erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) (09/05/89)
Usenet is an elitist medium. To participate, you must either own
a system; go to school or work at a place that has a system; or own
a terminal or computer and pay money to call into a public access system.
People who don't have the resources can't post. Right off the bat, it's
an unfair (in terms of who can post and who can't) system.
With that out of the way... :-)
What if I cranked up a new system, called "annoy", perhaps, and offered
accounts (and full net/email access :-P) to anyone who was kicked off
the net at another site? The purpose would be to (ahem) protect
their right to free speech on the net. As long as they didn't break
any actual laws, they could keep their accounts.
(I know what would happen: all of my neighbors would discconect from
me. :-)
--
"Watch has a clock on it" -- ficc!peter's 3.7 year old son, on seeing
an analog watch.
J. Eric Townsend unet!sugar!flatline!erict com6@uhnix1.uh.edu
EastEnders Mailing list: eastender@flatline.UUCPsl@van-bc.UUCP (Stuart Lynne) (09/05/89)
In article <2380@flatline.UUCP> erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) writes: > >What if I cranked up a new system, called "annoy", perhaps, and offered > >(I know what would happen: all of my neighbors would discconect from So get an account on uunet. As far as I know they don't have any policy about censoring their customers. -- Stuart.Lynne@wimsey.bc.ca uunet!van-bc!sl 604-937-7532(voice) 604-939-4768(fax)
roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) (09/05/89)
In article <254@van-bc.UUCP> sl@van-bc.UUCP (Stuart Lynne) writes: > So get an account on uunet. As far as I know they don't have any > policy about censoring their customers. And, as far as I can tell, they don't have any policy about making fraudulent (well, perhaps rogue is a better word) postings to moderated newsgroups either. -- Roy Smith, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016 {att,philabs,cmcl2,rutgers,hombre}!phri!roy -or- roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu "The connector is the network"
rich@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US (Rich Andrews) (09/05/89)
In article <2380@flatline.UUCP> erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) writes: > > >Usenet is an elitist medium. To participate, you must either own >a system; go to school or work at a place that has a system; or own >a terminal or computer and pay money to call into a public access system. >People who don't have the resources can't post. Right off the bat, it's >an unfair (in terms of who can post and who can't) system. I disagree. Access to the usenet or any bbs is no more unfair other than excluding those who don't have modems. >What if I cranked up a new system, called "annoy", perhaps, and offered >accounts (and full net/email access :-P) to anyone who was kicked off >the net at another site? The purpose would be to (ahem) protect >their right to free speech on the net. As long as they didn't break >any actual laws, they could keep their accounts. I have yet to "kick off" anyone here because of poor usenet protocol or for being a "nuisance to the net". rich -- "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat." Bullwinkle Moose "oh...a wise guy....Come here....I'll murder ya..." Moe Howard "I'm hunting wabbits...." Elmer Fudd "If I could typ I'd be dangerous" Rich Andrews
coolidge@brutus.cs.uiuc.edu (John Coolidge) (09/05/89)
erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) writes: >Usenet is an elitist medium. To participate, you must either own >a system; go to school or work at a place that has a system; or own >a terminal or computer and pay money to call into a public access system. >People who don't have the resources can't post. Right off the bat, it's >an unfair (in terms of who can post and who can't) system. Very true. You gotta get a machine before you get to talk... >[If Eric started up a freedom-of-speech machine for offensive posters] >(I know what would happen: all of my neighbors would discconect from >me. :-) All of your neighbors, maybe. I'd carry the traffic. As long as a given posting doesn't violate any laws, I'm perfectly willing to carry it along. Even if it does break any laws, the odds are that neither I nor any other sysadmins would actually notice the illegal posting, but if we did it'd be gone asap. But as long as I'm running a site, we'll carry anything, offensive or not (as long as we carry the group at all, of course --- I don't want every group just to be a completist :-)), as long as it doesn't break the law. --John -------------------------------------------------------------------------- John L. Coolidge Internet:coolidge@cs.uiuc.edu UUCP:uiucdcs!coolidge Of course I don't speak for the U of I (or anyone else except myself) Copyright 1989 John L. Coolidge. Copying allowed if (and only if) attributed.
