Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!werner
From: werner@ut-ngp.UUCP (Werner Uhrig)
Newsgroups: net.mail,net.news.config,net.news.newsite,net.net-people
Subject: Re: Looking for Chicago Usenet Access
Message-ID: <3965@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 11-Sep-86 14:49:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.3965
Posted: Thu Sep 11 14:49:00 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Sep-86 21:38:02 EDT
References: <964@hou2g.UUCP> <5082@cbrma.UUCP>
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
Lines: 18
Summary: free and non-profit are related but not alike
Xref: mnetor net.mail:1144 net.news.config:462 net.news.newsite:400 net.net-people:781


> Is that right?  Does chinet charge a subscription fee to let people
> join the net?  And is ihnp4 its link?   I sort of got the idea that
> this was a non-commercial net.

I think you may be confusing non-commercial and non-profit.  Nothing could
be further from the truth than calling USENET non-commercial.  Looks like most
of the commercial world has joined it   "because it is worth the investment".

I know people that are so addicted to being part of the net, they have their
personal node.   Some allow others access, free or in exchange for services
or cash-contributions - I doubt anyone can make any PROFITS ...

In aviation, it is legal for me to take passengers that SHARE the expenses
of flying my plane and I believe we should consider a similar concept for
USENET.  UUCP-mail is sooner or later going to turn into a can of worms
anyway, and will have to be considered an unreliable form of communications,
just as hitchhiking is an unreliable (but often functional) form of transport.