For an introduction to this thread's chronological posts, please see the first post in the series, for the year 1981. Much of 1985 was a still worse rerun of (much of) 1984's watching-paint-dry changes in the newsgroup lists. But late in the year, the fa.* hierarchy was folded into mod.*. This is the most dramatic event in a year when, in my view, the Backbone Cabal took full control of the newsgroup creation process. The other main sign of this control was the increasing frequency of rmgroups. The sheer tedium of most of the lists in fact represents something new, which I also attribute to the Background Cabal's work: This is the year in which newsgroup creation almost stood still, and in which nearly all of the meager net increase in newsgroups, was in moderated newsgroups. Joe Bernstein Lists of Newsgroups Posted in 1985 GENE SPAFFORD "List of Active Newsgroups" January 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 11514@gatech.UUCP "List of Moderators" January 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 11516@gatech.UUCP No changes. "List of Active Newsgroups" January 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 11648@gatech.UUCP "List of Moderators" January 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 11650@gatech.UUCP Added: net.news.stargate. Summary: From 18 to 18 fa.* groups. In mod.*, no change: 1 unmoderated group, 13 moderated groups (1 inactive), 14 (1 inactive) total. In net.*, from 172 to 173 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 174 to 175 total. 207 (or 206) total (15 or 14 moderated, 18 fa.*, 174 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups" February 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 11830@gatech.UUCP "List of Moderators" February 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 11832@gatech.UUCP Added: net.games.hack, net.politics.theory, net.sources.mac. Summary: From 18 to 18 fa.* groups. In mod.*, no change: 1 unmoderated group, 13 moderated groups (1 inactive), 14 (1 inactive) total. In net.*, from 173 to 176 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 175 to 178 total. 210 (or 209) total (15 or 14 moderated, 18 fa.*, 177 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups" February 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 12026@gatech.UUCP "List of Moderators" February 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 12028@gatech.UUCP Added: net.music.synth, net.nlang.india, net.sources.games. Removed: fa.bitgraph, fa.digest-p, fa.editor-p, fa.energy, fa.teletext. Summary: From 18 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, no change: 1 unmoderated group, 13 moderated groups (1 inactive), 14 (1 inactive) total. In net.*, from 176 to 179 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 178 to 181 total. 208 (or 207) total (15 or 14 moderated, 13 fa.*, 180 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups" March 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 12267@gatech.UUCP "List of Moderators" March 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 12269@gatech.UUCP Removed: net.works.apollo. Summary: From 13 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, no change: 1 unmoderated group, 13 moderated groups (1 inactive), 14 (1 inactive) total. In net.*, from 179 to 178 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 181 to 180 total. 207 (or 206) total (15 or 14 moderated, 13 fa.*, 179 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups" March 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 12528@gatech.UUCP "List of Moderators" March 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 12530@gatech.UUCP No changes. "List of Active Newsgroups" April 2, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 12758@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators" April 2, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 12760@gatech.CSNET No changes. "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 12 April 1985)" April 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 4@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 12 April 1985)" April 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 6@gatech.CSNET For the first time, the list of moderators provides separate comment and submission addresses. (There is also a change in how mail paths are provided. Basically, the list of moderators assumes, with this posting, its lasting shape.) Added: net.music.gdead. Rendered active: mod.std. Summary: From 13 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, from 1 to 1 unmoderated group, from 13 (1 inactive) to 13 (0 inactive) moderated groups, 14 (0 inactive) total. In net.*, from 178 to 179 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 180 to 181 total. 208 total (15 moderated, 13 fa.