Nan:2007-06-20-comp.virus-result

From: The Big-8 Management Board <board@big-8.org>
Subject: RESULT: comp.virus will be removed
Newsgroups: news.announce.newgroups, comp.virus, news.groups.proposals,
 alt.comp.virus
Followup-To: news.groups.proposals
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:05:19 -0500
Organization: http://www.big-8.org/

                                 RESULT
                       comp.virus will be removed

The Last Call for Comments (LCC) on 20 Jun 2007 initiated a five-day
period for final comments.  Following the comment period, the Big-8
Management board has decided by consensus to remove the newsgroup
comp.virus.

This group will be removed on 25 Jun 2007.


RATIONALE: remove comp.virus

The last approved article was in June 1999.  There had been previous
interruptions from August 1997 to March 1999, and September 1995 to
January 1996.  The virus-l listserv which was gated to the newsgroup
no longer appears to be in existence.

A Moderator Vacancy Investigation (MVI) was held in October 2004.  At
that time, the last moderator of the newsgroup/listserv, Nick
Fitzgerald, voiced his opposition to conversion of comp.virus to an
unmoderated newsgroup, or to robomoderation.

When asked whether his comments should be interpreted as a
recommendation for removal of the newsgroup, he replied:

   It is my feeling that the newsgroup really has no significant
   purpose any longer, but given its history I would also not like to
   see it "taken over" or re-implemented as something "less" than it
   once was.

Brian Edmonds said that he had contacted the moderators a couple of
years earlier (2002?) and they had indicated that at that time they
"had imminent plans to revive the gated list, and thus the group, but
that apparently went nowhere."


HISTORY: 

The newsgroup comp.virus was created in May 1989 as a gateway for the
virus-l mailing list (which had been created in April 1988).  It had
roughly 5 to 10 articles per day until it was first interrupted in
September 1995.  After being restarted in January 1996, traffic
increased to over 10 articles per day until the group was again
interrupted in August 1997.  There was a one day burst in October
1997.  There was a final attempt at revival From March 1999 to June
1999, with under 2 articles per day.

There was a Moderator Vacancy Investigation in October 2004 (see
above), which did not come to a conclusion, and left the newsgroup in
its inactive state.


DISTRIBUTION:

This document has been posted to the following newsgroups:

  news.announce.newgroups
  news.groups.proposals
  comp.virus
  alt.comp.virus


PROPONENT: 

Jim Riley <jimrtex@pipeline.com>


CHANGE HISTORY: 

2007-05-03     1st RFD
2007-06-13     2nd RFD/Last Call For Comments
2007-06-20     Results (passes)