Date:         Wed, 25 Sep 1996 15:40:51 -0700
Reply-To:     Thomas Skinner <Thomas_M_Skinner@CCM.FM.INTEL.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         Thomas Skinner <Thomas_M_Skinner@CCM.FM.INTEL.COM>
Organization: Intel Corporation
Subject:      Re: Re[2]: protocol for newsgroups (fwd)

Nya Murray wrote:
>
> John
>
> My original posting was merely to sound out if anyone else thought
> that SAS-L was too big and too general to cope with diverse special
> interest topics, particularly a frontier topic which seems to me to
> warrant a slightly different cultural approach to the dominant
> paradigm of SAS-L. That is, an atmosphere which would encourage
> speculative direction finding in a field which is new to all.
>
> I am glad to see that I'm not the only one wading through an in tray,
> if large still extremely merit worthy. I like the current form of
> SAS-L. I would continue to subscribe to SAS-l if there were no AF
> postings. I am fluent in base SAS and more or less statistically and
> econometrically literate. I even do macros if I have to. I did not
> post originally to start a breakaway group!!!! I still think that
> SAS-L does not adequately serve the newer SAS technology because a
> majority cultural position always predominates in any grouping, qed AF
> OOPs is marginalised. It is still a problem for me that I don't have
> the kind of communication I want with other AF developers,but I am not
> inflexibly of the belief that a separate newsgroup would solve that
> problem. I believe it is a sociological matter about group dynamics.
>
> Regards
>
> NyaNya, SAS-Lers et al,
 
Since you brought up Special Interest, you might consider forming such a
user's group.  I've suggested many times that folks get together on OOP and
work up standards and the like.  Just the same, I think you'll find that the
membership will still wish to use SAS-L (which is an official SAS Institute
recognized user's group) as their primary vehicle for communication.  There
are a few private SAS listservers, mostly in use by the executive committee's
of regional user groups, and you could consider starting one, but I'd guess
that you'll probably keep coming back to SAS-L to check our what's up here.
 
We had this discussion at the Client Server SIG BOF's over that last few
years, but the concensus has always been to not limit our audience or
participation by splitting off.  I'm sure there are those that would now wish
to start an Internet/Intranet SAS user group and discussion list, but I'd
argue that these are but further developments of Client/Server.  When I have
something relevant to say about C/S I usually preface my subject with
"C/S Note:".
 
This split discussion topic is rather rare to SAS-L, but if you really want
to see it in its full glory, just hop over to the REC.MODELS.RAILROAD group
where the thread runs on like a perpetual energy machine.  There I have a
definite opinion in favor of splitting to simply quit having to wade through
all those HO scale messages as I'm an O-Gauge Toy Train (read non-scale
modeler) enthusiast!
 
Tom Skinner
Extended disclaimer: I don't think Intel has an opinion on RR hobies so these
are my own.  I am not an Intel Spokesperson.