*, 180 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 12 April 1985)" May 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 460@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 12 April 1985)" May 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 462@gatech.CSNET No changes. "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 3 May 1985)" May 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 51@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 1 May 1985)" May 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 53@gatech.CSNET Added: net.micro.att, net.nlang.africa. Summary: From 13 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, no change: 1 unmoderated group, 13 moderated groups, 14 total. In net.*, from 179 to 181 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 181 to 183 total. 210 total (15 moderated, 13 fa.*, 182 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 17 May 1985)" June 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 206@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 17 May 1985)" June 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 208@gatech.CSNET Removed: mod.map.news. Summary: From 13 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, from 1 to 1 unmoderated group, from 13 to 12 moderated groups, from 14 to 13 total. In net.*, no change: 181 unmoderated groups, 2 moderated groups, 183 total. 209 total (14 moderated, 13 fa.*, 182 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 10 June 1985)" June 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 308@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 10 June 1985)" June 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 310@gatech.CSNET Added: mod.politics. Removed: mod.singles. No net changes. "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 1 July 1985)" July 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 400@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 1 July 1985)" July 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 402@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 2 July 1985)" July 2, 1985 mod.newslists,net.news.group,net.announce.newusers Message-ID: 417@gatech.CSNET Added: mod.rec.guns, mod.std.unix. Added, but without a moderator, inactive: mod.rec. Rendered inactive: mod.test. (I doubt this reflects a real change in the group's status; rather, it had been omitted from the list of moderators, therefore not treated as moderated in my lists; starting with this list it's included, but with no moderator, hence treated as moderated but inactive.) Summary: From 13 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, from 1 to 0 unmoderated groups, from 12 to 16 moderated groups (from 0 to 2 inactive), from 13 (0 inactive) to 16 (2 inactive) total. In net.*, no change: 181 unmoderated groups, 2 moderated groups, 183 total. 212 (or 210) total (18 or 16 moderated, 13 fa.*, 181 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 12 July 1985)" July 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 573@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 9 July 1985)" July 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 574@gatech.CSNET The first copies in the Google archives of "Changes to List of Active Newsgroups" and "Changes to List of Moderators" date to this posting run. I don't know whether this is the first time such changes postings were actually posted. Anyway, these posts amounted to elaborate diffs on the old and new lists of the relevant type, and provided quick ways for savvy readers to find out what was going on. There are periods ahead in which one or both of the main lists are missing from the archives; rarely, a changes posting survives instead, allowing reconstruction of the missing list, which is the point of mentioning them here. Added: net.misc.coke. Summary: From 13 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, no change: 0 unmoderated groups, 16 moderated groups (2 inactive), 16 (2 inactive) total. In net.*, from 181 to 182 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 183 to 184 total. 213 (or 211) total (18 or 16 moderated, 13 fa.*, 182 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 31 July 1985)" August 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 718@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 24 July 1985)" August 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 719@gatech.CSNET Added: mod.general, mod.newprod, net.bizarre. Removed: net.mail.msggroup, net.micro.zx, net.movies.sw, net.rec.coins, net.rec.disc, net.women.only. Summary: From 13 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, from 0 to 0 unmoderated groups, from 16 to 18 moderated groups (2 inactive), 18 (2 inactive) total. In net.*, from 182 to 177 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 184 to 179 total. 210 (or 208) total (20 or 18 moderated, 13 fa.