[net.micro] Digest format

KSPROUL@Rutgers@sri-unix (08/06/82)

I would  !! NOT !! want INFO-MICRO done in a 'digest' format
because since it is so large, I can just not read the messages
that I am not interested in because of what the header says!

By the way, our system is done such that we get one copy of each of
the mailing lists (info-micro, info-cpm, info-apple, info-atari)
onto a different directory and then everybody that is interested in 
reading them uses the BBOARD program to read what ever mailing lists 
they want to.  The BBOARD program displays the header, who it is from,
and allows you to either read it or skip onto the ext msg.

Keith Sproul
Ksproul@Rutgers
-------

CARTER.RU-GREEN@BRL@sri-unix (08/07/82)

From:  Robert A Carter <CARTER@Rutgers>
    Date: Friday, 6 August 1982  12:40-EDT
    From: KSPROUL at Rutgers
    To:   info-micro at BRL
    Re:   Digest format

    I would  !! NOT !! want INFO-MICRO done in a 'digest' format
    because since it is so large, I can just not read the messages
    that I am not interested in because of what the header says!

Run Babyl and use M-X Undigestify Babyl Message, which separates a
digest into individual messages.  Then you can read/delete them after
inspecting the Subject: field.

_R. Carter

bstempleton (08/10/82)

On digesting INFO-MICRO.  Remember that many people do |not have copies
of nice undigesting software.  In addition, remember that a large number
of readers are on the usenet, so something completely different has to
be arranged if you digest.  The usenet, being a distributed network, just
doesn't work well with digesting.  It increases overhead and doubles the
time for messages to get through.

wmartin (08/12/82)

There is a rather simple solution to this USENET vs. ARPANET
single-message vs. digest debate.

Try the route followed by the ARPANET SPACE digest, which is
fed by the USENET net.space and net.columbia newsgroups. The
USENET newsgroups have their normal single separate messages,
read through Readnews or other mechanisms on UNIX hosts.
These are gatewayed through some mechanism (I am not familiar
with the details of this particular process) to become submissions
to the SPACE Digest on the ARPANET. This digest is constructed
automatically, with no necessity for constant moderator intervention.
The software collects all submitted messages, copies their subject
lines to become part of the digest header, numbers and dates the
header, and mails out the digest each night. (If no messages are
submitted, no digest is sent out.)

If some ARPANET people want separate messages instead of the single
digest, the same mechanism used for the WORKS mailing list can be 
utilized -- there are two distinct mailing lists of addressees.
One list gets the digest. The other list gets immediate redistribution
of individual messages. There is minimal extra workload on a list 
maintainer with this scheme -- he just has two files instead of one.

With this setup, then, USENET people can see the individual messages
like they always have, and ARPANET people can either get a daily digest
or individual messages as they request. There is minimal workload on
the list maintainer, as the software does the digestification. All
things to all men...

Will Martin
USArmy DARCOM ALMSA