tneff@bfmny0.UUCP (Tom Neff) (09/05/89)
In article <2380@flatline.UUCP> erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) writes: >What if I cranked up a new system, called "annoy", perhaps, and offered >accounts (and full net/email access :-P) to anyone who was kicked off >the net at another site? > >(I know what would happen: all of my neighbors would discconect from >me. :-) Having answered his own question, this poster could have avoided the news article entirely it seems to me. -- Annex Canada now! We need the room, \) Tom Neff and who's going to stop us. (\ tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET
allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) (09/06/89)
As quoted from <1489@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US> by rich@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US (Rich Andrews): +--------------- | In article <2380@flatline.UUCP> erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) writes: | >What if I cranked up a new system, called "annoy", perhaps, and offered | >accounts (and full net/email access :-P) to anyone who was kicked off | >the net at another site? | | I have yet to "kick off" anyone here because of poor usenet protocol | or for being a "nuisance to the net". +--------------- You haven't, maybe, but let me drop a few names: Rich Rosen Tim Maroney (since returned, obviously ;-) "Foothead" (fh@eddie.mit.edu -- circumstances unusual here) It does happen (primarily at universities?). And it can be argued that even Rich Rosen, whom many people consider deserving of his fate, had a right to use of the Net. ++Brandon -- Brandon S. Allbery, moderator of comp.sources.misc allbery@NCoast.ORG uunet!hal.cwru.edu!ncoast!allbery ncoast!allbery@hal.cwru.edu "Why do trans-atlantic transfers take so long?" "Electrons don't swim very fast." -john@minster.york.ac.uk and whh@PacBell.COM
erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) (09/06/89)
In article <1489@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US> rich@jolnet.UUCP (Rich Andrews) writes: >In article <2380@flatline.UUCP> erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) writes: >>Usenet is an elitist medium. To participate, you must either own >>a system; go to school or work at a place that has a system; or own >>a terminal or computer and pay money to call into a public access system. >>People who don't have the resources can't post. Right off the bat, it's >>an unfair (in terms of who can post and who can't) system. >I disagree. Access to the usenet or any bbs is >no more unfair other than excluding those who don't have modems. Bingo. It is not a "fair" system. It can only be accessed by individuals who are high-enough in the class-structure to either afford a system/account; or who can afford to go to a university where they can have an account; or are employeed in a position where they have net access. *Within* the structure of usenet, things are rather fair, with "fairness" varying from site to site and nation to nation. It is elitist in that it can only be accessed by individuals with a relatively high social standing in our society. A person is, however, "free" to gain access *IFF* they can get the resources together. Just like a person is "free" to travel, or "free" to run for office... -- "Watch has a clock on it" -- ficc!peter's 3.7 year old son, on seeing an analog watch. J. Eric Townsend unet!sugar!flatline!erict com6@uhnix1.uh.edu EastEnders Mailing list: eastender@flatline.UUCP
randy@chinet.chi.il.us (Randy Suess) (09/09/89)
In article <254@van-bc.UUCP> sl@van-bc.UUCP (Stuart Lynne) writes: ]In article <2380@flatline.UUCP> erict@flatline.UUCP (J. Eric Townsend) writes: ]>What if I cranked up a new system, called "annoy", perhaps, and offered ]>(I know what would happen: all of my neighbors would discconect from ]So get an account on uunet. Or chinet. Man, I really seem to have a history of attacting them.... -- Randy Suess randy@chinet.chi.il.us
matt@oddjob.uchicago.edu (Matt Crawford) (09/12/89)
In article <2380@flatline.UUCP>, erict@flatline (J. Eric Townsend) writes:
) Usenet is an elitist medium. ...
) People who don't have the resources can't post. Right off the bat, it's
) an unfair system.
It's unequal. Unless you take it as axiomatic, unequal is not the same
as unfair.
