Klarinet Archive - Posting 000182.txt from 1994/05

From: "Robert E. Winston" <usr4818a@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: List forwarding, etc.
Date: Mon, 9 May 1994 14:38:04 -0400

> I am getting items preceded by the comments on them very
> frequently. Is this effect produced by the various time zones
> inhabited by the subscribers?

If I understand the question correctly, mlfl@-----.
Shilcock) wants to know why Clark's rebuttal, "I am not a twit!", arrives
before Dan's charge that he is. ;-)

Contrary to net.propaganda, Internet e-mail is not instantaneous, except
perhaps on the direct connection between MIT and Berkeley.

Delivery can be affected by the priority level given to the mail by the
various mail systems a message passes through, by the route the message
takes, by the amount of traffic on the routes, and by the karma of the UNIX
gods.

It's certainly possibly, even likely, that Dan and Clark can exchange
messages in California before the first message arrives in England.

It's also possible that mail that arrives at the Listserv in the same order
it was sent will arrive out of order at the subscriber's mailbox.

The original letter for example may get routed over the Atlantic to England
and get caught in the New York/London traffic jam while the reply gets
routed to France and flies up the optical fiber network in the Cunnel to
arrive first.

It's the way of the net and there's nothing you can do about it.

That's why it's a good idea to judiciously quote the relevant portion of a
message you are replying to. The rest of us may not have seen the original
yet and wouldn't otherwise know what you're talking about.

________
Robert E. Winston usr4818a@-----.edu

PS: By my count, the score is now Clark 3, Dan 2.

However we should award Dan a half point bonus for getting Clark to join
the list.