Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st,comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: STRAW POLL RESULTS: Bringing znet mag into c.s.atari heirarchy
From: dogbowl@dogbox.acme.gen.nz (Kennelmeister)
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 02:09:44 +1300
Reply-To: atari@dogbox.acme.gen.nz
Organization: The Dawghaus BBS, Palmerston North, New Zealand (+64 6 357 9245)
Summary: Responses received and comments.

On 28 November, I posted a proposal to comp.sys.atari.st to see what
general opinion is on bringing the alt.znet heirarchy under the
comp.sys.atari.* banner.

My original proposal was:

alt.znet.pc   -> comp.sys.atari.znet (moderated)   - Znet online magazine
alt.znet.aeo  -> comp.sys.atari.aeo  (moderated)   - Atari Online Explorer Mag
alt.znet.fnet -> comp.sys.atari.fnet (unmoderated) - Atari Fidonet gateway

and shortly afterwards, I added the question of the creation of a
comp.sys.atari.falcon group to the list.

Here's the mail I got.

(Note that reply email bounced in a few cases - if you didn't get a reply,
 my nameserver didn't recognise your site - please check your FQDN and MX
 records.)

______________

From: "Dani A. Roloson (MFCF)" <droloson@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>

I would like to have the newsgroups - anything that assists me with my
duties as an  User Group librarian is appreciated. I will admit, however, that
the small amount of fnet traffic that did get through had a low s/n ratio.
Nevertheless, I would like the opportunity to sort through it.

Thanx, Brian Bentley

email via: droloson@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca

______________

From: 6500dtpt%ucsbuxa@hub.ucsb.edu (David Tipton)

I am all for your suggestion of bringing Z-Net into comp.sys.atari!
I hope others are as well.

______________

From: Ralf_Czekalla@st.maus.de (Ralf Czekalla)

I'm VERY interested in this. The every week search for the znet-magazines is
very boring :-(.

______________

From: David Paschall-Zimbel <davidli@simvax.labmed.umn.edu>

I would suggest you use the alt.* hierarchy.

______________

From: knarf@nasim.sta.sub.org (Frank Bartels)

Good idea! Try to do it!

______________

From: warwick@cs.uq.oz.au


>Is there sufficient interest in the falcon to justify the creation of a
>separate newsgroup for it?

I would find a Falcon group very useful.  Currently, I'm auto-selecting all
the "*falcon*" articles, but that gets a bit awkward when silly falcon
discussions arrise.

______________

From: rgmeindl@mach1.wlu.ca (robert gmeindl S)

....
I really think that the idea of setting up individual
newsgroups of the atari mags is a great idea. At the present
time I am subscribed to the e-mail ZNET and really appreciate
it. I would like to get aeo on the same basis or in the net.

______________

From: kosmatoo@JSP.UMontreal.CA (Kosmatos Odisseas)

Subject: comp.sys.atari.falcon
Sincerely, I think we should wait until the first falcons are readily available
or at least until some people who have and are using the machine start to post.

I really want to buy a Falcon as soon as possible, but it is not available yet.

We should wait until then.

______________

From: "VAX1::TOPFM"@DARWIN.NTU.EDU.AU

Vote 1 in favour I cant find Z*NET anywhere except via fidonet and long
distance

______________

From: Gwyn Evans  02-Dec-1992 0937 <evansg@uproar.enet.dec.com>

   As I suggested in my post, I think that there's enough traffic now to
warrent the attempt to create one for the falcon.

  As far as the other groups (Fido/mags), I've no strong feelings either
way. My suggestion for a single group was because I thought that that 
might be easier to get passed than multiple groups. I'd suggest that if
they do go into an RFD you try to give an idea as to the size & frequency
of the messages, to establish a baseline for the discussions?  

______________

From: Erlend Nagel <wmtwen@urc.tue.nl>

Your proposal will have my aporval!

______________

From: Gert@targon.UUCP

>Is there sufficient interest in the falcon to justify the creation of a
>separate newsgroup for it?
>
Do you actually read comp.sys.atari.st ? :-)
Yes it would be a good idea IMHO.  Probably a  c.s.a.falcon.tech will soon
follow I guess.

I would be in favor of posting the magazines in moderated group.
e.g. comp.sys.atari.mags

Would there be someone to do the moderating with right away access to the
magazines ?

I like the idea of feeding other 'nets' like fido, compuserve into usenet.
Do they do that the other way around too?

______________

From: markjl@acs.bu.edu (Mark Lavi)

I think this is a good idea.


______________

From: ptucker@elli.une.edu.au

Great idea to form new comp.sys.atari.st.* for znet postings as
We do not get alt.znet on our feed

=======================================


From comp.sys.atari.st and  ~.tech, we heard these posters.

