Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!mips!twg.com!david From: david@twg.com (David S. Herron) Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Re: Fool Message-ID: <8313@gollum.twg.com> Date: 19 Nov 90 21:30:54 GMT References: <18667@rpp386.cactus.org> <1990Nov2.191240.4568@lavaca.uh.edu> <18684@rpp386.cactus.org> <1990Nov3.193714.4223@lavaca.uh.edu> <1990Nov4.031734.19127@com50.c2s.mn.org> <284@crucible.UUCP> <1990Nov6.030346.11113@com50.c2s.mn.org> <288@crucible.UUCP> <1990No Reply-To: david@twg.com (David S. Herron) Organization: The Wollongong Group, Palo Alto, CA Lines: 46 In article <1990Nov8.133951.7304@com50.c2s.mn.org> craig@com50.c2s.mn.org (Craig Wilson) writes: >In article <288@crucible.UUCP> al@crucible.UUCP (Al Evans) writes: >>In article <1990Nov6.030346.11113@com50.c2s.mn.org> craig@com50.c2s.mn.org (Craig Wilson) writes: >>The net is the first human society in which everybody has the same quality >>of weapons -- which is to say, none at all. I think the introduction of >>ANY "weapon" -- even a legislative or executive authority -- would be, >>at best, an attempt to stuff worms back into the can. Failing *new* >>ideas, I suspect ostracism is the only workable technique of enforcing >>any standards of behavior. >> --Al Evans-- > >I am afraid that I must disagree about the weapons being equal. Being several >modem connections away from the Internet backbone, my firing rate is at musket >level while those on the backbone have a machine gun rate. There isn't even a lack of weaponry .. This recent flap over DDMI.COM showed some examples. There was at least one e-mail bombing of the site. A simple shell script is enough to bomb somebody. A death-threat was made -- a shell script (less than 20 lines) was written which, if installed at an active & well-connected site, would effectively kill off any attempt by that site to make any postings. Those were despite the normal conversational weapons of calling each other names. So, there are weapons. As the technologies improve surely the weapons will be more deadly. >With respect to authority, there IS some authority in the guidelines and the >adherence most sites give to them. The fortunate thing about what authority there is, is that it was mutually agreed to & debated/fought-over in public & was (in all ways) a Community Decision. Those who were interested enough partook, those who weren't have to live with the results. -- <- David Herron, an MMDF & WIN/MHS guy, <- Formerly: David Herron -- NonResident E-Mail Hack <- <- Use the force Wes!