Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!tellab5!vpnet!louisg
From: louisg@vpnet.chi.il.us (Louis Giliberto)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: stealing passwords is easy!
Message-ID: <1991Jun03.071209.2319@vpnet.chi.il.us>
Date: 3 Jun 91 07:12:09 GMT
References: <14715.2845348B@fidogate.FIDONET.ORG> <1991Jun02.215724.25764@chinet.chi.il.us>
Organization: Vpnet Public Access
Lines: 38

In article <1991Jun02.215724.25764@chinet.chi.il.us> patrick@chinet.chi.il.us (Patrick A. Townson) writes:
>
>A user identified is a user who does not make trouble. Anytime a sysop can
>pick up the phone and call a user to ask "why would you have posted the
>message you did when you were on line today", the sysop has one less user
>to worry about.
>

Yes, I agree with Mr. Townson completely.  However, it can work both ways. 
When I call a BBS, I call with the philosophy that if I wish to use the
sysop's system, I abide by his rules.  If I don't want to abide by the rules,
I call another system.  

Fair enough I think.

However, there still are many good BBS's that don't validate users, don't have
u/d quotas, etc.  These primarily work since they are basically monitored by 
the users themselves.  If someone breaks "protocol", the other users usually
bash him before the sysop needs to take action.  After repeated bashings, the
loser usually goes away.

If you really think about it, USENET is much this way.  Most often, other news
readers are the ones who say "that does not belong here" etc.  There are some
idiots, but for the most part it works rather well.

Again, I agree with Pat, but I thought I'd balance his statement by saying that
it is still possible to run a BBS system the old fashioned way.  The only
problem with this is the new question of sysop responsibility.

Louis Giliberto
louisg@vpnet.chi.il.us


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