[comp.sys.acorn] CALL FOR DISCUSSION: comp.binaries.acorn

johny@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Lord Yak Da Hairy) (12/10/90)

There's been some discussion recently on comp.sys.acorn (and also in
eunet.micro.acorn) about the posting of binaries to those groups. It's looking
like a separate binaries group would be a good idea, and so I propose the
creation of comp.binaries.acorn.

My personal feeling is that the group should be moderated; the moderator would
check that the programs worked, that they had no trojans or viruses, and that
they actually uncompressed properly...

Comments, anyone?

-- John Yeates (Lord Yak Da Hairy) --------------------------------------------
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mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) (12/14/90)

rcpieter@svin02.info.win.tue.nl (Tiggr) writes:
> mathew@mantis.UUCP (mathew) writes:
> >Some of us are on UUCP sites. Some of us have to pay to download news.
> 
> Sure, you have said that before.
> 
> Currently the number binary postings in comp.sys.acorn is close to zero
> articles per day (in fact: one binary since comp.sys.acorn was newgrouped).
> Kinda strange to start a new group with an expected traffic volume of zero
> articles a day, right?

Perhaps they are being polite and not posting binaries to a discussion group?

I suggest that all readers of comp.sys.acorn who WOULD post binaries instead
post a message saying "I would have posted <program name> in the binaries
group". That way we'll quickly get an idea as to whether the demand's there.

If it turns out that there isn't enough demand, how about keeping
eunet.micro.acorn for binaries, and leaving comp.sys.acorn for discussions?


mathew.
--
Mantis Consultants, Unit 56, St. John's Innovation Centre, Cambridge. CB4 4WS.
mathew@mantis.co.uk \\ "CP/M is to metric as cockroaches are to a Timex watch"
ukc!ibmpcug!mantis!mathew -------------------\\ - booter@catnip.berkeley.ca.us

rcpieter@svin02.info.win.tue.nl (Tiggr) (12/16/90)

mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:

>If it turns out that there isn't enough demand, how about keeping
>eunet.micro.acorn for binaries, and leaving comp.sys.acorn for discussions?

This is even worse!  comp.sys.acorn was created to have a world-wide
replacement for the european-only eunet.micro.acorn.  There have always
been binaries in eunet.micro.acorn, and with comp.sys.acorn replacing
eunet.micro.acorn there is no reason that binaries should not be posted
to comp.sys.acorn.

Tiggr

andras@alzabo.uucp (Andras Kovacs) (12/17/90)

In article <Zg96T9w163w@mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
>
>If it turns out that there isn't enough demand, how about keeping
>eunet.micro.acorn for binaries, and leaving comp.sys.acorn for discussions?

    Please don't do that. I'm not getting eunet.micro.acorn (isn't eunet for
Europe?) and I'm already afraid that I'm losing out on some excellent traffic.
Actually, is there any archive which has the Arc specific stuff which went on
in eunet.micro.acorn?
-- 
Andras Kovacs
andras@alzabo.UUCP

andy@acorn.co.uk (Andy Ingle) (12/20/90)

rcpieter@svin02.info.win.tue.nl (Tiggr) writes:

>This is even worse!  comp.sys.acorn was created to have a world-wide
>replacement for the european-only eunet.micro.acorn.  There have always
>been binaries in eunet.micro.acorn, and with comp.sys.acorn replacing
>eunet.micro.acorn there is no reason that binaries should not be posted
>to comp.sys.acorn.

I couldn't agree more! Very few of the {comp.sys,eunet.micro}.acorn
articles contain binaries, why create a new group just to please
a few penny-pinching system administrators. At the moment the
traffic on comp.sys.acorn is fairly light, partly because some
people are still posting to eunet.micro.acorn only. If you can't
afford to take a few binaries don't take the group at all.

A binaries vote should only take place when there is an average of
(say) 40 or more new articles each day in comp.sys.acorn and at
least 10 of these are binaries. If someone were to take a vote
today I would vote NO. Cluttering up the namespace with lots of
seldom-used newsgroups is just stupid.

