From msjones@whale.st.usm.edu  Sat Oct  9 37:42:53 1993
From: msjones@whale.st.usm.edu (Michael Sean Jones)
Message-Id: <9310081726.AA20559@whale.st.usm.edu>
Subject: REGULATIONS
To: CHEMISTRY@ccl.net (chemlist)
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1993 12:26:53 +22304916 (CDT)


Netters,
    I am writing in response to a letter that we all received from Jan
Labonowski(spelling???).  It stated that he/she would not allow messages
of the type "...searching for...", etc. to be broadcast on the list.  This
seems illogical to me, since the whole purpose of the internet is to
improve and raise the efficiency of communications.  In particular, this
list should serve as an extension of the purpose of the internet; that is,
to improve the efficiency of communications between scientists interested
in computational chemistry.  This allows a very specialized list of
individulals to view the message.  The messages, in fact, would not make
much sense to anyone outside of the computational chemistry field.
    It is to the benefit of everyone involved with the list to allow such
communications as "...searching for..." to be posted.  Sure, like Jan
stated in the letter, anyone could go to a library, even a high school
library, to find addresses of people around the world.  However, very few
libraries will keep internet or bitnet addresses on file, as they change
very often, and would be too hard to keep up with.  This is the very
reason why a successful "Internet White Pages" has yet to appear.  Sure,
there are services available for finding file names, and people, but the
lists are kept for only a limited number of machines around the world. 
Furthermore, as was stated earlier, the purpose of the internet is not
facilitate efficient information exchange.  This list, being a part of the
internet, should respect the purposes of the internet by allowing such
messages.  
    It is easily understood why messages such as "... searching for an art
professor by the name of..." would be banned from the list, but the
searches I have seen have been relevant to the field of computational
chemistry.  What a better group to ask for an address of a computational
chemistry researcher's address than this list?
    I might also add, that even though Jan CRUDELY suggested that everyone
who did not want messages like that sent send me a message telling me not
to do it anymore on this list.  Jan also mentioned that once I got 2000
messages, I might not do it anymore.  Well Jan, such a suggestion goes
outside of even your own guidelines for the use of this list.  Read the
rules.  Even after the suggestion that everyone who did not want me to
send messages like that send me a message telling me not to, noone did. 
Obviously, the VAST majority of the 2000 subscribers enjoy the ability to
ask colleagues for addresses.  Maybe you should to.
    I do enjoy the use of this list, but the guidelines seem to be
contradictory to the whole purpose of the internet.  If anyone else feels
the way that I do, please subscribe to the list.  
    I might also suggest simply glancing at the name of the sender and the
subject of the message before reading it.  Using ELM this is possible. 
Then, if you are not interested in the message, simply delete it.  It
works well for deleting messges that you do not know much about, such as
requests for addresses that that you do not know.

    Mike
    msjones@wave.st.usm.edu