New? LIT site.

["Kevin 'Tex' Houston" <hous0042@maroon.tc.umn.edu>]

David Levine wrote:

> Kevin also has a few ideas about the future of LIT.
> Personally, I can't say I agree with him, but if you'd
> like to share your ideas, Kevin...

Thank you Dave,

As I've said to Dave before, I will now say to the whole group.  I don't want 
what I'm about to propose to split the group.  If after hearing my ideas, A clear 
majority doesn't want to endorse it, then I think it should not be pursued.  
This is why I have not said anything before this.

First some background:  I am starting a Web-publishing Business.  I have already 
secured a domain name www.URLy-Bird.com {don't bother going there, the server isn't 
up yet.) If you want a look at my page, try http://umn.edu/~hous0042/urlybird.html 

As of right now, I have two choices:
1) pay $10.00 / month and point urly-bird.com to my school account. (6 mo minimum)
2) pay $30.00 / month (and $40.00 start-up) and get 30 Megs of fast! storage space
   from a company called tabnet. http://www.tabnet.com/

I can't really afford to set up the server just yet.  but I don't want to waste 
6 months of traffic by having to switch to a server later down the road.

So here is my proposal. (at last, here's the point)

If I knew that the SSD (star ship design) Group would be willing to move to my 
server space, I could justify getting a server set up.  I would ask a one-time 
donation to help defray start-up costs (this is a donation only, no pressure)  I 
would never charge SSD for it's space, and I think that ad revenues would perhaps 
generate some extra income for the SSD group.

Benefits to SSD:
1) FTP Access to the main site.  No need to have two sites going.
2) E-mail and Majordomo.  We can get the mailing list started again!
   and auto-foreward mail addresses like KevinH@urly-bird, or TimV@urly-bird
   which would send the mail on to our normal addresses.
3) A SysAdmin who is committed {or should be ;-) } 
   (By SysAdmin, I mean the people at Sunsite, not Dave.  
   I have nothing but respect for Dave.)

Benefits to Kevin:
1) Some help with the start-up costs.
2) Extra traffic to my urly-bird site.
3) A place to help show off my web-slinging talent.
4) I hope that the combination of 2 and 3 will eventually allow me to quit my day job.

   If I've left something out, be assured it is not intentional.  I've no desire
   to cheat my friends.

What I need from you:
1) Your thoughts on this.  MANDATORY!  Even if you think this idea stinks, tell me.
   If there is enough talk against it, I will withdraw.  I don't want there to be 
   multiple sites with sets of people who don't talk to each other.  ugh!

2) Your monetary help.  Requested only.  no pressure.  no special recognition either
   way.  Judging from the size of the mailing list, I would ask $10.00 from each of 
   you to help with start-up costs.

My investment so far:
$50.00 for the registration of the URLY-bird Name   Paid
$100.00 more to Internic for two years of DNS       Still owed.

It will cost $70.00 to set up the server for the first 3 months, 
and $30.00 each month thereafter.  I hope to sell server space for 
$2.00/Megabyte/month and to sell ads.

Well, thats it.  if you think this idea is Good, Bad or not-fully-thought-out,
Please let us all know.

Kevin