Subj : Tiers
To   : Frank Vest
From : Andrea Santos
Date : Sun Jul 15 2001 05:24 am

->  AS> My understanding is alot of what they carry that the other two 
-> don't  AS> are outside Zone 1 and multilingual.  Since I'm only 
-> fluent in English  AS> (can barely get by with Spanish), these other 
-> echos are of no use to  AS> me.

-> Ah... Yes, what they carry might include other language echos. They
-> do, however, carry the same basic echos that the other backbones
-> carry.

As I said, the difference is the Zone 2 multilingual echos carried.
They don't apply to me as I wouldn't carry or read them.

->  AS> It's only a problem if the nodes in a Net are being fed by someone
->  AS> linking to the Z1B, where said nodes desire to carry dead echos.

-> Argument could be made for both sides here. A dead echo can come back
-> to life if some group decides to take a liking to the echo.

And if it came back to life, the Moderator could re-request its addition
to the Z1B.  Problem solved.  Fact remains that most of the dead echos
are dead and won't be revived and it's silly to carry and make
available countless echos hoping that one or two will be resuscitated
while new users access your system, see there's nothing available and
go on to greener pastures elsewhere.

->  AS> Actually, it wasn't a big factor because in the days before 
-> Internet  AS> Connectivity was rampant, we had one distribution 
-> system; the NAB.

-> Thank you. Actually, I think it was "fidonet.na", but anyhow:
-> What happened? (been answered several different ways)

Right.

-> Why was it allowed to happen?

Because there were differences of opinion among the former NAB as far
as how the distribution should operate and, mainly, the removal of dead 
echos.  Personalities got in the way.

-> What can be done to correct it?  -> Does it need corrected?

I think it does based on no need for two distributions systems.   When
Zone 1 was over 20,000 members strong, we had one.  We are now under
1000 members with a fraction of the traffic.  Can't justify two, let
alone all of these top level/Zone/tier 2 hubs.

-> Are we better off now than then? Why?  

Better off then.  We had the numbers in terms of members and traffic and
little time or desire to focus on much of the sillyness that has gone on
since the NAB split.  The bottom line is moving the mail, not who moves
it and their "position" within the distribution system.

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