AmiNet Quality Control

[Jill Howe]

AmiNet is an incredible resource that could be used to propel the
Amiga as a well-supported "new" platform. AI/GW2K could use it as a
selling point...if not for AmiNet's (correctable) problems (see below):

On 17 Jan 1998, Nelson Sandalwood wrote:

> SL> Old software could also be transfered to another site/server, so you know
> SL> where you can find only new stuff, where you can find only old stuff,
> SL> where you can find only pics, MODs or anything else...
>
>Thats what directories are for! You won't find many pics in the Utils/time
>dir will you?
>
>But it would be nice if the readme had an upload date field. Even better if
>it was displayed on the web page...

The descriptions on AmiNet often look like they were written by idiots.
Don't people think before writing a description? The 60 or so characters
allowed for the 1-line descriptions are too limiting anyway. Even the
A500 can put up a 1536-pixel wide screen, so why are we dealing with
AppleII-width limitations? 80 columns is a joke. Bottom line, who has
editorial control? Why aren't descriptions reviewed before making them
part of AmiNet?

I can't tell you how many people I know said that AmiNet doesn't have a
blah-blah type of program, so one must not exists for the Amiga. Some of
these people eventually went Wintel. Yet when I checked I always found
such prgs, if my search was designed with idiot-descriptions in mind.
Users shouldn't have to play psychologist (trying to predict what phrasing
an illiterate might use to describe their upload) to create a working
keyword search.

When one goes into game/gag one sees a LOT of files that obviously
don't belong. Similar to other areas. Who sorts this thing? I really
think we need a panel of Amiga activists to oversee AmiNet so as to help
better organize and create better descriptions. This could be done via a
maillist or newsgroup. Users should be able to report problems to a
single address that gets cc:'d to al the panelists, who should all have
the privs to be able to effect a correction.

I mean no disrespect to whomever runs AmiNet. Its just that there is a
time to ask for assistance when the task gets too big. Who oversees
AmiNet anyway?

BTW, when I tried to FTP to aminet.org, it said wustl has disabled it due
to abuses. What happened?