On Thu, 05 May 2005 18:00:22 GMT, "Dudley Henriques"
dhenriques@noware .net wrote in
. net::

why are you keep posting to me continiously


Hmmm.

From my understanding of the history of usenet, it was initially
conceived as a communications 'network' to facilitate cooperation
among scientist and university professor 'users' working on
government/military contracts. 'Users' would announce 'new' findings
to the net' by publishing informative 'articles' relating to their
research. The term 'usenet' itself, was derived from 'user network'.
(The use of lower case for these terms is intentional, as the UNIX OS
is case sensitive.)

These timely 'news' articles were instantly shared amongst the 'group'
of subscribers, hence the term 'newsgroup'. Those users among the
usenet readership who desired to build upon the information disclosed
by their peers, would be instantly informed of the published article.
Hence the term 'netnews' (network news).

If a usenet reader had a question about a published article, or if
s/he had an alternate explanation for the observed phenomenon, they
would post a 'followup' article containing '' in the subject. The
use of e-mail for followups was discouraged, so that all users would
benefit by openly sharing all the information relevant to the subject.
Thus there was introduced into usenet an unavoidable element of
chattiness as a result of inevitable discussions.

Early on, the phenomenon of 'flaming revealed itself among the quick
witted, temperamental user group. But ultimately, the instantaneous,
gee whiz synergized with the product of prodigious intellects into
something measurably more profound: A uniquely egalitarian, high-speed
stream of knowledge nobly flowing like a broken faucet into net-space.
With the overall benefits users derived from participation in usenet,
there emerged the seed of something wondrous; sired by concurrent self
interest and cooperation, the 'Spirit Of The Net' was born; if news or
a discovery arose, that was on-topic for the group, users would make
every effort to post it for the benefit of all.

In the early '80s, it was admitted among system administrators, that
the slow speed and impossible security issues inherent in the network
demanded that a new network be constructed to modern standards. The
internet, and usenet, were then abandoned by the government to the
people of the world, and a new age was ushered in at the speed of
light.

Once the common mans' influence made itself felt through inappropriate
marketing methods, and anarchy awoke from its slumbering banishment,
devolution of usenet has accelerated steadily. So while the price of
admission still hinges on literacy, much of the past excitement and
nobility has continually faded as a result of dilution. The
profiteers at internet service provider America On Line rode the tide
of demand to unbelievable fortune. And here we are today awash in
mediocrity. Pogo had it right, "We have met the enemy, ...