*, 177 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 14 August 1985)" August 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 853@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 7 August 1985)" August 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 854@gatech.CSNET Added: net.database, net.ham-radio.packet. Removed: net.micro.432, net.std, net.theater, net.usoft. Summary: From 13 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, no change: 0 unmoderated groups, 18 moderated groups (2 inactive), 18 (2 inactive) total. In net.*, from 177 to 175 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 179 to 177 total. 208 (or 206) total (20 or 18 moderated, 13 fa.*, 175 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 29 August 1985)" September 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1104@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 7 August 1985)" September 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1105@gatech.CSNET Added: net.games.board, net.games.chess, net.micro.amiga, net.news.notes. Removed: fa.railroad, net.chess, net.notes. Summary: From 13 to 12 fa.* groups. In mod.*, no change: 0 unmoderated groups, 18 moderated groups (2 inactive), 18 (2 inactive) total. In net.*, from 175 to 177 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 2 moderated groups, from 177 to 179 total. 209 (or 207) total (20 or 18 moderated, 12 fa.*, 177 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 14 September 1985)" September 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1249@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 14 September 1985)" September 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1250@gatech.CSNET Removed: mod.map.uucp. Summary: From 12 to 12 fa.* groups. In mod.*, from 0 to 0 unmoderated groups, from 18 to 17 moderated groups (from 2 to 2 inactive), from 18 (2 inactive) to 17 (2 inactive) total. In net.*, no change: 177 unmoderated groups, 2 moderated groups, 179 total. 208 (or 206) total (19 or 17 moderated, 12 fa.*, 177 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 20 September 1985)" October 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1379@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 23 September 1985)" October 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1380@gatech.CSNET No changes. "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 14 October 1985)" October 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1511@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 7 October 1985)" October 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1512@gatech.CSNET Added: fa.risks, net.auto.tech. Removed: mod.general, net.misc.coke. Summary: From 12 to 13 fa.* groups. In mod.*, from 0 to 0 unmoderated groups, from 17 to 16 moderated groups (from 2 to 2 inactive), from 17 (2 inactive) to 16 (2 inactive) total. In net.*, no net change: 177 unmoderated groups, 2 moderated groups, 179 total. 209 (or 207) total (19 or 17 moderated, 13 fa.*, 177 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 30 October 1985)" November 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1834@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 29 October 1985)" November 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1835@gatech.CSNET This list has the most spectacular editing error of any list thus far or for years to come, but more seriously, shows the end of the fa.* hierarchy, in what amounts to a Lesser Renaming. This was accompanied by a massive expansion of mod.*, significantly beyond what it took to accommodate the renamed fa.* groups; but note that Erik Fair, in proposing this Lesser Renaming, also proposed most of the other new mod.* groups, as gateways of previously ungated ARPAnet lists, so that the expansion really amounts to a precursor of the inet distribution (on which see the 1987 post). And this list *also* shows the end of net.bizarre, which became known in the wider world, rightly or wrongly (see the lists of removals above), as the opening flourish of the Backbone Cabal's power. Little wonder, with all this going on, that the editing error slipped through. Added: mod.ai, mod.computers.apollo, mod.computers.ibm-pc, mod.computers.laser-printers, mod.computers.macintosh, mod.computers.pyramid, mod.computers.ridge, mod.computers.sequent, mod.computers.sun, mod.computers.vax, mod.computers.workstations, mod.graphics, mod.human-nets, mod.legal, mod.politics.arms-d, mod.protocols, mod.protocols.appletalk, mod.protocols.kermit, mod.protocols.tcp-ip, mod.risks, mod.telecom, mod.vlsi, net.announce.arpa-internet. Added, but inactive for lack of a moderator: mod.computers. Added, but evidently in an editing error: net.arch, net.astro, net.astro.expert, net.audio, net.auto, net.auto.tech, net.aviation, net.bicycle, net.bio, net.books, net.bugs, net.bugs.2bsd, net.bugs.4bsd, net.bugs.usg, net.bugs.uucp, net.bugs.v7, net.cog-eng, net.college, net.columbia, net.comics. These groups all were already listed, in sequence, and seem to have been pasted duplicatively over the next list