jim@ferkel.ucsb.edu (Jim Lick) (12/31/90)
I'd like to add a few comments on the differences between Usenet, UUCP, and
Internet as discussed recently. This is yet another nit, but an important
(aren't they all?) one, and one which will become increasingly more
important over the decade.
The fact is, that despite what many people still think, the Internet is no
longer one net with one all-encompassing policy regarding use. The only
national network with the research and education restrictions is NSFNET.
And it only has less than two years to live. There are also the 'mid-level'
nets which are funded by NSF with similiar policies which give regional
access. However, there are several branches of the Internet which have
completely different policies. There are now several foreign (non-US)
countries on the net. They often have very different policies regarding
use. There are also a few commercial networks which have few or no
restrictions. These include PSInet, and Alternet, both of which are
national networks using TCP/IP, and hooked into the larger Internet.
I have just recently purchased dial-up SLIP access to PSInet. In the
contract I signed, I was given unrestricted use of PSInet. However, it was
specifical covered that any traffic I generate over NSFNET, or any other
network was subject to the restrictions of that particular network.
Anyways, the main point is that Internet is not as simple as most people
think. We are now seeing ever-increasing portions of the net with no usage
restrictions. This, I think is a VERY GOOD THING, and thus is why I want to
make this point known.
Jim Lick
Work: University of California | Home: 6657 El Colegio #24
Santa Barbara | Isla Vista, CA 93117-4280
Dept. of Mechanical Engr. | (805) 968-0189 voice/msg
2311 Engr II Building | (805) 968-1239 data
(805) 893-4113 | (805) 968-2734 fax
jim@ferkel.ucsb.edu | Soon: jim@cave.sba.ca.us barmar@think.com (Barry Margolin) (12/31/90)
In article <7923@hub.ucsb.edu> jim@ferkel.ucsb.edu (Jim Lick) writes: >I'd like to add a few comments on the differences between Usenet, UUCP, and >Internet as discussed recently. ... >The fact is, that despite what many people still think, the Internet is no >longer one net with one all-encompassing policy regarding use. Everything you say is correct -- the Internet is a conglomeration of many separate networks, with different acceptable use policies. However, in a TCP/IP internet it's often difficult for users to predict just which nets their packets will travel over. In addition, there are application-level gateways between the Internet and other networks (e.g. the Internet is used to connect many pieces of Usenet). Unless a user knows a priori that he will be communicating over a particular network, the only safe thing is to assume that one of the more restrictive networks. So, if you're on PSInet and you know that another host is also on PSInet, you two can use the net for commercial traffic; but if you're connecting to some host you know little about, you should assume it is on one of the NSF-sponsored nets and obey their restrictions. Since the NSFnet portion of the Internet is effectively part of the Usenet backbone, and there is no one screening postings as they pass through these gateways, most Usenet newsgroups may not be used for commercial purposes (I think there are some netnews hierarchies that arrange not to get forwarded over the NSFnet, so that they are not subject to its restrictions). -- Barry Margolin, Thinking Machines Corp. barmar@think.com {uunet,harvard}!think!barmar