[Nottingham] Too much traffic

[Robert Davies]

On Friday 07 March 2003 09:36, you wrote:
> On Fri, 7 Mar 2003, Paul Sladen wrote:

> First things first, a news gateway - great idea but it sucks just as much
> on your bandwidth straw unless someone is willing to host a central server.

There would have to be a central news server or it makes no sense.
But that needs someone willing to host it, and administer it.

I think this has come up before, with broadband connections, the reason to 
subscribe to a shell account server in data centre is reduced.

The news traffic, for LUG members should not be that heavy, I can't see a 
quiet email list like Nottingham LUG breaking anyone's bank on bandwidth 
charges (unless the software went wrong and the gateway created a nasty 
posting loop ;) ).

> Either way this needs a new kind of subscription which allows someone to
> mail the list but not receive the list (assuming you will access read by
> some other means eg. the archive or a crystal ball). (comments ?)
> Oh - and before someone suggests it I do not like the idea of
> subscription-free contributions to the list.

The Mail to News gateway has to handle posts made on the News side and 
forward them to the list.

I don't see bandwidth as the issue, it's more user convenience.  
Netscape/Mozilla include a threading news reader so that ought to help those 
condemned to use poor email or webmail clients from work.

Rob