______________

From: s19184@seb.se (Michael Evans)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st

I would support such a move for 2 reasons:
1. The Atari population is dwindling and needs to keep together.
2. Our site does not take the alt. hierarchy, so I sometimes get Znet by
   email. It would be easier to get it as News.

From: dxo@cs.bham.ac.uk (David Oakley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Falcon on comp.sys.atari

Now the idea of creating a falcon section I like.
At least we wont end up with half the days mailing on
comp.sys.atari.st being Falcon arguments. As for znet, how
long is it?

______________

From: seibert@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Ewald Seibert)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: znet magazine in the comp.sys.atari heirarchy? PLEASE READ

As I didn't manage to get neither ST-Report, nor Z*Net-mag for months

MY VOTE FOR THIS PROPOSAL!

______________

From: weiner@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu (Jeff Weiner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: znet magazine in the comp.sys.atari heirarchy? PLEASE READ
Summary: We've been here before

Haven't we seen all of this before?  Once again, I think that this is
a bad idea, when the magazines are readily available from 
archive sites and Greg's mailing list.  There's no real need for
people to be posting 50K+ magazines to a newsgroup that will hit 
every machine in the civilised part of the planet (and it'll probably
make it to the machines in Minnesota too :) ), when anyone can
get them in one of the other methods.

Digging out the flame thrower, as I'm sure to hear more about this,

______________

From: J.J. Lehett <JJL101@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: znet magazine in the comp.sys.atari heirarchy? PLEASE READ

     Here's my vote to RFD a c.s.a.falcon group also... heck an RFD cannot hurt
can it, and it will start the 'process' to be in place when it may most be
needed.
     Also, on the mags issue, I would like to see a c.s.a.mags group but am
also hesitant on the size of them and the load they will incur (if this is at
all significant really).  It would be more convenient than FTP'ing the mags
and would save the trouble of of 'overflowing' people mailboxes.
     I'd even like to see the hiearchy split further although I know this has
been looked on unfavorably in the past.
     Just my 2 centavos....

______________

From: seibert@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Ewald Seibert)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: znet magazine in the comp.sys.atari heirarchy? PLEASE READ

<In reply to Jeff Weiner's comments above...>
<This is his second appearance here         >

But I need this possibility!!!!!!!!!
As the atari mail server didnt respond for months
Or do you know a way to reach him today??

______________

From: qsi@contrast.wlink.nl (Peter Kocourek)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: RE: STRAW POLL: Znet in c.s.atari, c.s.a.falcon

<re: the Fido group>

That may not be an altogether good idea... the S/R ration in Fido is a lot
higher than it is here, and depending on which Fido echo you would want to
gate, you'd have in the worst case a doubling of the traffic. In the best
case
 there'd be no additional traffic at all. :-)

=======================================

While the overall response was positive, I must point out that I only
received  _14_ mail items, and saw 5 posters to the group.

( Is this a sign of atari user apathy???? )


-------
In reply to Jeff Weiner's argument, I will state that:

1: Many of us DON'T have ftp access, and as has been mentioned, BART is sick.

2: Do we want a 50k magazine in our mailbox each week?
   In my case that would add $50 per year to my already high email bill.

3: The znet groups already exist.
   They don't propagate well but should be doing better as of last week.

   Changing their name isn't going to add to the news burden, as the
   groups have traffic on them anyway.
-------

It looks like the general opinion is in favour of the creation of
 the magazine groups.

As for the creation of a Falcon group, I would prefer to wait until the
machine is officially released. After all, it wasn't that long ago that
the Jaguar was hogging bandwidth, and that turned out to be vapourware. :)

Personally, I suspect that falcon traffic will die down when ( IF ) the
machine is released, as currently most of the falcon posts are either
speculation, or Amiga users generating flamage.




I will leave the debate open for the next few weeks, as I have to go on
summer vacation shortly, and with those people experiencing winter about to
take their <Insert your religious festival name here> holidays, there is
little point issuing a RFD until mid-January at the earliest.





Any comments can be directed to my atari mailbox -> atari@dogbox.acme.gen.nz






REMEMBER: For these newsgroups to succeed, they must pass any usenet
          vote by a 2:1 majority, and have 100+ more "YES" than "NO"
          votes.





--
Alan Brown. (SysAdmin)                          c/- 238a Tremaine Ave
dogbowl@dogbox.acme.gen.nz                      Palmerston North
Dawghaus BBS -> +64 (6) 357-9245                New Zealand
       "A wet and windy place at the bottom of the World"


Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st