From: dstamp@watserv1.waterloo.edu (Dave Stampe-Psy+Eng)
Subject: Re: APP: virtual journals
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 1992 16:26:52 GMT
Message-ID: <1992Feb7.162652.15470@watserv1.waterloo.edu>
Organization: University of Waterloo



WGERLT@ATL.dnet.ge.com writes:

>I say let's set up newsgroups/archives/ftp sites/etc for
>publishing papers completely electronically.  You could
>dump your MacWhatever document directly there.  Or whatever
>format document you produce.  You could also dump .gif
>(or whatever) files there and refer to them in your paper.
>Think how much easier, quicker, and cheaper it would be.
>Imagine what a literature search could be - almost
>completely automated.  You email the right location with
>an appropriate SUBJ: line and get back a list of references.
>Then send another email or do an ftp and you've got the
>paper you choose from the list of references.
>
>There could be moderated groups where papers are selected
>by a group of "editors" based on some criteria.  There could 
>be unmoderated groups where basically anything goes.  I'm
>not a net expert of any kind, but I imagine that there is
>some way to keep a verifiable record of who posted what and
>when to keep scum from taking undue credit and to keep
>worse scum from making unwanted modifications.

I couldn't agree more.  Technology is moving too fast for the present
review/publication process: most significant crossfertilization takes
place by other means these days (e-mail, visits, after hours at
conferences...)  

I would like to also have the idea of a publication extended to include
things posted on monitored/archived newsgroups or special forums.  
This would free up workers to mention their ideas/work in progress to
the rest of the world without fear of losing credit.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| My life is Hardware,                    |                              | 
| my destiny is Software,                 |         Dave Stampe          |
| my CPU is Wetware...                    |                              | 
| Anybody got a SDB I can borrow?         | dstamp@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca |
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