we've all done it, and I tested the usefullness of alt.test and
alt.binaries.test once... and here was the problem.... For someone who
doesn't know, there are over 100k posts a month at alt.test, and even more
at the binaries.... If you did a test, (in OE for example) and download the
max # of headers, 1000, you'd not see your post until you retrieved another
20-25,000 more posts... because the spammers, mass mailings, marketers,
warez posters, etc, are posting with broadband, and multipart files, broken
down at 600kb or so, and spanning up to, but not limited to 100 or more
posts... So the average joe TRYING to do it the right way, will give up
before they ever see their original test post...

I did it once, trying powerpost for a binaries group.... I ended up
downloading over 245,000 posts before mine ever came up, and by then it had
several replies like "someone just learned how to use OE, or PP" or "someone
just learned where usenet is.... go get it, it's over there...." etc

Nowadays, I just tell them (because 99.999995% of them are a blank post,
"Test failed, your message didn't make it, but your post did... maybe you
didn't attach it right??? Contact your system administrator or ISP and ask
them if their web servers are working, or if there is work being done"

I've actually had ppl reply back and say, "What group did this post show up
in, I sent it to my brother"

I'll have to see if google has that article... it was kinda "you had to be
there" funny...

--
RedForeman ©®




"Eric Schreiber" wrote in message
...
"RedForeman ©®" wrote:

use alt.test

no way man, that would cause actual thought processing, and effort...

Hehe. This 'test' problem I chalk up to simple ignorance rather than
laziness. When one hits Usenet for the first time, one doesn't know
about that sort of thing. I certainly didn't, and dumped a couple of
inappropriate test messages out too. Luckily, someone corrected me.

--
www.ericschreiber.com