At 12:54 AM 10/2/96 -0400, you wrote:
>> >Maybe it's just me, but in all the years I've been on the Internet (and
>> >ARPANET before that), I've never encountered having to collect funds to
>> >help support a mailing list.  The whole fund drive just seems sort of
>> >alien to me in this venue.
>>
>>         Times change.
>>
>>         The venue is no longer academics using University infra-
>>         structure.
>
>Yeah, and the two lists I run now are on my own machine, so what's
>the point?  It's not as if a University if required to host a
>mailing list.  This stuff is far from rocket science these days.
>
>> >I run a few mailing lists for some topics that I'm involved in, and the
>> >expense is not the problem - it's finding the time to do a good job.  I
>> >know that in my case, at least, money wouldn't fix that problem.
>>
>>         The problem is the inadequacy of the hardware platform
>>         currently being used to host the list (ref AndyW and Jory).
>
>If I'm not mistaken, the mailing list is hosted on an IBM mainframe.  It's
>just not clear to me what role Jory's machine plays in a simply automated
>mailing list facility, and why it's on the critical path.
>
>I understand that the administrators of the host may be unwilling to
>continue to host the list, but I was surprised that the perceived solution
>was to take up a collection rather than simply ask if anyone else was
>willing to host the mailing list.
>
>>         A solution is desired that doesn't involve reciprocal
>>         favours (ie no politics).
>>
>>         Self-sufficiency is proposed.
>
>I would think that someone in the community might be willing to host
>the list - that's self-sufficiency.
>
>Again, it strikes me as unusal that the solution is to take up a collection;
>that's never happened in any of the discussion groups/mailing lists I've
>been involved with in the past.  Usually if the list loses it's "home", a
>simple query to the community/membership of the list usually brought
>multiple offers out of the woodwork.
>
>Perhaps things have changed.  I'll just go away now.
>
>Louis Mamakos
>
>
You might as well discontinue the list instead of begging.