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NOTICE: This version of the NSF Unidata web site (archive.unidata.ucar.edu) is no longer being updated.
Current content can be found at unidata.ucar.edu.
To learn about what's going on, see About the Archive Site.
I'm a newcommer to this group, but in reading all these posts I have
noticed that no one has mentioned the immediacy of a newsgroup as
compared to a digest. If a digest is done every evening and mailed out
at night I have to wait a minimum of one day for an answer if I send in
a question in the morning and someone replies by email, and two days
if they choose to reply through the mailing list (e.g. to spark
further discussion or ask their own, related questions). I am used to
the immediacy of netnews, where I can post a question and reasonably
expect multiple answers within hours.
For me, the problem with mail is that I always check it right away
when it comes in. It is the major method of communication between me
and my coworkers and boss, so I need to look at it immediately to see
if someone's waiting for a answer. Yesterday (my first day in this
mailing list), I was interupted often by mail from this list.
I think that for those connected to a network continuously, a news
group is considerably more convenient. For those who only connect
occasionally, perhaps your news adminstrator could ensure that more of
the postings remained online than 4 days worth (the current cut-off
point on my system). Or perhaps a digest and mailing list could be
maintained concurrently, as others have suggested.
I do not mean to step on anyone's toes. I realize I'm new to the
group. However I feel that it must be pointed out that the use of
netCDF is certainly going to increase and the mailing list will become
more and more overburdened with traffic. If a news group is set up, I
would be happy to help however I could, and to provide assistance to
anyone who is unfamiliar or uncomfortable with reading news. With a
little initial effort I think you'd find that it's really quite easy
to find and set up better news reading and posting software that would
make it a pleasure to read news.
Well, I just wanted to put in my vote for a newsgroup. Either way I'm
looking forward to reading future mail/news articles concerning
netCDF.
Ed Hartnett
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