Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!usc!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!pa.dec.com!reid
From: reid@decwrl.dec.com (Brian Reid)
Newsgroups: news.lists.ps-maps
Subject: notes about the contents of this newsgroup
Date: 12 Aug 1993 00:53:35 GMT
Organization: DEC Network Systems Laboratory
Lines: 75
Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com
Message-ID: <24c4af$7mu@usenet.pa.dec.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: torrey.pa.dec.com
Keywords: arbitron, statistics, announcement
Originator: reid@torrey.pa.dec.com

The files posted in this newsgroup contain component pieces that can be used
to produce PostScript files for printing on any PostScript printer. The
messages in this newsgroup are in exactly the same format as those in
comp.mail.maps, with the intention that you can unpack these PostScript maps
with the same software that you use to unpack comp.mail.maps.

If you don't have this unpacking software (it is available in all of the
usual comp.sources.unix archives), then just take all of the articles in this
month's posting and unshar them. If you don't have "unshar", then just edit
off the article headers, put the resulting text into "filename", and type "sh
filename". If you don't have "sh", then you will need to pick them apart with
a text editor.

Once you have unpacked the component files, type "make", to assemble the
components into PostScript files. If you don't have "make", then you will
have to assemble the components by hand using the instructions found in
"Makefile".

Here are the questions asked most frequently:

* Q: Why isn't my site shown in the maps or listed in the reports?
  A: In order to be listed, two conditions must be met:
	1) You must be in the uucp maps (see comp.mail.maps) and
	   your uucp map entry must have a valid #L field
	   (longitude and latitude)
	2) We must receive data showing a non-zero flow to, from,
	   or through your site. The "inpaths" program, which is
	   posted each month at the same time as this report, 
	   provides that data.

* Q: My country is connected to USENET but our national backbone site
     doesn't show up in your maps. Why not?
  A: Nobody told me the name of your national backbone site. Please
     keep me informed. These things change, and I need to be notified
     of the changes.

* Q: Why are there sites in Greenland and near the North pole?
  A: Because a lot of people don't seem to know latitude from longitude.
     These flow maps are just posted from the data submitted by site
     administrators. When an administrator lists something like these,
     for example, it's just going to show up in the wrong place:
     (All of these are real examples taken from August 1990 data,
     with the site names removed to avoid embarassing people)

	#L      75 10 N / 40 5 W

	#P      ... , Chicago, Il 60632
	#L      29 27 N / 98 30 W city

	#P      ... , Boynton Beach, FL 33426
	#L      26 32 30 N / 80 05 30 E

	#P      ... , Bar Harbor, ME 04609
	#L      44 23 W / 68 45 N

	#P      ... , Billerica, MA 01821
	#L      42 20 N / 17 05 W city


* Q: I tried to print these files but I get error messages about "undefined
     operator INIT".
  A: You have neglected to type "make" or to assemble the PostScript files
     from the components.


* Q: The maps aren't centered on the page. That looks bad. Can you center
     them?
  A: Obviously you live in North America. Until August 1990 the maps were
     centered, but you can only center for a particular size of paper, and
     formatting the maps for North American paper meant that everybody
     else in the world had trouble printing them. Beginning August 1990,
     the maps are formatted so that they can be printed either on A4
     paper (the world standard) or North American Letter paper. Because
     Letter paper is slightly wider than A4, this causes the image to be
     off-center in North America. Sorry.