In article <9002131921.AA00110 at net.bio.net>, FUCHS at embl.bitnet ("Rainer Fuchs ", EMBL) writes:
> I include an extract of a mail message that I received the other day from a
> Spanish scientist, Ricardo Sachez Carmenes.
>> I think that his proposal can serve as a good starting point for an
> interesting discussion.
> I think that people should be encouraged to use the BIO-SOFT
newsgroup to discuss programmes and utilities that are available
for molecular biology and the life sciences. From reading what
other people have been writing it would seem that there are many
different views as to how this should take place.
Usually when folk go about establishing a new venture they look
for precedents, and the best known moderated newsgroup on USENET
is CIPB. How did it work?
UUENCODED programmes were sent to the moderator who tested them
to see that they were of good quality. The programmes were checked
to ensure that there were no viruses hidden in the code (SCAN52
does this for most known viruses) and if the programme passed the
"quality control" tests of the moderator then it was released.
I do not propose that UUE code should be put up for grabs on
BIO-SOFT, (it is never a very good policy to mix "talk" with
"code")...
Ideally programes could be sent to a server site, either from
CABIOS or from individuals. Once they have passed "quality
control" a review of them could be posted to BIO-SOFT together
with instructions on how to get them from the server site.
The main problem is to have someone who has the time and the skill
to evaluate programmes.
Summary: a) Skilled programme evaluator needed.
b) Quality control of programmes.
c) Review of programmes posted to BIO-SOFT
either by original author or reviewer.
d) Software available from a software server.
-=ROB=-
