brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) (11/19/84)
Quite frequently I read articles calling the net a "public forum." A public forum is one where the general public has read (and often write) access. For example, something taking place where the public is invited, or broadcast over public airwaves, or sold for general distribution to the public. Usenet is none of these, it is a PRIVATE forum. It is privately owned (even the public institutions on the net don't alter this as they don't provide public access to their computers - those computers are still controlled as though privately owned) and membership is NOT open to the public. Membership is only open to those who know somebody who is willing to devote resources to connecting to them. While there are some sites that have offered connection to anybody willing to call, it is clear there is an implicit limit in that offer, as no site can support an arbitrary #. It may be a small point, but don't call the net a public forum because it gives the wrong idea. It's very much privately paid for. Signed one of the few who actually owns the site he is on... -- Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473