Due to a series of mental and technical gliches, this RFD has not
appeared earlier on bionet.molbio.evolution, even though the CFV
is due any day now. Sorry about that, folks. Please read the RFD,
and look for the CFV to appear, and vote according to your tastes,
if you are so inclined.
Una Smith
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REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION
Proposal to create: sci.bio.systematics
sci.bio.botany
and rename: sci.bio to sci.bio.misc
Proposed by: Una Smith <una.smith at yale.edu>
This is a formal Request For Discussion (RFD) on the proposal to create
two unmoderated Usenet newsgroups, and rename a third. All discussion
should take place in news.groups; please post follow-ups there, *not*
to news.announce.newgroups.
[deleted administrative stuff from original RFD]
CHARTER for sci.bio.botany
For discussion of the scientific study of plants: vascular, nonvascular,
and unicellular photosynthetic, autotrophic organisms, and other taxa
traditionally considered to be plants. It is anticipated that, at some
future time, this newsgroup will be reorganized to provide subsidiary
newsgroups focused on particular higher taxa (classes or orders, e.g.,
angiosperms, gymnosperms, etc.) or other groups of special interest to
a large number of readers. Discussion of gardening, popular cultivars,
houseplants, etc., should be directed to rec.gardens.*, where they will
be seen by a large and active readership of experienced gardeners, both
amateur and professional.
CHARTER for sci.bio.misc
One of the oldest, most widely read, and most lively newsgroups in the
sci.* hierarchy, sci.bio.misc (formerly sci.bio) welcomes discussion of
all topics having to do with biology. Especially welcome are topics of
interest to the general public, and sub-fields of biology not covered
by other Usenet newsgroups.
CHARTER for sci.bio.systematics
For discussion of the science of taxonomy and systematics, and both
practical and theoretical issues pertaining to: hierarchical information
systems; biological nomenclature; cladistics; phylogenetics; species
concepts; comparative analysis and integration of morphological,
anatomical, molecular, and other data; and the documentation and study
of large-scale and long-term patterns of evolution and biodiversity.
RATIONALE
The TAXACOM mailing list, for discussion of taxonomy and systematics,
has nearly 1000 subscribers and it has been necessary for some time
now to refrain from posting too much, to keep subscribers' mailboxes
from overflowing. Over the past year, reorganization discussions in
rec.gardens have included talk of a newsgroup for botany, and recent
threads in bionet.plants have contained similar comments. It is hoped
that, by creating these two newsgroups, some of the traffic in these
forums will be more finely and more usefully categorized. Numerous
TAXACOM subscribers also read Usenet newsgroups, and the presence of
Usenet newsgroups relevant to their research interests should help to
unite the very large and diverse botany and systematics communities
already distributed among numerous other newsgroups and mailing lists.
Confusion between sci.bio (a newsgroup) and sci.bio.* (a hierarchy)
may be reduced by renaming sci.bio to sci.bio.misc. This is standard
practice in Usenet.
Please direct any comments on this proposal to news.groups. Thanks!
