linimon@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Mark Linimon) (03/22/89)
In article <KARL.89Mar17113127@triceratops.cis.ohio-state.edu>, karl@triceratops.cis.ohio-state.edu (Karl Kleinpaste) writes: > ... I sent mail to what was once the `backbone,' asking > for opinion of the whole affair, for related reasons of my own. I got > a positively stunning amount of raw, unadorned apathy - high quality, > grade A, first order apathy. Comments such as, "I don't give a $#!+ > what Brad does, as long as he keeps up the good work" and "Connect to > anyone" were indicative of the sentiment. There was not too long ago a great deal of negative sentiment unleashed against the "backbone" for, as some people perceived it, overuse of power. So now they "don't get around much anymore," like the old song says. Under the circumstances, I myself can't really blame them. (Aside to Karl: I'm not claiming you were one of the nay-sayers, I honestly don't remember). In article <13744@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US>, jfh@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US (John F. Haugh II) writes: > Alt is a bloody mess. Who wants to DO SOMETHING to clean it up? Alt was created to be a non-controlled alternative to the regular hierarchy. IMHO it is _certainly_ _that_. Mark Linimon Mizar, Inc. uucp: {sun!texsun, killer, convex}!mizarvme!linimon home: killer!nominil!linimon disclaimer: I'm _sure_ no one shares _these_ opinions...
woods@ncar.ucar.edu (Greg Woods) (03/23/89)
In article <7610@killer.Dallas.TX.US> linimon@killer.Dallas.TX.US (Mark Linimon) writes: >There was not too long ago a great deal of negative sentiment unleashed >against the "backbone" for, as some people perceived it, overuse >of power. So now they "don't get around much anymore," While there was always vocal criticism of the backbone, that isn't why it was disbanded. It was the debate over comp.society.women that triggered it. There was no consensus reached, and some bitter feelings arose on both sides, between people who had never flamed each other before. The whole backbone mailing list became a flame fest. It also became clear that the "backbone" per se had just grown too large. There were so many people on the backbone mailing list when it was finally terminated that it was no longer possible to come to any reasonable consensus in a reasonable amount of time. It was also not possible to come up with any reasonable criteria to limit the size of the list. Once on such a list, it is very hard to get someone off it (not to mention how controversial it would have been to try and decide who should leave). It had simply become too big a group to get anything done. That is the real reason why there is no more "backbone cabal". --Greg