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Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!decvax!microsoft!uw-beaver!tektronix!orca!ariels
From: ariels@orca.UUCP (Ariel Shattan)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: referencing material off the net. - (nf)
Message-ID: <375@orca.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 9-Dec-83 11:56:39 EST
Article-I.D.: orca.375
Posted: Fri Dec  9 11:56:39 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Dec-83 04:48:44 EST
References: <173@whuxle.UUCP>, <1003@mit-eddie.UUCP> <715@cbosgd.UUCP> <513@linus.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR.
Lines: 30


Once you publish something to the net, haven't you announced it
publically? Isn't the net a public forum?  After all, none of us are
paying to use the net (not like a PAM).  

When you post something, people you don't know are reading it all
over the world.  Why does putting it on paper make a difference?  

The concept that you just brought up is that publishing on paper is
real publishing (after all, you can reference from a book, magazine,
or newspaper), but publishing on computer media is not real
publishing.  This is another facet to the "is software copyrightable?"
debate.

I feel that if someone is quoting from private correspondence over
the net, they should obtain the author's permission.  However, once
something is posted into a newsgroup, you have already stated your
views in a public forum, and therefore must allow yourself to be
quoted. (That's what's known as having the courage of your 
convictions.)

Maybe we should realize that the net is a public forum, and think
about our submissions before we post.  I'm sure that if everybody 
kept this in mind, we'd have fewer articles; and the ones we had
might be (dare I say it?) well thought out.

Ariel (don't quote me, I only work here) Shattan
decvax!tektronix!tekecs!ariels