Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!texbell!uudell!loft386!dsuvax!ghelmer
From: ghelmer@dsuvax.uucp (Guy Helmer)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Your articles sold for cash.
Message-ID: <1990Jul31.135826.18336@dsuvax.uucp>
Date: 31 Jul 90 13:58:26 GMT
References: <5414@castle.ed.ac.uk> <26259@usc.edu> <26149@nigel.udel.EDU>
Organization: Dakota State University
Lines: 39

In <26149@nigel.udel.EDU> gdtltr@freezer.it.udel.edu (Gary Duzan) writes:
>   Just to throw a little fuel on the fire, is there any significant
>philosophical difference in selling printed articles, selling disks full of
>articles, and renting out time on a system for USENET access? In all three
>cases the seller is making a profit off USENET info.

IMHO, if offered for a reasonably low fee, it is OK for a person or
organization to put USENET articles on disk or paper for sale.
For those of us on USENET, we (or our companies) have put out
a lot of money for equipment that allows us to read and contribute to
news, besides paying the daily cost of sending/receiving news.  For
those without USENET access (because they can't afford
equipment or a news feed), it seems reasonable to give them information
at a price.

Because of USENET's availability, there is no reason someone else
could not offer a competitive service at a lower price.  Competetion
among for-profit companies would naturally keep the fee for copies
reasonably low.

I also echo the question about the difference between making a profit off
1) selling time on a machine to allow access to USENET, and
2) selling a physical copy of USENET articles.

I personally don't believe that there is a difference.

Very privately held personal opinion follows (and don't bother flaming,
this isn't a flame):
I also believe that people who put copyright notices on their postings
in an attempt to keep others from using articles for profit violate
the "hacker ethic" and the "spirit of USENET";  I much prefer the
GNU "copyleft" philosophy if it could be applied to USENET.

>                          gdtltr@freezer.it.udel.edu

-- 
Guy Helmer                                 ...!bigtex!loft386!dsuvax!ghelmer
DSU Computing Services    dsuvax!ghelmer@cs.utexas.edu,  helmer@sdnet.bitnet
           Small is beautiful, but looks aren't everything...