys.vmebus', but make it
clear in the charter that topics relating to any buses supported by VITA are
within the scope of the newgroup.  Do you have any comment(s) on the
better name for this newsgroup?

~dave

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David B. Stewart  - email: <dstewart@cmu.edu>            The Robotics Institute
snail mail:       - ECE Dept., Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Current Projects: - Chimera 3.0 Real-Time Operating System
		  - Reconfigurable Sensor-Based Control Systems
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