Message-Id: <9110232232.AA07268@narrator.PEN.TEK.COM>
To: glove-list@karazm.math.uh.edu
Subject: Moving List to Newsgroup
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 91 15:32:04 -0700
From: aaronp@narrator.pen.tek.com

Creating a new newsgroup is a good idea, but there are some hard questions
that must be answered first.  I am going to pose these questions along 
with some personal comments.

	1. 	Why don't people just start posting to sci.virtual-worlds?

	The moderators (Bob Jacobson and Mark DeLoura) have indicated that
	they would love to have posts on the topics presented here.  Although
	that newsgroup is moderated, it is by no means heavily filtered, all
	posts that are not blatent flames get through.  Discussions about
	high and low end technical issues are encouraged as well as the more
	phisosphical issues that seem to dominate. 

	2.	If a new newsgroup is created, what should it be called?
	
	The discussions have gone beyond the glove, peripherals, and even
	low-end	solutions; the discussions here are simply technical exchanges
	about virtual interface technology.  This is somewhat different from
	sci.virtual-worlds only because most of the posts are announcements
	or philosphical in nature -- but please refer to question #1, we could
	change that.

	Last week I received alot of mail on the naming subject, so I will try
	to summarize:
	
	alt.<anything>:	
		Not enough sites get alt groups so this would require a list
		to mirror the newsgroup as Nik Conwell describes.  Has the
		advantage of not requiring the lengthy newsgroup creation
		process.

	comp.periphs.glove or comp.periphs.virtual:
		Scope is not as broad as the discussions which take place
		here. As stated in the preface to this summary, the
		discussions here have simply gone beyond peripherals.

	comp.sys.virtual:
		comp.sys.* groups are for computer manufacturers, not broad
		application categories.
	
	sci.virtual-worlds.low-end or sci.virtual-worlds.homebrew:
		Those doing 'serious' research are working with both high
		and low end solutions, so it is difficult to draw an arbitrary
		line between what is homebrew and what is not; as the price
		of computer technology is always dropping, what was high-end
		yesterday will be low-end tommorow.  Besides, even if we
		can make a clear distinction, should we?  We have alot to
		learn from each-other and splitting our efforts could be
		counter-productive.

	sci.virtual-worlds.tech:
		Again, refer to question #1.  This name covers the scope of
		these discussions most completely.  It does not, however,
		inhibit high-end discussions as '.low-end' would.  The recent
		discussions on standardization across the high/low 'boundary'
		would fit in nicely.

	3.	If a new newsgroup is created, should it be moderated?

	Many people feel that moderation inhibits people from posting.
	Others stress that moderation provides a clean way to archive and
	produce FAQ answer lists.  Another concern is that all the 
	virtual-worlds traffic will go to the un-moderated (un-archived?)
	newsgroup, leaving the other in the cold.  Several people, including
	myself, have volunteered to moderate if the consensus leans towards
	this option.


I will post a straw-poll next so that I can easily tally up people's feelings
on the name and moderation issues; I will also be interested in hearing 
what people have to say about these questions and my comments.

--
"when there is no answer,
 we are free to think." -- 1991 Portland Creative Conference
--
        +--------------\
        | Aaron Pulkka  >       aaronp@narrator.PEN.TEK.COM
        +--------------/