Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!giza.cis.ohio-state.edu!karl From: karl@giza.cis.ohio-state.edu (Karl Kleinpaste) Newsgroups: news.misc Subject: Re: The Rape of Usenet (an alternative view) Message-ID: Date: 22 Dec 89 16:10:36 GMT References: <946@crash.cts.com> <6576@brspyr1.BRS.Com> <489.2590d0b9@devsim.mdcbbs.com> Sender: news@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu Organization: Ohio State Computer Science Lines: 35 In-reply-to: jmi@devsim.mdcbbs.com's message of 21 Dec 89 12:46:48 GMT jmi@devsim.mdcbbs.com writes: USENET is based upon the free trensfer of information. *No one* is "profiting" from the resale of that information... What is being proposed is a profit making corporation wants to take what we freely exchange and use that to make a profit. That is morally wrong and not in line with the purpose of this network! Oh, please... Spare the entire network the emotional tirade, and work harder at maintaining a connection to reality. (I'm not saying that to be insulting; I'm saying that because you are factually incorrect.) Portal exists and makes a profit. The WELL exists and makes a profit. UUNET exists and at least exchanges large numbers of dollars for its services; whether it makes a profit in a formal sense depends on its non-profit status and so forth. The difference between the GEnie link and these others is not the existence of a profit (motive), but the imbalance of the info flow. It is not morally wrong to charge someone for use of a system which has Usenet accessible to it. As for the "purpose of this network," this network was originally set up 10 years ago so that some grad students could exchange information about UNIX. Consider that in juxtaposition against what actually happens on the Usenet today. Now please re-think your position. In any event, re-stating what should by now be obvious, the link is down until such time as Dave Small can get GEnie to redo it correctly. --Karl