--Andy Ingle
-- 
"Well, I wanted fur to know what hedgehogs lives on: so I be a-keeping
 this here hedgehog - fur to see if it eats potatoes --"
"Much better keep a potato," said the Professor; "and see if hedgehogs
 eat it!"  -- Lewis Carroll

mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) (12/21/90)

andy@acorn.co.uk (Andy Ingle) writes:
>                                                     If you can't
> afford to take a few binaries don't take the group at all.

Hey, that's a great way to encourage propagation of the group, and hence
persuade more people to take an interest in Acorn machines.

You must be in marketing, right?


mathew.
[ I hope you have a sarcasm detector. ]
--
Mantis Consultants, Unit 56, St. John's Innovation Centre, Cambridge. CB4 4WS.
mathew@mantis.co.uk \\ "CP/M is to metric as cockroaches are to a Timex watch"
ukc!ibmpcug!mantis!mathew -------------------\\ - booter@catnip.berkeley.ca.us

gtoal@tharr.UUCP (Graham Toal) (12/24/90)

In article <4534@acorn.co.uk> andy@acorn.co.uk (Andy Ingle) writes:
>A binaries vote should only take place when there is an average of
>(say) 40 or more new articles each day in comp.sys.acorn and at
>least 10 of these are binaries. If someone were to take a vote
>today I would vote NO. Cluttering up the namespace with lots of
>seldom-used newsgroups is just stupid.

I agree wholeheartedly.  I'd also vote against *any* binaries group
because I have qualms about posting anything other than sources.
(And for that we have alt.sources -- absolutely no reason why Archie
sources can't go out on that group with a pointer posted here)

Seasons Cliches to everyone.

Graham
-- 
(* Posted from tharr.uucp - Public Access Unix - +44 (234) 261804 *)

rcpieter@info.win.tue.nl (Tiggr) (02/12/91)

This is the official CALL FOR *DISCUSSION* on the creation of the newsgroup
comp.binaries.acorn.

NAME

	comp.binaries.acorn - worldwide *moderated* distribution of programs
			      (either in source or binary form) for Acorn
			      machines (both Archimedes and BBC).

MODERATION

	The group shall be moderated.  Alan Glover (aglover@acorn.co.uk) has
	volunteered to be the moderator.

REASON

	About two months ago, the newsgroup comp.sys.acorn was created.  The
	group was (and still is) intended for the discussion of computers made
	by Acorn, and computers based on the Acorn RISC Machine (ARM).  Right
	from the start, a sort-of holy war started on whether or not (large)
	binary and source postings should be posted to the group, or that a
	seperate group should be created for this purpose.  Almost everyone
	familiar with the eunet.micro.acorn group said that posting binaries
	was okay since it had always been done like that.

	However, the number of binary/source postings in comp.sys.acorn has
	grown far beyond any acceptable level, and the creation of the group
	comp.acorn.binaries is called for.  (For instance, on January 10th, my
	site had received 725760 bytes in comp.sys.acorn in 1991,  626355
	bytes being binary postings.  That is a 86 percent!)

AUTHOR
	Tiggr (rcpieter@info.win.tue.nl)

rcpieter@wsinti02.info.win.tue.nl (Tiggr) (02/19/91)

The creation of both a comp.sources.acorn and a comp.binaries.acorn has
been propsed.  The question is whether or not this is wanted.  What is
the general opinion on this (I need to know before I can issue a proper
call for votes).

Tiggr

chughes@maths.tcd.ie (Conrad Hughes) (02/19/91)

In <1763@svin02.info.win.tue.nl> rcpieter@wsinti02.info.win.tue.nl (Tiggr) writes:

>The creation of both a comp.sources.acorn and a comp.binaries.acorn has
>been propsed.  The question is whether or not this is wanted.  What is
>the general opinion on this (I need to know before I can issue a proper
>call for votes).

Judging by the fact that nobody has posted binaries in the past few weeks, so
they can post to comp.binaries.acorn, I'd say the general opinion is that it
_is_ wanted. Otherwise we get no more binaries :-(

Conrad
-- 
Man never fights to win;
It is better that he fight in vain.             Cyrano de Bergerac

gpvos@cs.vu.nl (Gerben 'P' Vos) (02/20/91)

chughes@maths.tcd.ie (Conrad Hughes) writes:
>In <1763@svin02.info.win.tue.nl> rcpieter@wsinti02.info.win.tue.nl (Tiggr) writes:

>>The creation of both a comp.sources.acorn and a comp.binaries.acorn has
>>been propsed.  The question is whether or not this is wanted.  What is
>>the general opinion on this (I need to know before I can issue a proper
>>call for votes).

