Splinter groups (was Re: comp.unix.sco...)

[Chip Salzenberg]

According to Chris.Holt at newcastle.ac.uk (Chris Holt):
>What is going to happen to news groups when the load factor increases by
>10 (<5 years, when more universities allow their students access) and
>100 (<15 years?, when more non-computing people gain access) and
>1000 (<25 years?, when the rest of the world starts linking in)?

Long before that time we'll have better newsreading tools widely
available.  One that's almost out is "trn", which is a threaded
version of rn.  Written by Wayne Davison, trn shows the discussion
tree in graphical form on the upper-right of the article display.  It
also has a thread selection mode, where specific threads can be read
and the rest dropped.

In my opinion, newsgroup proliferation is a cosmetic solution to the
basic problem of article classification.  I'd rather program my
newsreader than try to change the Usenet namespace.  The latter
requires great effort for an unknown benefit, while the former offers
immediate feedback and utility.

>Question: is it worth providing a forum for discussion of what shape
>the net should take?

Such a thing is needed.  The last attempt failed; the mailing list
became an argument magnet, just like news.groups.  Who will try again?
-- 
Chip Salzenberg at ComDev/TCT   <chip%tct at ateng.com>, <uunet!ateng!tct!chip>