We use the 256K default, with an override value of 1024K for users on the
local system or in our campus domain.  We host a rather large filelist
(1800 files, about 200MB, a shadow of an Internet archive) and find that
there are a number of users who regularly request unreasonable numbers
of files.  If we had no limit, our entire mail system would be tied up
sending those files for quite a while.  Most users are understanding (if
not happy) when this is explained to them.
 
Often complaints about the quota can be handled by pointing out that the
_first_ request by a user in a given day is not subject to the limit.
This won't help if the user wants a number of small files, but it does
if s/he needs a small number of big files, or even just one monthly log.
 
Mark R. Williamson, Rice University, Houston, TX; [log in to unmask]
Coordinating BITNET redistribution of Info-Mac archive files from Rice.