[comp.sources.d] Why not rename comp.sources.* to comp.source.code.*

allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) (11/12/89)

As quoted from <1989Nov8.092730.9374@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu> by jeffm@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Jeff Medcalf):
+---------------
| I think that *.sources* is both descriptive and efficient.  When people think
| that source means a source of supply, rather than source code, it is usually
| very easy to tell them nicely that *.sources* groups are for code, and that
| they are looking for a *.sources.wanted group, or whichever other type of
| group is appropriate.
+---------------

I maintain that the usage of "sources" as meaning program source code is a
Usenet-ism and not obvious to others, which makes such education as you
describe necessary; naming the groups "*.source-code" has the advantage of
being a bit more obvious in intent to such users.  Education before the fact,
as Greg Woods has said, is a failure; education after the fact is education
too late -- making the newsgroup name less suscepible to misinterpretation
according to the *standard* usage of a term stands a chance of working.
People who are used to Usenet-ese sometimes forget that not everyone speaks
that particular dialect....

++Brandon
-- 
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allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) (11/12/89)

As quoted from <1989Nov11.225526.1468@NCoast.ORG> by allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery):
+---------------
| describe necessary; naming the groups "*.source-code" has the advantage of
+------------------------------------------------^

One other comment:  I prefer the "-" instead of ".".  Not only does "." waste
a directory, but a new user would be tempted to view the resulting group name
in the same way that other newsgroup names work:  "source . code" would be
read as "sources of supply for code", which puts us right back where we
started.

++Brandon
-- 
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