From: "Vladimir Z. Nuri" <vznuri@netcom.com>
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 94 20:32:12 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: WWWing cypherpunks
Message-ID: <199411180431.UAA00474@netcom18.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


It occured to me that a WWW browser could be used as a sophisticated
newsreader like interface to a compiled mailing list, stored on a
site. The site would archive the mailing list and index/organize
the mail under author, time, subject, etc.

I have written a lot of scripts to do WWW tasks and otehr mail parsing
utilities. I would be willing to donate the programming time to this
project if others were willing to donate the computing resources.

For the Cypherpunks list the main requirement would be plenty  of
disk space.

I would like to point out that most of the cypherpunk goals relate
to defining "what is a society in cyberspace". The cypherpunk answer
is "one that allows interaction & communicatin while at the same time 
preserving privacy and freedom of speech". Note that the Usenet model
does  not really hold absolute privacy as a design prerequisite. 
In fact the use of such mechanisms like the "nntp-posting-host"
and the closure of the network to "outsiders" actually is hostile
to pure anonymity (I will leave to others the question of whether
anonymity==privacy).

My point is that most cypherpunk goals could be attained by building
an infrastructure that embodies the ideas in such a way that Usenet
embodies a certain set of ideas for interaction. But the further
point is that the system must be self-rewarding in the way that
running an NNTP server is rewarding to the site operator. (Note
that the oft-noted "stifled" or "lethargic" progress of remailers is 
probably  due to this basic fact that there is no personal positive 
incentive for an operator to run one, except perhaps "admiration by 
cypherpunk peers", a novelty that wears off quickly in the face of 
heated complaints).

Anyway, if the cypherpunks were to build a system that allowed
"community interaction" the way Usenet does, kept the freedom,
but preserved the privacy, and improved the signal-to-noise
ratio, it would spread like wildfire. There would be no lamenting
the lame progress; it would be intrinsically self propagating
like a cyberspatial virus.

I am willing to contribute to this by donating programming labor
to building a WWW mailing list indexer that  could evolve into
a full-fledged communications system, if others are willing to donate 
some resources.


~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^
\  / ~/ |\| | | |> | Vladimir Z. Nuri : : : : : `Imagination is more important
 \/  /_ | | \_/ |\ | vznuri@netcom.com : : : : : : than knowlege'  (Einstein)