From: rdippold@qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold)
Newsgroups: news.announce.newgroups,news.groups,comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard,comp.sys.ibm.pc.games,comp.os.msdos.programmer,rec.games.programmer
Subject: RFD: comp.sys.ibm.pc.groupdemos
Followup-To: news.groups
Date: 28 Jan 1993 23:45:33 -0500
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: rodan.uu.net

REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION

  Create an UNMODERATED Usenet newsgroup called comp.sys.ibm.pc.groupdemos

  This announcement is cross-posted to newsgroups whose readers may have 
  interest in the discussion about the new group; follow-up discussion will
  take place in 'news.groups' and replies are forwarded to there. 

This group would exist for the purpose of discussing group demos and
the groups behind these demos.  This involves membership issues, demo
ratings, discussion of special techniques, new demo announcements, the
music and graphics involved in the demos, and anything else pertaining
to them.

Group demos are graphics and sound demonstration programs which exist
mostly for the purpose of showing off the programming, graphics, and
music composition skills of the authors of the demos.  Generally this
involves showing off graphics tricks while music plays in the
background.  Smaller version of these are sometimes known as "loaders"
- If you remember the old 8-bit days, many pieces of software had
scrolling message demos with music.

These are _not_ demos of games or applications, such as a shareware
game, word processor, or operating system.  These are self-contained
and the only thing they are demoing is the skills of the authors of
the demo.

Group demos may be produced by an individual, but usually are produced
by a demo group such as The Space Pigs or Renaissance.  There are at
least two dozen such groups for the IBM PC (many with members on
Usenet, and more who could get access), and they churn out quite a few
demos and have expressed interest in an international discussion forum.

Currently there is no place for discussion of these, demos although
there are a few "official" demo respositories (ftp.uwp.edu).  The
discussion often ends up on comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard, which is
somewhat inappropriate in that sound is often the least impressive
part of the demos, or otherwise scattered around the net.  Demos don't
really fit in any existing group.

This group is not for the posting of demos - the demos will have to be
obtained through ftp (as is currently done), through a mail server, or
through the binaries groups.

I already sent out an earlier "feeler" message on a few related groups
to see if there was any interest in such a group, and have recieved a
large volume of mail in support, enough that I feel the effort of
creating the group is a worthwhile thing.  The name "groupdemos" is
not the most beautiful thing in the world, but we realize that the
simple name of "demos" will result in massive confusion with the large
number of software product demos.

If we can reach a reasonable consensus on the above in 30 days or
less, I will send out the CFV for a four week vote on the matter.
Eager beavers should NOT ask me how to vote or try to vote until the
CFV is issued - no vote recieved before then is valid.
-- 
The budget is a mythical bean bag.  Congress votes mythical beans into it,
and then tries to reach in and pull real beans out. -- Will Rogers
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