[news.groups] propose new moderated group alt.psmaps

evan@telly.UUCP (Evan Leibovitch) (07/21/88)

In article <611@bacchus.DEC.COM>, reid@decwrl.dec.com (Brian Reid) writes:
> 
> Many of you have seen the PostScript network maps that I produce.
>
> The map files are currently running about 1.6 megabytes per month for the
> 8.5x11 versions...
> 
> [proposal to create moderated group alt.psmaps]
>
> Only 15 newsgroups currently have more monthly volume than 1.6 megabytes, and
> it seems quite antisocial to propose the creation of a newsgroup that will
> instantly make the top 15 in terms of size. 

I haven't seen one of the maps, but would very much like to. Frankly, I'd
prefer to see a general-purpose comp.sources.postscript group, but one has
to start somewhere. And I for one don't have the patience to go through that
miserable voting procedure. So alt it is. Perhaps alt.sources.postscript?

As for your map, does it change so much that the entire
1.6 needs to be re-posted every month?

What about posting the full map, say once per year, and posting changes
to that file every month. Sort of like the way changes to the Usenet
documentation ("here's this month's way of creating a newsgroup" :-) are made.

Perhaps the practice of posting patches, rather than the whole thing, would
keep the volume low enough to justify wider distribution (and posting patches
seems to keep consistent with the way other sources groups handle updates.)

> Ladies and Gentlemen, start your flame-throwers.

Flames my eye. It's a great idea. Belongs in comp.
-- 
_______
The great mystery revealed: | Evan Leibovitch, SA, System Telly
1st - Egg:     2 min 41 sec | Located in beautiful Brampton, Ontario
2nd - Chicken: 2 min 49 sec | evan@telly.UUCP -or- utzoo!telly!evan

langford@reed.UUCP (07/23/88)

In article <257@telly.UUCP> evan@telly.UUCP (Evan Leibovitch) writes:
>In article <611@bacchus.DEC.COM>, reid@decwrl.dec.com (Brian Reid) writes:
>> 
>> Many of you have seen the PostScript network maps that I produce.
>>
>> The map files are currently running about 1.6 megabytes per month for the
>> 8.5x11 versions...
>> 
>I haven't seen one of the maps, but would very much like to.

I have, and they are wonderful, though slightly hard to read.  The
difficulty in reading is a function of the complexity of Usenet, not
of any lack of PostScripting skills by Brian Reid.

> [Proposal to post the main sources once, then post updates in the form
>  of changes to the original source]

I think that this suggestion is a very good idea, and would very much
like to see a newsgroup for this purpose created.  It is very satisfying
to look at an actual map of the Usenet community, and might even help
choose shorter paths to other sites :-).

There were several maps that I saw, everything from worldwide to just
the southern Bay Area.  Are there maps currently available for other
small areas, like Portland, OR, for example?

-- 
Chris Langford          |   "Objects, whenever applicable, resemble
tektronix!reed!langford |  the familiar material objects they resemble."
                        |          - Early edition of the 
                        |      Apple Human Interface Guidelines