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Archiver > GENBRIT > 2004-02 > 1075821454


From: "Stephen Hayes" <>
Subject: News Group vs List (was Re: Does anyone say thank you any more?)
Date: Mon, 03 Feb 2004 08:17:34
References: <00c701c3e89f$41077e00$5ee6183e@sellondb69wqty>


FamilyNet Newsgate

Andrew Sellon wrote in a message to All:

AS> From: ("Andrew Sellon")

AS> Don -

AS> At last I seem to have nailed down someone who can explain the
AS> advantages of Newsgroup vs. List. I subscribe to the List for the
AS> simple reasons that I have always subscribed to Lists, and I do not
AS> know how to change to News Groups, even should I wish to do so.

AS> Answers please! (Preferably in words of not more than two
AS> syllables).

I'm reading this as an echo rather than as a list or newsgroup.

Echoes are actually a newer technology that have paradoxically been superseded
by the older technology of newsgroups and lists.

The advantage of newsgroups is that most newsreaders divide messages into the
different newsgroups, instead of tossing everything into one's e-mail inbox. I
prefer to use e-mail for personal mail, and to read public stuff in newsgroups
and echoes.

Mailing lists are a kludge, a rather clumsy workaround. They work by sending
everything to a central server, and a copy of every message is then sent to
every subscriber. In newsgroups (and echoes) there is only one copy of the
message that is propagated, and not from a central server, but a whole network
of them, so it uses less bandwidth, and is quicker.

The advantage of an echo (over both lists and newsgroups) is that it has a "To"
line, so that you can follow discussions mre easily. You can see that my echo
software puts your initials in front of all the bits of your message that I
quoted, so it is easier to see who said what.

Mail was designed for "one to one" communication. Newsgroups were designed for
"one to many" communication (an article was posted by one person for many
people to read). Echoes were designed for "many to many" coimmunication, ie
discussions.

Steve Hayes
WWW: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail: - If its full of spam, see webpage.

FamilyNet <> Internet Gated Mail
http://www.fmlynet.org

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