🚀 go-pugleaf

Submitted-by: Don_Lewine@dgc.ceo.dg.com

In article <106937@uunet.UU.NET>, jsq@usenix.org (John S. Quarterman) writes:
|> Submitted-by: jsq@usenix.org (John S. Quarterman)
|> 
|> The USENIX Board of Directors met 24-25 September.
               .  .  . 
|> The following USENIX standards activities will cease at the end of the
|> present funding, i.e., in November 1990: 
               .  .  .
|> moderation of newsgroup comp.std.unix and mailing list
std-unix@uunet.uu.net,

This is a terrible idea!  comp.std.unix is one of the best newsgroups
on the net.  The moderation seems to help a great deal.  The overall
signal/noise ratio is very high and the group is not flooded with 
flame wars.

I don't know who to write and express my opinion, but I do want to
protest.  What does comp.std.unix cost per Usenix member?  I would
be happy to kick in my share.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Donald A. Lewine                (508) 870-9008 Voice
Data General Corporation        (508) 366-0750 FAX
4400 Computer Drive. MS D112A
Westboro, MA 01580  U.S.A.

uucp: uunet!dg!lewine   Internet: lewine@cheshirecat.webo.dg.com

Volume-Number: Volume 21, Number 165

Submitted-by: jsq@usenix.org

In article <13100@cs.utexas.edu> From: Don_Lewine@dgc.ceo.dg.com
>This is a terrible idea!  comp.std.unix is one of the best newsgroups
>on the net.  The moderation seems to help a great deal.  The overall
>signal/noise ratio is very high and the group is not flooded with 
>flame wars.

>I don't know who to write and express my opinion, but I do want to
>protest.

The address of the USENIX Executive Director was in the original
announcement:

	Ellie Young
	USENIX Association
	2560 9th St Suite 215
	Berkeley, CA 94710
	ellie@usenix.org

The names and electronic addresses of each of the eight members of
the elected Board of Directors is in each issue of ;login:.

>  What does comp.std.unix cost per Usenix member?  I would
>be happy to kick in my share.

The relevant items in the budget proposal that was rejected were:

Newsgroup:	4,800
Mailing list:	1,500

This was for fiscal 1991, for a total of $6,300 proposed for these items.
I derived these numbers from time actually spent this year.  The
division between newsgroup and mailing list is somewhat arbitrary:
basically, if I had to edit /usr/lib/aliases, I marked it as mailing
list, otherwise as newsgroup.

There are about 4,000 USENIX members, which would mean about $1.75 per
member annually to support the newsgroup and mailing list.  However,
the financials don't really work that way, due to multiple sources of
funds (also including conference and tutorial registration fees) and
various offices, expenses, and projects for the Association to support.

In the end, funding decisions are up to the judgement of the Board of
Directors.  While you or I may not agree with a given decision, please
keep in mind, especially in any correspondence with them, that they were
only doing their job.

John S. Quarterman, USENIX Standards Liaison

Volume-Number: Volume 21, Number 178

Submitted-by: overby@plains.uucp (Glen Overby)

In article <13100@cs.utexas.edu> Don_Lewine@dgc.ceo.dg.com writes:
[on the cancellation of Usenix support for moderation of comp.std.unix]

>This is a terrible idea!  comp.std.unix is one of the best newsgroups
>on the net.  The moderation seems to help a great deal.  The overall
>signal/noise ratio is very high and the group is not flooded with 
>flame wars.

I agree with Don that this group is high quality, and I appreciate the work
that the snitches and others have done to create all the quality information
we see here on a very timely basis.  I would like to see this continue, even
if Usenix does not want to pay for supporting it.

If John is willing to continue as moderator on a volunteer basis, I applaud
him.  If not, I would like to see him call for a volunteer moderator before
turning the group into an unmoderated zoo and flame fest.
-- 
		Glen Overby	<overby@plains.nodak.edu>
	uunet!plains!overby (UUCP)  overby@plains (Bitnet)

Volume-Number: Volume 21, Number 180

Submitted-by: jsq@tic.com (John S. Quarterman)

The previous USENIX funding for most standards activities expired on
Halloween (see <106937@uunet.UU.NET>).  The WG15 reports were funded as
requested back in September.  The snitch report editor has apparently
made an arrangement for the interim until the next board meeting in
January.  Efforts are being made to produce proposals for funding other
USENIX standards activities.  However, since the USENIX board has
expressed philosophical objection to funding moderation of a newsgroup,
it is very unlikely that there will ever be support from them for
comp.std.unix.

For the moment, I have chosen to continue as moderator while seeking
support from other quarters.  Preliminary thanks to those who are
already looking into it.

If no funding materializes, I simply cannot afford to continue
taking adequate time to moderate the newsgroup properly, and
we will have to consider opening nominations for a volunteer
moderator and voting on it by the usual USENET procedures.

I strongly recommend keeping comp.std.unix moderated, because:
1) The original request for the newsgroup, from IEEE 1003 back
in 1985 (the first article was posted 25 June 1985), made it
clear that most standards participants would only read a
moderated newsgroup.
2) Comparing 1989 (unfunded) to 1990 (funded), the increased signal
to noise ratio and the increased number of interesting postings
(partly attributable also to the snitch reports, themselves due
to funding of editing) supports the original request.
3) See comp.unix.wizards for what is likely to happen to an
unmoderated comp.std.unix.

Meanwhile, there will be a guest moderator, John B. Chambers,
while I am overseas 6-27 November.  Please send submissions
to the usual address, i.e., std-unix@uunet.uu.net.

John S. Quarterman, moderator, comp.std.unix and std-unix@uunet.uu.net
--
John S. Quarterman
Texas Internet Consulting	jsq@tic.com	tel: +1-512-320-9031
701 Brazos, Suite 500	  uunet!longway!jsq	fax: +1-512-320-5821
Austin, TX 78701

Volume-Number: Volume 22, Number 19