[thelist] SEO and Dynamic URIs

[Hershel Robinson]

This subject has been broached before on thelist, but it seems to have 
been a while so I thought to ask again--perhaps new information is 
available.

I am about to release a site for a magazine, which includes the index of 
each issue available online. The URI to see an index would look 
something like this:

http://www.mishpachaw.com/eng-index.php?mag=8&issue=1

for the first issue of magazine number eight.

Are such URIs less appealing to search engines than if they were of the 
form:

http://www.mishpachaw.com/eng-index/8/1/

or some such? The only real difference in the URI is the lack of the ?.

Or is there any other reason for such a schema as opposed to the first one?

Thanks,
Hershel