________________________________________________________
Matt Crawford matt@oddjob.uchicago.edurlr@toccata.rutgers.edu (Rich Rosen) (09/16/89)
In article <1989Sep6.001332.12167@NCoast.ORG>, allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) says: >>>What if I cranked up a new system, called "annoy", perhaps, and offered >>>accounts (and full net/email access :-P) to anyone who was kicked off >>>the net at another site? > >> I have yet to "kick off" anyone here because of poor usenet protocol >> or for being a "nuisance to the net". > > You haven't, maybe, but let me drop a few names: > Rich Rosen > Tim Maroney (since returned, obviously ;-) > "Foothead" (fh@eddie.mit.edu -- circumstances unusual here) > > It does happen (primarily at universities?). And it can be argued that even > Rich Rosen, whom many people consider deserving of his fate, had a right to > use of the Net. Gee, this is news (no pun intended) to me. When was I kicked off the net? Really, I'm dying to know. And what exactly was this "fate" you speak of? And why did I deserve it, whatever it was, whether it came to pass in reality or just in some people's deranged imaginations? Please let me know where you get your information, Brandon, because I'll be sure to mark whatever/whomever that may be with a stamp that says "UNRELIABLE SOURCE - MULTIPLY ALL STATEMENTS BY -1 TO OBTAIN TRUTH" in big red letters. In future, please refrain from making comments about me (or anybody, for that matter) without confirming that what you say has some modicum of resemblance to the truth. Dogmatic religionists may have whined, self-aggrandizing Deadheads may have bitched and moaned, but I was never restricted from use of the net in any way, either during my period of employment at Bell Labs/Bellcore or thereafter. Got it? ... :-? (Now if THAT doesn't convince you that Rich Rosen hasn't been kicked off of any net known to man, woman or shoehorn, I don't know what will...) There, now I can get back to whatever it was I was doing? -- "We old ones have seen two R's..." Rich Rosen rlr@toccata.rutgers.edu
rlr@toccata.rutgers.edu (Rich Rosen) (09/16/89)
In article <1989Sep6.001332.12167@NCoast.ORG>, allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) says: >>>What if I cranked up a new system, called "annoy", perhaps, and offered >>>accounts (and full net/email access :-P) to anyone who was kicked off >>>the net at another site? > >> I have yet to "kick off" anyone here because of poor usenet protocol >> or for being a "nuisance to the net". > > You haven't, maybe, but let me drop a few names: > > Rich Rosen > Tim Maroney (since returned, obviously ;-) > "Foothead" (fh@eddie.mit.edu -- circumstances unusual here) > > It does happen (primarily at universities?). And it can be argued that even > Rich Rosen, whom many people consider deserving of his fate, had a right to > use of the Net. Gee, this is news (no pun intended) to me. When was I kicked off the net? Really, I'm dying to know. And what exactly was this "fate" you speak of? And why did I deserve it, whatever it was, whether it came to pass in reality or just in some people's deranged imaginations? Please let me know where you get your information, Brandon, because I'll be sure to mark whatever/whomever that may be with a stamp that says "UNRELIABLE SOURCE - MULTIPLY ALL STATEMENTS BY -1 TO OBTAIN TRUTH" in big red letters. In future, please refrain from making comments about me (or anybody, for that matter) without confirming that what you say has some modicum of resemblance to the truth. Dogmatic religionists may have whined, self-aggrandizing Deadheads may have bitched and moaned, but I was never restricted from use of the net in any way, either during my period of employment at Bell Labs/Bellcore or thereafter. Got it? ... :-? (Now if THAT doesn't convince you that Rich Rosen hasn't been kicked off of any net known to man, woman or shoehorn, I don't know what will...) There, now I can get back to whatever it was I was doing? -- "We old ones have seen two R's..." Rich Rosen rlr@toccata.rutgers.edu
rlr@toccata.rutgers.edu (Rich Rosen) (09/17/89)
In article <1989Sep6.001332.12167@NCoast.ORG>, allbery@NCoast.ORG (Brandon S. Allbery) says: >>>What if I cranked up a new system, called "annoy", perhaps, and offered >>>accounts (and full net/email access :-P) to anyone who was kicked off >>>the net at another site? > >> I have yet to "kick off" anyone here because of poor usenet protocol >> or for being a "nuisance to the net". > > You haven't, maybe, but let me drop a few names: > > Rich Rosen > Tim Maroney (since returned, obviously ;-) > "Foothead" (fh@eddie.mit.edu -- circumstances unusual here) > > It does happen (primarily at universities?). And it can be argued that even > Rich Rosen, whom many people consider deserving of his fate, had a right to > use of the Net. Gee, this is news (no pun intended) to me. When was I kicked off the net? Really, I'm dying to know. And what exactly was this "fate" you speak of? And why did I deserve it, whatever it was, whether it came to pass in reality or just in some people's deranged imaginations? Please let me know where you get your information, Brandon, because I'll be sure to mark whatever source that may be with a stamp that says "UNRELIABLE SOURCE - MULTIPLY ALL STATEMENTS BY -1 TO OBTAIN TRUTH" in big red letters. In future, please refrain from making comments about me (or anybody, for that matter) without confirming that what you say has some modicum of resemblance to the truth. Dogmatic religionists may have whined, self-aggrandizing Deadheads may have bitched and moaned, but I was never restricted from use of the net in any way, either during my period of employment at Bell Labs or Bellcore or anytime thereafter. Got it? ... :-? (Now if THAT doesn't convince you that Rich Rosen hasn't been kicked off of any net known to man, woman or shoehorn, I don't know what will...) There, now I can get back to whatever it was I was doing? -- "We old ones have seen two R's..." Rich Rosen rlr@toccata.rutgers.edu