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From: coolidge@casca.cs.uiuc.edu (John Coolidge)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Get shareware off the network
Keywords: You want to make money off of me?  Pay the rent!
Message-ID: <1990Mar8.011425.26353@brutus.cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 8 Mar 90 01:14:25 GMT
References: <1287@polari.UUCP> <34557@watmath.waterloo.edu> <4349@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> <206@swamps.UUCP>
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Reply-To: coolidge@cs.uiuc.edu
Organization: U of Illinois, CS Dept., Systems Research Group
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val@swamps.UUCP (Val Christian) writes:
>True, this was an explicit act, similar to getting an account on a UNIX
>system, which also allows mail to reach you. HOWEVER, in order to get
>netnews, you also have to type "rn" or "readnews", and then subscribe
>to the specific groups you want to read. THAT is like subscribing to
>a paper or a magazine, and THAT'S why netnews is NOT unsolicited.

A closer analogy is one between running rn and opening your mailbox door.
You're (at least with most newsreaders) subscribed to _everything_ by
default. Netnews is more like a paper-mail mailing list than anything else.
By joining USENET, you put yourself on a very large mailing list with lots
of topics. What people choose to send to that mailing list is their
problem; all you did was get on the list. You've solicited a place on that
list, not all of the individual traffic (submitted _after_ your request,
BTW, and therefore not something you could have requested in advance).

If you voluntarily added yourself to, say, Byte's mailing list, and then
someone with access to Byte's mailing list sent you a toaster in the mail
and said "if you use this toaster, send me money", you'd be completely
justified in keeping the toaster and telling the sender to shove off. The
analogy with USENET should be obvious...

--John

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
John L. Coolidge     Internet:coolidge@cs.uiuc.edu   UUCP:uiucdcs!coolidge
Of course I don't speak for the U of I (or anyone else except myself)
Copyright 1990 John L. Coolidge. Copying allowed if (and only if) attributed.
You may redistribute this article if and only if your recipients may as well.