Confusion at the End of the World

[PBMANCHESTER@ccmail.sunysb.edu]

       In a posting Sat Mar 24 14:45:35 GMT 1990, 
jim%BILPIN.UUCP@mitvma.mit.edu replies to Doug Alan:

>    IN ARTICLE: <9003221946.AA06859@gaffa.MIT.EDU>,
>      nessus@MIT.EDU (Doug Alan) WRITES:
>
>>   [...]
>>   Furthermore, at least half of the serious contributors to Love-Hounds
>>   only receive the digest and do not have access to UseNet.
>>   Furthermore, it's the gatewaying between the mailing list and newsgroup
>>   that is the hardest thing to maintain, and if I was going to cancel
>>   one of them, it would be the newsgroup -- not the mailing list.
>>   [...]
>
>    So if we're not in that petite coterie, we are to be denied all of the
>    informative, educational, entertaining, and infuriating aspects of
>    r.m.g.? I rely entirely on the USENET for gaffa, and, as I print out all
>    the Kate related postings and mail them to Homeground each month, so do
>    they (that's why Love-Hounds now gets a credit in the news section of
>    each issue). I would appreciate it if we could be advised on what's
>    happening to the group as soon as the new arrangements are confirmed.

       As one of the 139 in the "petite coterie" who only see gaffa postings 
via the Love-Hounds Digest on the INTERNET, I much appreciate Doug's concern 
for us.  At the same time, jim%BILPIN.UUCP has a point too, especially if it 
has been USENET that made possible the highly stimulating international 
participation at gaffa.

       My problem is that I DON'T UNDERSTAND what a lot of this network 
esoterica is about!  Assuming that I am not alone in this, maybe it would be 
useful, as we all contemplate the End of the World this week, if one of our 
technically more experienced regulars could explain a couple of mysteries:

       What and where is rec.music.gaffa?  Apparently it is only one of a whole 
tree of "newsgroups", the stem here "rec" standing for recordings, "music" for 
music, "gaffa" for where we live and move and have our being.  From the arcana 
provoked this past week by Doug's announcement, I surmise that one can post to, 
and read postings directly from, rec.music.gaffa via a thing called USENET.

       What is USENET?  Is it the same or other than UUNET?  What is UUNET? 

       I ask on behalf of all us babes in the woods out here, still learning to 
maneuver on INTERNET, outside the BITNET womb.  To confirm my ignorance, one 
final query:  I have learned to FTP to an INTERNET server, login as user 
anonymous, change directories and view them.  But what have I missed that I 
cannot seem to SEND myself anything?  It seems that no matter what, if I enter 
SEND filespec, for a file right in front of me in the directory, I get the 
message "file not found."  Is there some added punctuation I need to use?

       Final note:  WARMEST THANKS AND ADMIRATION TO |>OUG ALAN as he and his 
red chair move onward and upward!!

pmanchester@ccmail.sunysb.edu  //  pmanches@sbccmail.BITNET   Peter Manchester