>Judging by the fact that nobody has posted binaries in the past few weeks, so
>they can post to comp.binaries.acorn, I'd say the general opinion is that it
>_is_ wanted. Otherwise we get no more binaries :-(

Of course, almost everyone wants the binaries group.
But, do you want only a binaries group (which may also carry sources), or
both a sources group and a binaries group? It looks like most people
are neutral on this. Any ideas?

And BTW, please keep the discussion in news.groups . I've redirected
follow-ups to this.

-                                       Gerben
--
--- Gerben Vos - Aconet: BIGBEN!Gerben Vos - Internet: gpvos@cs.vu.nl
---- Should I put something funny here?

fl@tools.uucp (Frank Lancaster) (02/20/91)

I can only find advantages in having comp.binaries.acorn, I would
also propose that Acorn could post programmes that are kept in
the SID database into comp.binaries.acorn. That would enable
us (the horrible people who are not living inside England)
to gain access to these programmes.

Frank Lancaster

mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) (02/20/91)

chughes@maths.tcd.ie (Conrad Hughes) writes:
> In <1763@svin02.info.win.tue.nl> rcpieter@wsinti02.info.win.tue.nl (Tiggr) wr
> >The creation of both a comp.sources.acorn and a comp.binaries.acorn has
> >been propsed.  The question is whether or not this is wanted.  What is
> >the general opinion on this (I need to know before I can issue a proper
> >call for votes).
> 
> Judging by the fact that nobody has posted binaries in the past few weeks, so
> they can post to comp.binaries.acorn, I'd say the general opinion is that it
> _is_ wanted. Otherwise we get no more binaries :-(

Try reading the first line again.

Now, do you want
   A. comp.binaries.acorn
   B. comp.binaries.acorn + comp.sources.acorn
   C. comp.binaries.acorn with occasional source postings in it
   D. green (*)
   E. none of the above


mathew
[ (*) As is well known to exam candidates, every multiple choice question has
      one answer which is blatantly wrong. ]

aglover@acorn.co.uk (Alan Glover) (02/21/91)

That is one of the advantages of offering to moderate the proposed group(s)
and running SID! I have every intention of posting items from SID into
c.b.a/c.s.a on a regular basis :-)

Alan

cs9h9tts@cybaswan.UUCP (t.simpson) (02/21/91)

In article <wRaoX6w163w@mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
>chughes@maths.tcd.ie (Conrad Hughes) writes:

>   C. comp.binaries.acorn with occasional source postings in it

this one sounds best to me.

Tom.

rogersh%t5j@uk.ac.man.cs (Huw J. Rogers) (02/21/91)

In article <wRaoX6w163w@mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
>
>Now, do you want
>   A. comp.binaries.acorn
>   B. comp.binaries.acorn + comp.sources.acorn
>   C. comp.binaries.acorn with occasional source postings in it
>   D. green (*)
>   E. none of the above
>

	Personally I reckon C. Two separate newsgroups would be OTT.
But please hurry up with comp.binaries.acorn. How does USENET do the
CFD, CFV procedure, and how long will it take?

		Huw

[ H.J.Rogers (INTERNET: rogersh%p4%cs.man.ac.uk@cunyvm.cuny.edu)       ]
[    ,_,     (BITNET/EARN: rogersh%p4%cs.man.ac.uk@UKACRL.BITNET)      ]
[  :-(_)-o   (UUCP: ...!uunet!cunyvm.cuny.edu!cs.man.ac.uk!p4!rogersh) ]
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csuaw@warwick.ac.uk (Patrick Clark) (02/22/91)

C.
-- 
___________________________________________________________________________
Patrick Clark          |                            | 'You'd have to get up
University of Warwick  |   patrick@uk.ac.warwick.cs |  pretty early to catch
Coventry , CV4 7AL     |                            |  you out Micheal '