[net.chess] Use of network and mailing lists

Hans.Berliner@CMU-CS-A@sri-unix (12/04/82)

From: Hans.Berliner at CMU-CS-A (C350HB03)
Let me echo the  comment of Ken Church.  It boggles  my mind to think
of  all the  wasted  man-hours (at  least 1  minute  person *  number
messages  received *  about  200 people  on the  list)  plus all  the
computer network facilities that are  supposed to be used for serious
purposes  that  are  thus  wasted  for  silly  messages  as  the  bug
discussions and annecdotes that are  passed regularly on this mailing
list.   We are existing  in a  computer science community  and unless
what is  being done  is clearly  related to  some aspect  of computer
science  (which  could very  well  include  the  results of  the  ACM
tourney, but hardly how a  visiting Grandmaster did in a simultaneous
exhibition)  it  would  seem  a  person  would  be  well  advised  to
communicate directly with those persons  with whom he chooses to have
personal, non-work-related discussions.
				Hans Berliner

dave (12/09/82)

To Hans Berliner, Ken Church, et al.:
If we applied your criteria to all mailing lists, the net would
become very dull indeed. Should net.auto be restricted to issues
involving automobiles and computers? Should net.jokes permit only
computer jokes?
I read net.chess because I am a chessplayer, and not because I
have much interest in computer programs which play chess. Following
the protocol for other newsgroups, I would say anything about chess
and which other readers may find interesting is fair game.

				Not afraid to check my name,
					Dave Sherman

Reed.ES@PARC-MAXC@sri-unix (12/10/82)

I for one am sick of the appropriateness discussion. I am of the opinion that the creator or current owner of a distribution list is the person responsible for determining what goes on it and what doesn't. 

Anyone else who complains is merely bitching at that person. Unfortunately, in the absence of any policy statement from that person, the discussion warbles on.

I have seen nothing that I didn't think appropriate to this list, but I am not the responsible person. Would that person please take a stand, so that we can stop interminably bitching about nothing?