[net.news] Net ``fascism''

bsa@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery) (07/04/85)

Expires:

Quoted from <134@ucla-cime.UUCP> ["Re: To: persons offended by ucla-cs!alex"], by kyle@ucla-cime.UUCP (Kyle D. Henriksen)...
+---------------
| >From: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach)
| 
| > Well, I'll start by pointing out the obvious and say that part of being the
| > System Administrators job at a site is taking complaints off of the net
| > when one of the users steps beyond the bounds of proper use of the network.
| 
|  Gee and I didn't even see it in the job description...
+---------------

You can't read.  The net is too d*mn big to support everyone just shooting
off their mouths; and you are also supposed, BY LAW, to keep an eye on libel,
slander, etc.; the illegal posting of materials protected by copyright and/or
trade secret; et cetera.  Do you need a diagram, or just to be thrown in jail
as an accomplice (remember the Tcimpidis BBS case?)

+---------------
| > Anyone has the right to make a formal complaint, if they so wish,
| > especially when discussing the incident directly with the transgressor
| > doesn't help. (This is especially true when the screwup is because the
| > person thinks that the network is a right and not a priviledge, and thinks
| > they can do anything they want).  If the SA doesn't want a lot of screaming
| > fascists filling their mailbox, they should make sure that the people on
| > their site aren't acting like mongoloid idiots with a lobotomy. Not that
| > I'm accusing anyone at UCLA of acting that way, of course.... (I'm just
| > implying it heavily...)
| 
| Well since I don't agree with a statement you made, do I now have the RIGHT
| to incite people to write unsolicited letters to you and your superiors?
| I of course would not stoop so low.  What really is disturbing you about the
| recent postings?
+---------------

I know what's got YOU upset; you're part of the problem.  I re-quote from
the above: ``...the person thinks that the network is a RIGHT and not a
PRIVILEGE...'' (emphasis (and spelling corrections :-) mine).

This kind of flame has already caused our major news feed (ATV) to leave the
net entirely, forcing us to lose a month of news in locating a new feed; has
nearly brought our system to a standstill with news volume (and we stopped
receiving net.flame a year ago); and apparently has decvax stuttering.  The
net, I repeat, is too big for this king of bullsh*t.

I'm beginning to see more and more sense in splitting the net into technical
and non-technical newsgroups; or groups of "has-an-Internet-link" and "Usenet-
only"; or something else.  Machines may carry one or the other, or both.  I
suspect grouping by Internet links is smartest...

+---------------
| 	The net serves a large community of users and I'm sorry that some of us
| just don't really care what is posted, we only read what we think is relavant.
+---------------

Great.  I'm glad you have the processor speed and disk space to handle the
rest of it.  We at ncoast (a TRS-80 Model 16) don't, which is understandable...
but when site decvax starts having problems transmitting news, something must
be wrong with the net itself.

+---------------
| The techniques you are using are the traditional preludes to censorship, what
| do you want the SOVIET CHUQNET? By the way your last comment there could
| be considered libelous and damaging to a person's career...
+---------------

YOUR last comment, at last, has a point.  (Sorry, Chuq.)

He was explaining his feelings about censorship in his letter; pity you were
too busy flaming to read them.  Please see above; and get this one point solidly
into your brain:  if the net doesn't start trimming itself, major net nodes will
be FORCED to trim it themselves; they can not afford the disk space and processor
time.

--bsa (soon to be ncoast's news administrator, it seems...)
-- 
Brandon Allbery, Unix Consultant -- 6504 Chestnut Road, Independence, OH 44131
decvax!cwruecmp!ncoast!bsa; ncoast!bsa@case.csnet; +1 216 524 1416; 74106,1032
========================> Trekkies have Warped minds. <=======================