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From: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: EMAIL Flood and Use Deprivation
Message-ID: <13896@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 22 Oct 90 04:53:32 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 753, Message 6 of 6


I'd like to respond to some points raised by John Stanley in his
article to the Digest.

Mr. Stanley raises all sorts of dire predictions about what he terms a
'flood' of email to any given person or site on the net. He points out
that an overflow of mail can crash the system, and that even big
commercial systems are not exempt.

Then he says, when this inevitable crash occurs, because of people
like myself suggesting that one might write letters to persons in
authority, there will be other consequences:

Because the lines will be clogged 24 hours per day, mail will not be
able to get out. Because money is limited, some email systems charge
for messages. Therefore when this becomes too expensive, it will be
cut off.  Company presidents will be forced to have their secretary
dispose of the mail unread, lest they (the president) should be
confronted with ideas and thoughts from the customers. 

Doesn't it occur to you, Mr. Stanley that news takes much more time to
transmit than mail, and usually, a lot more space on the disks to
maintain? Why not cut off news instead, Mr. Stanley?  After all, some
of it is quite vindictively written, is it not; and about many of the
same companies mentioned here, no? 

I'll tell you what, folks: Let's just all shut our mouths and say
nothing. Let's all go back to the old single server BBS lines and
leave three line messages for each other asking for pirated programs
we can run on our C-64. Isn't that all this medium is supposed to be
good for? 

You want to demonstrate the legitimacy of the electronic press? Then
begin to use it, and see to it the right people have the opportunity
to read it. One of two things will happen: Either they will completely
squash it, or they will begin to hold it in strong respect. I'll
gamble on the latter, because if the former is the case, what have we
lost anyway?

I have never suggested that a vindictive effort be made to swamp or
'flood' a system. But at the same time, I'll be damned if I have
someone like Mr. Stanley tell me I should not enourage people to write
and express themselves lest the dire consequences he predicts come
true and some site cuts itself off from the outside world rather than
have to deal with the real and powerful force of email and electronic
publishing.  In the next issue of the Digest, another writer will
continue this topic.


Patrick Townson
TELECOM Moderator