> I have been requesting some files from file servers at BITNIC and MAINE.
> I usually don't receive the files until the next weekend. Why is this?
> How does MAILER/RSCS/etc. determine when to hold a file and when to send it?
 
  Well, many links along the way implement queueing by size. So, larger
files will be sent last. If a link is kept constantly busy with smaller
files (such as mail), it may take a while for you to get the file. Week-
ends are usually rather idle, as parts of the net go offline for house-
keeping functions. Thus, traffic may be low enough for your file to be
transmitted.
 
  [This next part is *not* about LISTSERV, I'll leave that for Eric...]
 
  If you ordered files from a VMSSERV (VAX/VMS file server, by Brian Nel-
son and Jim Gerland), and the file is larger than a user-defined amount
the server will send it after 23:00. A bug in the server caused files to
be deferred for a day, even if you ordered the file at 23:01. This has
been fixed locally, and I am sending the corrections to Brian and Jim.