Date: Mon, 24 Apr 1995 18:46:09 -0700 From: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@freefall.cdrom.com> To: Gary Roberts <gary@wcs.uq.oz.au> Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: Gating hackers into the newsgroups Message-ID: <4996.798774369@freefall.cdrom.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 25 Apr 95 11:01:25 %2B1000." <9504250101.AA15300@wcs.uq.edu.au>
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> 1. I agree to act as a `registration point' for willing `lurkers'. If you > are willing to help, I would maintain your details on a centralised list. > You would only get one newbie at a time unless you agreed to take more. > You don't have to be a `lurker', just willing to `adopt a newbie'. > (I've already put Terry down for 50. With his volume of output he > should easily be able to handle that number :-> ;-> :->.) (Although > with his 20% `confusion' factor [according to Julian was it??] maybe > that isn't such a good idea -- it'd probably be 90% with newbies :->.) This sounds very good. OK, not being one to let a good offer like this go unpunished, I've just created: new-users@FreeBSD.org It's also aliased to new-user, newbies & newbie, just to catch all the possible permutations.. :-) Since `newbie' has negative connotations, I don't expect we'll be using or calling the mailing list by that name very much (if at all). This alias points straight to Gary. Should a `grants committee' be formed at some point, then Gary can have me turn this into a real mailing list. > 2. I would produce a suitable `announcement' of the service which would > be posted say once a month (or whatever). Once a month would be excellent. I recommend both announce@FreeBSD.org and comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.announce. > 3. I would receive all requests from newbies and send them a standard > acknowledgement, pointing out that their commitment would be to take > on a newbie themselves at the end of their `hand-holding' period. > If they agreed to the conditions, I would allocate them to a helper. Sounds just great! At this point you have your alias, now you just need to put the words together! :-) When you do, feel free to send mail to announce. Peter da Silva will pick the announcement off the list and also send it on to comp.unix.bsd.freebsd. > 4. At the end of the hand-holding period (how long do people feel this > should be??) the newbie name would be transferred automatically to > the bottom of the helper list and they would be automatically given > the next newbie. I think this should only happen once a newbie has truly _in their own mind_ made the transition to `helper' status and actually really wants to help. Most folks will find the pay-back nature of the arrangement only natural and fair, but those that don't shouldn't be forced into it - they'll only provide bad support for some other poor new newbie! > 6. I would try to do this `by hand' unless some scripting expert could > come up with some automated scheme to handle it. Joerg's a PERL master - ask him! ;-) Seriously - this sounds like a great idea and a great service, which is why I'm pushing ahead on it so quickly. David Greenman (who's reading over my shoulder) thinks so too. Let's do it! Jordan
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