[288] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
What netnews needs that LISTSERV gots
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Kent England)
Tue Mar 5 09:37:53 1991
From: kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent England)
Date: Tue, 5 Mar 91 09:17:36 -0500
To: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: Mail from 'David Herron <david@TWG.COM>' dated Mon, 04 Mar 91 19:46:35 -0800
Cc: david@twg.com
I'm sorry, I can't help myself. Consider this as payment for
the 15 bickering messages I read this morning. :-)
--Kent
> From: David Herron <david@TWG.COM>
>
> Capabilities of LISTSERV are...
>
> -- Provides a way for end users to subscribe/unsubscribe automagically
> ... There are security
> levels attached so that these transactions have to be done by an
> administrator if desired.
> ...
> -- Administrators can administer their LISTs via e-mail.. they have
> a different security level and can subscribe/unsubscribe other addresses.
>
> -- Provides a file storage area from which files can be retrieved,
> again by e-mail.
> ...
Sounds to me like we could get the features of LISTSERV into
netnews by adding a couple of features to newsgroups:
Create an option to make subscription to a newsgroup moderated
by a group administrator. This sounds like .newsrc needs to be
managed by the newsreader instead of the user.
Make it easy for the administrator to manage administrivia by
including list management in netnews management or via mail.
Add a file archive capability to netnews. Sort of like a
moderated newsgroup where the files don't expire.
I think that the advantages of netnews information management
outside the personal mailbox paradigm is so overwhelming that we
should think how to expand netnews and not how to better manage
automatic deposition of information in personal mailboxes. (Unless
someone has the ultimate mailbox tool.)
--Kent
