Usenet 1993 July/InfoMagic USENET CD-ROM July 1993.ISO/answers/alt-config-guide

Text File | 1993-06-28 | 7.0 KB | 169 lines

Newsgroups: alt.config,news.groups,alt.answers,news.answers
Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!news.kei.com!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!spool.mu.edu!uunet!pipex!uknet!gdt!aber!ccs
From: [e-mail] (Christopher Samuel)
Subject: Creating a new "alt" group -- guidelines
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: alt.config
Summary: RTFSL
Keywords: group creation alt
Sender: [e-mail] (Christopher "Jd" Samuel)
Supersedes: <[e-mail]>
Organization: University of Wales - Aberystwyth - Prifysgol Cymru
Date: Fri, 25 Jun 1993 17:29:29 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]
Expires: Fri, 23 Jul 1993 17:28:57 GMT
Lines: 151
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.config:17995 news.groups:74853 alt.answers:474 news.answers:9790

Archive-name: alt-config-guide
Version: 1.6
Last-modified: Mon May 17 09:29:44 GMT 1993
Original-poster: [e-mail] (Mark H. Weber)


    [This posting supercedes <[e-mail]>]

/*
 *    Many FAQs, including this one, are available on the
 *    archive site:        -> rtfm.mit.edu [18.172.1.27]    <-
 *    in the directory:    -> /pub/usenet/news/answers    <-
 *    The name under which a FAQ is archived appears in the
 *    Archive-name line at the top of the article.
 *
 *        This FAQ is archived as "alt-config-guide".
 *
 *    There's a mail server on that machine.  For help send an e-mail
 *    message to [e-mail] containing "help" as
 *    the body of your message.
 */

/*
 *    If you want information on mainstream group creation see the
 *    postings "How to Create a New Newsgroup" posted to news.answers,
 *    news.admin and news.groups. They are archived as:
 *
 *    rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/creating-newsgroups/*
 */

    Guidelines for the creation of an "alt" group.
    ==============================================

    There are no rules or guidelines for creation of "alt" groups,
    However there does appear to be an established procedure which
    follows.


     1) Choose the name for the group you are going to propose.  When
    choosing a name for a group please note the only commandment:

    "Thou shalt not choose a group name which may cause network harm
     or harm to a local machine."

Examples:

    a) alt.verylonggroupnamethathasadirectorylongerthanmostmachines\
    supportsotherehaha.very.funny

    b) alt.[insert300charactershere].very.long.group.name.that.is.\
    too.big.for.newsrc

    c) alt.*.this.name.has.bad.characters.in.it

    d) alt..double.dot.group.name

    If you are proposing a serious group, which may one day in the
    future migrate to a mainstream hierarchy, then you can name it
    with the same name that it may end up with there.  For instance
    "sci.astro.fits" started life as "alt.sci.astro.fits".

    An extra point, please don't use the '.' as a word seperator;
    although it causes no real problem it won't win you many friends
    when you take the name to alt.config.


     2) Propose a new alt group in alt.config.  The proposal
    should include a charter or purpose for the new group, and some
    demonstration of the need for the group.  It is best to make it
    clear in your subject line that you are proposing a new group.
    Be prepared to explain why an existing group cannot be used for
    this purpose, and why the group should be in "alt" rather than
    in one of the mainstream hierarchies (like "rec", "sci", etc.).
    Avoiding the complexity of the mainstream group creation
    procedure is not a very good reason, groups should not be
    created in "alt" just because it's easier.  Many sites do not
    get any alt groups, so if you are proposing a serious group, it
    is worth the effort to try to get it into a mainstream hierarchy.

     3) See what the alt.net.opinion of the new group is.  Wait a
    few days for replies to trickle in from the far corners of the
    net.  If the consensus (however you determine that) is that the
    group should be created, then proceed to step 3.

/*
 *    These first two steps are often ignored, which usually leads to
 *    unpleasantness in step 4 below
 */

     4) Post a "newgroup" control message.  If you don't know how to do
    this, check with your news administrator.  If you ARE your news
    administrator, and you can't figure it out from the
    documentation you have (or don't have any documentation) send me
    mail and I will help you.  NOTE that many sites do NOT
    automatically honor "newgroup" and "rmgroup" control messages,
    the news software at these sites will send mail to the news
    administrator, who will evaluate your request and decide whether
    or not to create the group.  It may take a couple of days for
    the control message to propagate and be acted upon, so don't
    expect instant availability of the new group, particularly if
    you post the control message on a Friday night.

/*
 *    It is good manners to put a description of the new newsgroup
 *    into the newgroup message, along with a one-line description
 *    suitable for inclusion into the newsgroups file.  INN at least
 *    will automatically add the newsgroups description if a line of
 *    the form used by David 'tale' Lawrence is used, ie:
 *
 *    A line with "For your newsgroups file:" followed by the entry.
 */

     5) Let the individual site news administrators decide whether to
    honor your "newgroup" message.  Most admins prefer that the
    message come from a verifiable account, messages which are
    obviously forged, or have not been discussed in alt.config and
    contain no explanation will probably not be honored by many
    sites.  Persons opposed to the group, or admins who feel that
    the newgroup message was a forgery may send out "rmgroup"
    messages to try to sabotage the group.  It may take several
    iterations of this process to firmly establish the new group.
    It has been humorously suggested that only alt groups which get
    100 more "newgroup" than "rmgroup" messages should be
    established.  However, these "rmgroup wars" are annoying to news
    administrators, and reduce the overall acceptance (and
    distribution) of the "alt" hierarchy.  This is the reason that
    steps 1 and 2 above are important.

/*    Here ends the lesson.
 *
 *    This may sound like a lot of rigamarole, and it is.  The purpose
 *    is to discourage creation of alt groups that might be better off
 *    as mainstream groups, or that might be better off left uncreated.
 *
 *    Don't take this all too seriously, though.  The "alt" net is the
 *    last remaining refuge away from the control freaks, namespace
 *    purists and net.cops (like myself) that maintain and enforce the
 *    mainstream newsgroup guidelines.
 *
 *    There is still some room for spontaneity out here on the "alt"
 *    frontier.  Successful groups have been created without following
 *    these suggestions.  Almost any non-forged, serious newgroup
 *    message will at least be considered by most news admins.  Some
 *    groups have been created just on a whim.  The concept behind the
 *    group better be good (or a least entertaining), though!
 */
--
Christopher Samuel, Computer Unit, U.W Aberystwyth, Aberystwyth, WALES
E-mail: [e-mail]         PGP 2.3 public key available on request
"Some say the gods are a myth,            - The Waterboys
 but guess who I've been dancing with."         "The Return of Pan"