On Mon, 9 May 1994 14:39:01 GMT Aldo-Pier Solari said:
>On Mon, 9 May 1994 Nick La-flamme <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> [...] and that people had better accept that it's a big wide world out
>> there and that we're not in control of it.
>>
>> Just a thought,
>> Nick
>
>Well, Sir. To me, it seems INTERNET has got a bunch of terrorists but
>there's not police. If there are no "engagement" rules no communication
>may be possible. Otherwise, all scientists and other people (the ones
>who can pay) will escape to private owned networks. There, you've
>got to pay 750 USD/year just to open a mailbox. USENET is not a good
>example of anything and most traffic there is garbage. And not only
>that: A gateway to/from USENET may ruin a serious network in a matter of
>hours.
 
I can't tell if we agree or not.  From your tone, you seem to disagree with
me on at least one point, but I'm not sure which.
 
My whole point is exactly that there are no police and no common authority
in the Internet and in USENET.  Therefore, trying to find an EARN document
or some other document to cite to "offenders" is pointless.
 
Peer pressure produces netiquette, which is as close to rules as you can
get without authority.
 
If you want control, set up a moderated list or group where participants
accept control.  That's possible, many of us have done that.  I'm just
saying, don't try to extend this control to the network, because on the
level of a public network, it just isn't possible.
 
You're right about one thing:  if you need a whole controlled network, you
have to pay for it.  Many corporations have large internal networks they
control and behavior on these nets is Very Proper.
 
Corallary:  you get what you pay for.  On the Internet and USENET, you pay
for connectivity and even freedom, not for control.
 
Nick
 
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