Apur-ee.195
net.news
utzoo!decvax!pur-ee!davy
Sat Dec 26 19:45:37 1981
USENET policy and USENIX decisions

  I must say that putting the decisions on USENET policy into the
hands of those people attending the USENIX conference (certainly
a minority of the people who read news, etc.) is grossly unfair.
I myself cannot afford to attend the conference (I don't know if I 
would, even if I could), and am certain numerous others can't for 
numerous other reasons.
  Now, sure as I say the decision should be made over the net, someone 
else says that it shouldn't.  However, let me make this suggestion:

	1. Until USENIX time comes around, keep the discussion alive
	here in news.  Anyone who has a suggestion should send it in,
	letting everyone "hear" it.

	2. When USENIX arrives, let the group discuss WHAT HAS ALREADY
	BEEN SUGGESTED IN NEWS, and try to come to some decision of 
	what the best policy/policies would be.

	3. After USENIX is over, somebody who has been chosen as a 
	"spokesman" for the USENIX group should send out an article
	(posted to some vastly-read newsgroup) detailing what has 
	been chosen as the "best" way to handle things.

	4. Following this article, a ballot of sorts should be sent out
	in news, asking "yes", "no", "abstain" for each element of the
	policies decided upon.  Each reader of news (provided he wants
	to) can fill out the ballot, and mail it to a central site
	(perhaps to Mark or Matt?), by a certain deadline (at least a
	week from the posting date of the article).

	5. On the basis of the ballots, USENET policies could be chosen.

  This method, as I see it, will let policy be discussed in a much freer
atmosphere, i.e., talking instead of typing, but it will still let the 
actual readers of USENET stuff be the final judges.

--Dave Curry (pur-ee!davy)

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