[422] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: Lists--Comments & Questions
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Elizabeth S. Lane)
Thu Jun 4 09:19:59 1992
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1992 08:12:09 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>
From: "Elizabeth S. Lane" <llane@cni.org>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <9206031627.AA11507@a.cni.org>; from "Public-Access Computer
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
kendall simmons writes:
>i have to agree with michael about the ease of using the delete key. i'm
>intelligent enough to be able to distinquish between what i'm interested
>in and what i'm not. i am assuming you all are, too. i just got back
>after 11 days off. i didn't bother setting my stuff to no-mail. i
>wanted mail sitting here waiting for me to go through, and have found dozens
>of things that i would have missed. i also found about 100 i deleted
>without a second thought. sure, this is taking me time. so? it's also
>adding to my store of knowledge, improving my ability to do my job,
>expanding my horizons, giving me food for thought...darn. what a bummer.
This assumes that everyone has a system as efficient and inexpensive (to
them) as you do. When I was using the IBM at the University of Maryland
University College, I had to use a mailer that only allowed me to see the
name of the person sending the message; no subject line. In addition, I
had no way to escape out of a message midway; once I started reading, I
had to read the whole thing.
After that, I started receiving the messages via FidoNet, which required me
to download the messages to my local machine before reading. This tied up
my computer during connect time, and used up local disk space; it also
cost the system operator money to send and receive my messages.
Many people are using the Internet from commercial systems, and paying
by the minute (or even second) for the privilege; every extra message they
have to scan and discard costs them real money.
And even those who are using the Internet through the good graces of their
sponsoring institution are incurring costs; that they are hidden doesn't
make them unimportant.
It's important, I think, for us not to abuse this resource. We have littered
the earth for centuries, with the excuse that there was always plenty of
unspoiled land left to use. Why apply the same criteria to the networks?
--
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