meehan@Pa.dec.com (Jim Meehan) (06/04/91)
Request For Discussion (RFD) on creation of comp.lang.lisp.mcl ============================================================== Author: Jim Meehan (meehan@src.dec.com) Date: June 3, 1991 Proposed newsgroup: ------------------- Name : comp.lang.lisp.mcl Charter : A forum to discuss Macintosh Common Lisp Moderated : No Proposal: --------- The purpose of the newsgroup is to provide a forum for talking about Apple's Macintosh Common Lisp (MCL), earlier versions of which were called Coral Common Lisp (CCL) and Macintosh Allegro Common Lisp (MACL). There is currently a mailing list, info-macl@cambridge.apple.com, maintained by the Apple/Cambridge office for this purpose, but the large quantity of mail and the types of discussions make it clear that a newsgroup might be a more appropriate mechanism. comp.lang.lisp has become something of a Babel of messages about the language Common Lisp, bug-reports for specific implementations, questions from rank novices, inquiries about freeware, complaints about machine-specific bootstrapping hassles, comparisons of vendors, and lots more. The info-macl mailing list has at least spared comp.lang.lisp readers from the nitty gritty detail of the Mac implementation, but given the different priority with which some of us treat mail vs. news, not to mention the increasing number of requests from people who feel so swamped that they wish to be removed from the mailing list, we think that a newsgroup would be better. I would like to be able to issue the official call for votes by June 15th, so please add your voice to this discussion, if you're interested, as soon as possible. Note that the discussion happens on news.groups, so post your comments there. If you don't have post-access to news.groups, send your comments to me and I will forward them. If the votes for the newsgroup are not in favor, the mailing list will still be maintained. Apple/Cambridge has volunteered to handle whatever administrative tasks would be required by USENET, but this would be an unmoderated group.