of groups: Removed, but evidently in an editing error: net.consumers, net.cooks, net.crypt, net.cse, net.cycle, net.database, net.dcom, net.decus, net.emacs, net.eunice, net.flame, net.followup, net.games, net.games.board, net.games.chess, net.games.emp, net.games.frp, net.games.go, net.games.hack, net.games.pbm, net.games.rogue. Removed (and not by editing error): fa.arms-d, fa.arpa-bboard, fa.human-nets, fa.info-kermit, fa.info-mac, fa.info-terms, fa.info-vax, fa.info-vlsi, fa.laser-lovers, fa.poli-sci, fa.risks, fa.tcp-ip, fa.telecom, net.bizarre. This list also noted which *un*moderated groups had gateways to Arpanet (or in one case Bitnet) mailing lists, for the first time since 1982. The following groups were listed: net.astro (with uncertainty as to whether that gateway was working), net.emacs, net.ham-radio, net.ham-radio.packet, net.info-terms, net.lang.ada, net.lang.c, net.lang.forth (this is the Bitnet gateway), net.lang.pascal, net.lang.prolog, net.mail.headers, net.micro, net.micro.amiga, net.micro.atari, net.micro.cpm, net.origins, net.physics, net.railroad, net.sf-lovers, net.sources, net.space, net.unix, net.unix-wizards, net.video. The list of gatewayed newsgroups is separate in this and succeeding lists from the main list of newsgroups, and is worse maintained (although not as badly as the independent list of moderators). Summary: From 13 to 0 fa.* groups. In mod.*, from 0 to 0 unmoderated groups, from 16 to 39 moderated groups (from 2 to 3 inactive), from 16 (2 inactive) to 39 (3 inactive) total. In net.*, from 177 to 175 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 3 moderated groups, from 179 to 178 total. 211 (or 208) total (42 or 39 moderated, 175 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 10 November 1985)" November 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1958@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 8 November 1985)" November 15, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 1959@gatech.CSNET Added: net.internat. Added, to correct the previous editing error: net.consumers, net.cooks, net.crypt, net.cse, net.cycle, net.database, net.dcom, net.decus, net.emacs, net.eunice, net.flame, net.followup, net.games, net.games.board, net.games.chess, net.games.emp, net.games.frp, net.games.go, net.games.hack, net.games.pbm, net.games.rogue. None of these groups was really newgrouped at this time, they just had to be put back into the list from which they'd been edited out by mistake. Removed, to correct the previous editing error: duplicative copies of net.arch, net.astro, net.astro.expert, net.audio, net.auto, net.auto.tech, net.aviation, net.bicycle, net.bio, net.books, net.bugs, net.bugs.2bsd, net.bugs.4bsd, net.bugs.usg, net.bugs.uucp, net.bugs.v7, net.cog-eng, net.college, net.columbia, net.comics. None of these groups was really rmgrouped at this time, although one soon would be;they just went from being listed twice back to being listed once. Summary: In mod.*, no change: 0 unmoderated groups, 39 moderated groups (3 inactive), 39 (3 inactive) total. In net.*, from 175 to 177 unmoderated groups, from 3 to 3 moderated groups, from 178 to 180 total. 219 (or 216) total (42 or 39 moderated, 177 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 29 November 1985)" December 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 2101@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 8 November 1985)" December 1, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 2102@gatech.CSNET Removed: net.flame. Summary: In mod.*, no change: 0 unmoderated groups, 39 moderated groups (3 inactive), 39 (3 inactive) total. In net.*, from 177 to 176 unmoderated groups, from 3 to 3 moderated groups, from 180 to 179 total. 218 (or 215) total (42 or 39 moderated, 176 unmoderated). "List of Active Newsgroups (Last changed: 3 December 1985)" December 16, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 2269@gatech.CSNET "List of Moderators (Last changed: 3 December 1985)" December 16, 1985 mod.newslists,net.announce.newusers,net.news.group Message-ID: 2270@gatech.CSNET Added: mod.recipes. Summary: In mod.*, from 0 to 0 unmoderated groups, from 39 to 40 moderated groups (from 3 to 3 inactive), from 39 (3 inactive) to 40 (3 inactive) total. In net.*, no change: 176 unmoderated groups, 3 moderated groups, 179 total. 219 (or 216) total (43 or 40 moderated, 176 unmoderated). This is the last newsgroup list/moderator list pair known to me posted in 1985. Annual summary: From 18 to 0 fa.* groups. In mod.*, from 1 to 0 unmoderated groups, from 13 to 40 moderated groups (from 1 to 3 inactive), from 14 (1 inactive) to 40 (3 inactive) total. In net.*, from 172 to 176 unmoderated groups, from 2 to 3 moderated groups, from 174 to 179 total. Total, from 173 to 176 unmoderated groups, from 18 to 0 fa.* groups, from 15 (1 inactive) to 43 (3 inactive) moderated groups, from 206 (or 205) to 219 (or 216) total.