Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!uluru2!labman
From: labman@ecr.mu.oz.au (Bruce Robertson)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: ftp sites for Gif files
Summary: I too would like it
Message-ID: <5981@munnari.oz.au>
Date: 8 Nov 90 21:32:55 GMT
References: <1990Nov6.210108.25434@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <7686.2738946e@uwovax.uwo.ca> <16658@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Sender: news@cs.mu.oz.au
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In article <16658@hydra.gatech.EDU>, hh2@prism.gatech.EDU (HAAS) writes:
> 
> I too, would like to know if there are any sites left, ....>
> 
> Why did they all go away, seemingly in unison?  ...........>


 I would like to see all the GIF (and other formats) remain
 and no doubt they still exist all locked up. BUT we have
 a limited amount of resources, namely packet bandwith,
 especially internationally, which gets swamped with all
 the normal E-mail and News articles.
 Even if we take this underground, we are still limited by
 this resource, and the net administrators would soon cut
 the service from you. 
 Buying our own underground link is fine, duplicating and
 existing service just for pictures is a little expensive
 There are several arguments against letting pictures onto
 the net.

 1) Picture files are extremely large compared to normal text
	 and mail.
 2) Because of the size of images it consumes a great proportion
	 of the net bandwidth, and what may be considered more
	 legitimate users have longer delay on their very
	 important work. (ie alt.sex, alt.sex.bondage,
	 alt.sex.beatiality, alt.evil, rec.humour, rec.funny)
	 ALL VERY IMPORTANT NEWSGROUPS.
 3) The is the argument of copyright on the images, especially
	 those taken from adult magazines and BBS services. I
	 think that if the (C) notice is included in the border
	 including the source of the image we have supplied a
	 free advertising port for the original publishers. I
	 dont see any legal ramifications coming out of this
	 although the breech of (C) has occured.
 4) The problem of minors getting to view this media is real
	 although not a valid argument for its continued
	 suppression, especially in the light of all those
	 alt.sex.?????? newsgroups.
 5) The international censorship of risque` come pornographic
	 material is always going to have problems of degree
	 of censorship that each country imposses, but again
	 not to relevant in the light of alt.sex.??????

 Finally all the GIF groups haven't left the net they still 
 exist with "nice" pictures that a lot of us do use for use
 in texture mapping in graphics, so please keep these archives
 open as long as possible.

 I know I have rambled rapidly of the beam from the original
 posting, But the loss of a lot of the GIF sites has been
 basically due to the fact that most of these sites also
 supplied images from the alt.sex.pictures newsgroup, and
 secondly that the large size of the pictures do take a lot
 of the packet bandwidth on international links.

 A solution that may work for all is to have a main archive
 in each of the main hubs of each country on the net. These
 fully supported by their respective governments, such that
 these images can be freely exhanged within your own country.
 This also means that particular images considered by your
 countries censorship board can be removed and still have a
 large and happy image users society.

 This is just my 2cents worth And I know I have missed a lot
 of arguments. But I am a slob anyway.

 Regards
  Bruce Robertson                               | labman@gondwana.ecr.mu.OZ.AU
  Department of Engineering Computer Resources, | labman@128.250.1.63
  C/o Faculty of Engineering,                 | Besides; It's not the Principle
  University of Melbourne, 3052. AUSTRALIA    | of the thing, it's the money.