From: root@plex-1.ann-arbor.mi.us (Dave Parks)
Subject: The Plex Project (Next Phase)
Organization: Plex-1, Michigan's Public Access Usenet Gateway  (Ann Arbor).
Distribution: mi
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 20:13:29 GMT

ANNOUNCEMENT;

Hello Netters;
	After receiving a letter stating I owe the state $7000+ in land
taxes, it hit me that I will no longer be able to pour dollar after dollar
into the running of "The Plex Project".  We started this project with two
goals in mind;
		1). To bring Usenet News to the general public.

		2). Make the feeds 0 cost to the public by having
		    only those interested in supporting the project
		    and what it stands for, make donations for it's
		    general upkeep.

	This is working fairly well and I still believe that this is where
Usenet News is heading in the very near future (since the Universities are
starting to reclaim their system loads by giving out fewer feeds and only to
sites that are willing to pass along the payload). The Plex Project is current-
ly feeding over 14 sites Usenet News over 8 phone lines and through three
machines (Plex-1, Plex-2 & Iunet) which isn't a ONE MAN operation, nor can one
man support this entire project.

	I have finished what I started out to do, and that was/is to bring a
system on-line that the public could run and have a little bit more control
on the flow of news and to help bring down the system loads of a few of the
University machines that have given the general public so much for so long.
With the help of Bryan Beecher, Wes Craig and of course destroyer, we have
slowly been building a nice PUBLIC ACCESSIBLE backbone system, there are
currently over 6 backbone sites passing news on to the public.

	However, most of these machines are personal computers or machines
that are needed at someones point of employment and mostly have one line.
What I see "The Plex Project" and other backbone sites devoted 100% to the
Usenet needs of the public becoming is a entity where the public using the
resources are responsible for it. This includes the running of said system,
upkeep of software/hardware, modems and phone lines.

	We currently have three systems, 8 phone lines (5 2400/1 14.4), and
enough room to grow into a fairly nice size hub for S. E. Michigan.  I am
willing to loan all this equipment (already in use) to a group of people
willing to keep the "The Plex Project" going. If you are interested in be-
coming a member of the Board of "The Plex Project", please send me mail at
any of the three addresses in the signature. I am also willing to devote a
large bit of time to this project (and maybe sit on the board) but have no
REAL interest in running things.  Our first order of business will be to find
someone with the skills to take over and get a board of interested people
together.

	So, now that this project is off the ground and has proven itself,
are there enough users interested in taking it to the next step... becoming
a TRUE "Public Access Usenet News Backbone Hub" with on-line accounts and
feeds to other sites interested in Usenet News?
						   _____    _____
						  '  /  )  '  )  )
						  .-/- /    -/--'
						 (_/__/_AVE / ARKS
-- 
destroyer!m-net!kite  Public Access  Altos 68020 UNIX Sys-III (313) 994-6333
vela!plex-1!root       Usenet News   Plexus P/35 68000 UNIX SysV.2  663-6207
vela!plex-2!root       Usenet News   Plexus P/60 68020 UNIX SysV.2  663-6873
  -- You can mail Dave Parks at these addresses, or phone (313) 663-2247 --
Newsgroups: mi.news