[comp.org.usenix] NNTP BOF misnamed

limonce@pilot.njin.net (Tom Limoncelli) (05/29/91)

Some random thoughts on the NNTP BOF.  [NOTE:  Feel perfectly free to
ignore this article.  I'm not able to make Usenix this year; so I
shouldn't talk :-) ]

[David Letterman-style "Ah, I remember...." screen gets wavy,
eventually focuses on me at the USENIX January '90 NNTP BOF.]

I stumbled into a NNTP BOF once.  At the time drew.edu ("my" site) was
small and we didn't need or use NNTP.  Of course, if that damn NSF
grant ever came through :-) we'd need to have someone that understood NNTP
so I walked in.

Everyone was there.

Lots of good information was there.

Lots of good information that was not just for NNTP managers was there.
                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I was *quite* upset that this had been advertised as "NNTP (and in
little or non-existent letters "and Usenet") Managers BOF".  Later I
met a couple people that had skipped the BOF because they thought it
would be NNTP-only, not for all Usenet admins.  I was glad I had
attended "by chance".

Could we *possibly* change the name to "Usenet Site Admin BOF" or
split it into 2 BOF's "News Transport Issues BOF" and "News Admins
Talking About Recent Issues BOF"?

Just some thoughts.
Tom
P.S.  The time I was able to attend, I got wind of a mailing list that
I now call one of the "best kept secrets of Usenet".  Subscribe at
nntp-managers-request@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (if that's wrong, I guess
Eric will correct me), they often have conversations there that
include a lot of the dirt that's good to know if you are a News
Manager using *any* protocol.  It has a good signal/noise ratio, which
may not last if I announce it like this, but it was announced at the
NNTP BOF as "essential" (footnote: I believe that word should be
credited to Eric Fair).
-- 
Tom Limoncelli  tlimonce@drew.edu  tlimonce@drew.bitnet  201-408-5389
                 "People in tight pants, moving fast."

rsalz@bbn.com (Rich Salz) (06/03/91)

Sorry, but no, the BOF is not misnamed.  Discussion will wander, as any good
discussion does, but the primary orientation of the BOF is for people who
are running NNTP on Internet sites.
	/r$
-- 
Please send comp.sources.unix-related mail to rsalz@uunet.uu.net.
Use a domain-based address or give alternate paths, or you may lose out.

fair@Apple.COM (Erik E. Fair) (06/05/91)

In the referenced article, limonce@pilot.njin.net (Tom Limoncelli) writes:
>P.S.  The time I was able to attend, I got wind of a mailing list that
>I now call one of the "best kept secrets of Usenet".  Subscribe at
>nntp-managers-request@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (if that's wrong, I guess
>Eric will correct me), they often have conversations there that
>include a lot of the dirt that's good to know if you are a News
>Manager using *any* protocol.  It has a good signal/noise ratio, which
>may not last if I announce it like this, but it was announced at the
>NNTP BOF as "essential" (footnote: I believe that word should be
>credited to Eric Fair).

It's nntp-managers-request@ucbarpa.berkeley.edu, and I wish you'd
spell my name right...

	Erik E. Fair	apple!fair	fair@apple.com