On Mon, 18 Jan 1993 18:10:58 EST Matthew Simpson <[log in to unmask]>
said:
 
>It seems that BITNET will be shut down across Canada soon.
 
As far as I understand, this is  a pretty old decision by NetNorth to get
rid of  a service their board  has declared useless. You  and many others
are the living proof that this service  is useful, however it is too late
to try to reverse the decision. What Canada must do is organize itself to
maintain BITNET  connectivity by forming  some sort of  legal association
(similar to the  kind of you'd make  for a local fishing  club, with some
extra legalese to be compatible with  the CREN charter and say "academic"
here  and there),  and formally  joining  CREN as  a cooperative  network
through  that association.  There  would  be a  minor  manpower cost  for
maintaining network tables and so on, say 25% of one person at most.
 
The problem is  that this has not  been done. Again this  is nothing new,
the decision has  been known for a  long time but some  university has to
step  forward and  do it.  Perhaps for  political reasons,  this has  not
happened. While there is still time to do it before this summer, the lack
of action  so far doesn't  give me the  impression that people  will act.
What  will probably  happen is  that individual  universities will  apply
directly to CREN for membership as an association, and collectively pay a
lot  more in  dues than  it would  cost them  to get  organized. But  the
majority will probably do just like U of Ottawa and remove RSCS.
 
My advice to you  is to try to find a new host  in Canada. Contact people
at  other major  universities running  LISTSERV and  ask them  what their
plans  are for  the summer  deadline. If  they tell  you they  will leave
BITNET, remind them that this will terminate their right to use LISTSERV,
even for  local administrative lists, and  ask them what are  their plans
for replacing  this service. Eventually you  will find a site  willing to
look into this problem seriously.
 
  Eric