[Web "forum"s and a few of their problems]
And I prefer NNTP ("Usenet").
Administering NNTP is slightly more
complicated than administering
SMTP (speaking as one who has done both).
I'm not entirely sure I agree (and yes, I've done both too). In
particular, nobody administers either SMTP or NNTP, but rather
implementations thereof. Especially with SMTP, there are many
implementations of widely varying degrees of administrative complexity.
There is the further issue of placement of a newsgroup
within a
hierarchy.
This is relevant only if you want to do this as part of Usenet.
There's no reason - no technical reason, certainly - this has to be
done; it could be carried as part of any desired top-level group, even
one that does not exist on Usenet at large, by private agreement among
its participants. (And, indeed, this list isn't really carried on
"over SMTP"; it's carried on over email. SMTP is just one of many
possible transports for that email. And, technically, even those who
think they're using SMTP are most likely using some closely related
protocol with subtle and undocumented differences from SMTP - most
supposed-SMTP speakers violate SMTP's spec in various small ways.)
The major advantage over mail over news as I see it is that hosting for
email accounts which allow subscription to arbitrary private mailing
lists is far commoner than hosting for netnews accounts which allow
user-controlled carrying of arbitrary private groups.
The probable consensus among the Powers That Be would
be that
alt.folklore.computers already exists and that therefore a new group
is unnecessary [...]
Then the PTB need to be reminded that alt.* was created to get away
from that kind of governance. *grump*
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