[misc.misc] HELP! net access going away!

karl@ddsw1.UUCP (Karl Denninger) (09/22/88)

[Followups redirected to alt.flame; that is where they belong]

In article <9293@cup.portal.com> Patrick_A_Townson@cup.portal.com writes:
>Karl Denninger misrepresents what I say and do in regards to Portal. 

How did I misrepresent this?  Example please.

[Please note Patrick -- I was following up to an article in alt.flame, which 
mentioned the bounty -- YOU WERE NOT THE PERSON I WAS RESPONDING TO.]

>Like most other questions, they are asked in this place under the assumption
>that some reader will have the answer. The question may be technical, it may
>be on a variety of matters; most likely another netter will know the answer.

Which can be mailed with the exact same effect for the person who asked the
question.  Posting it presumes that _others_ need the information (ie: 10
people have asked).

>After all, you do not see
>advertisents, garish or not, from me cross posted to dozens of news groups and
>re-appearing every day or anything.

True.  

>Now regards Mr. Denninger's comment on 'kickbacks': The policy of the people at
>Portal was, and may still be, to reward existing users with a *great big*
>five!dollar!rebate! on their next month's billing. Even Mr. Denninger
>will realize how rich and famous this system of rebates has made me....

And two recommendations a month would be a free month on the Portal, no?
Three, four, five, ten bounties.... looks like a possibility of many free 
months of service.....

The point is this:

1) The Usenet flows over many mediums, some of which have a strict
   non-commercial policy (ie: The Internet).  Since this is the case, the
   members of the Usenet have a "gentlemans' agreement" not to post
   commercial messages to the net.  There are exactly two exceptions --
   comp.newprod (which is moderated) and the biz hierarchy.  A third
   semi-exception is made for people selling _personal effects_ in the
   misc.forsale group (ie: your _personal_ car, etc).

2) Information which flows on the Net is many times presumed, due to (1) 
   above, to be coming from people who are "disinterested" in that they do 
   not receive a benefit from the use of that information.  I feel that this
   is a _Good Thing_ in that a disinterested party's voice seems to carry
   more weight than one who has a stake in the eventual outcome.

3) It's inappropriate to advertise items, by public posting, which you
   profit from (whether via kickbacks or _any other method_) on the public
   areas of the net.  It is not inappropriate to mail the same information,
   for obvious reasons (it's going _only_ to the person who made the
   request, and transmission is paid for only once rather than 8,000+ times)
   
If all you had wanted to do was inform the person who asked the question,
Patrick, you could have USED EMAIL.  Since you posted instead it would
appear that there was some other reason for your actions.

I won't even start on the threats that have been posted to alt.flame about
flooding the net with 15,000 irate flames.  I've considered using the
recently-posting "kill portal" script; if disruption of this type were to
actually occur that would be the _least_ of my actions.

Keep the ads off the "regular" Usenet.  Post them to biz, or email the material.

--
Karl Denninger (ddsw1!karl) Data: (312) 566-8912, Voice: (312) 566-8910
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.    "Quality solutions at a fair price"