New Newsgroups/Listserv Questions (was STC Bulletin Board)

[Eric Ray <ejray -at- OKWAY -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU>]

Chris (and everyone else),
A mailing list (listserv list) like this can only exist on an IBM mainframe
computer running VM as an operating system. There are a few hacks of the
software which have been ported to UNIX boxes with varying success, but as a
rule you have to have extremely high I/O capacity, good BITNET and/or Internet
connections, and a fairly stable environment.

Frankly, the only reason that this list came into being is that I work at the
OSU computer center, so the hassle of high traffic and initial setup questions
was tolerated as a favor to a co-worker. Generally, system administrators will
be very leery of having outsiders administering a list, and they will not want
to administer it themselves at all.


(not specifically to Chris)
As far as the list not being in a "traditional" USENET category, why not just
ask your administrator to add a bit.* newsfeed? I imagine that employers or
institutions which carry news at all would be happy to provide something which
seems (to me at least) to be useful, even if it means adding a few new groups.

Eric
ejray -at- okway -dot- okstate -dot- edu



Chris said:
OK -- I can see that it would be a problem for STC to post jobs here if only
members are supposed to receive the jobs list.

Let's try another attack: Could STC sponsor a mailing list like this one 'for
members only' ? Or are the problems the same (cost, staff, etc.) for a list of
this sort as for internet?

Chris