On the other hand, if they mostly want to locate and read a single
section, then a single posting is more convenient as long as their
newsreader can handle the size.
Also, if they tend to download it and browse through it later with a
text editor or word processor, then a single file is generally better.
Mine (misc.health.diabetes) started at 35K and grew to 95K, at which
point I recently decided to split it. In my case, maintaining a single
file was beginning to have its problems, though I've replaced those
problems with a different set. It's in the category of a posting that
people tend to read large parts of, or download and browse, not just go
for a single section.
Note too that son-of-RFC1036 -- the draft to replace the Usenet standard
-- specifies that postings should be limited to 60K. Though this is a
barbarically small limit, and the same document specifies that
newsreaders should handle articles up to a megabyte, it's a good
indication of current technological limitations. (Note that "should" in
that document is a recommendation, not a requirement.)
Good luck on deciding.
Edward Reid
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