Volume on lists

[emacs%Berkeley at ucscc.UUCP]

As everyone has determined, there is no reasonable way to limit
volume on these lists.  There are some stopgap measures people
might employ to keep the traffic down.  When you see someone make
a message public on the list that should have gone to the author,
reply to him directly telling him so.  Once the people who do this
get a few of these messages, they will tend to stop.

This would help some of the cases.  Another problem is the responses
on small issues tends to grow and grow.  Personnaly I do not care
about "The Visible Cat" or the millions of replies that have come
from this.  Seems to me if someone states something for the first
time on the list, that any replies unless important for most of the
list go to the author.  If anyone else was interested in the question,
he should then reply to the author to summarize the responses.  True,
everyone will not do this, but it may be a start.

On the issue of digesting this list.  Impossible!  Trying to digest
this list, and keep each digest under 100k, would almost take a
person full time, around the clock.

The USENET network seemed to be doomed from the start.  The philosophy
is nice for a small number of computers, but the way it is now, there
are people in the dark for several days waiting for mail.  And that
is another reason why people get pissed of is that someone in the
boonies replies to a subject discussed last week, and it starts all
over.

The network either has to be re-designed (not likely in the near future),
or has to be sped up (1200 baud modems between computers just do not
push enough information).

Most people would say do some more centralization, but then again,
is anyone paid to be doing USENET and/or its research?

Something needs to be done in the near future because of the imminent
flood of PC's onto USENET.  Within a few months, you will be able to
buy a full fledged SYSV for an AT, and I am sure I am not the only
one who will become a usenet site.  True, all the PC will tend to
be on the fringes, but it still adds to this troubled net.

This network is a valuable source of information that no one who uses
it wants to lose.  Any ideas?

					Michael Dove
					CC User Services
					U.C. Santa Cruz
					ucscc!emacs at berkeley