From: Carl Ellison <cme@TIS.COM>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 95 14:33:57 PDT
To: tcmay@got.net
Subject: Re: Linking = Showing = Transferring?
In-Reply-To: <199509151834.LAA07925@comsec.com>
Message-ID: <9509152030.AA16183@tis.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----


>>To:cyberia-l@warthog.cc.wm.edu
>>From:tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)
>>Subject:Linking = Showing = Transferring?

>>_Linking_ is effectively _showing_, given the point-and-click mechanics of
>>hypertext. This is a situation anticipated by authors (e.g. Ted Nelson),
>>but is now coming to the fore.
>>
>>Granted, providing a link is not the same as actually _including_ the
>>material the link points to, but it is very, very close. Arguably, the
>>same.

There are two important differences.

The first difference is in ownership of the data.  If the source of the
link decides to clobber the file, then the fact that I have a page with the
URL does not guarantee access to that file for the user of *my* page.
Similarly, the person owning the file can freely change the content of the
file, without my changing the URL which points to it.

The other difference is in handling of the data.  If the link were to
a pornographic image and someone were to access it through my page's URL,
the bits of that image would never touch my computer.

Meanwhile, <a href="http://dcs.ex.ac.uk/~aba/rsa/"> RSA encryption system
in PERL </a> might be a URL which violates US export laws -- if this
interpretation were to be taken -- but if so, does it violate them in this
mail message?  That depends, I suppose, on whether your mail agent is aware
of URLs and turns them into point-and-click units.  Is it a violation if
the URL is printed in a paper magazine?  After all, it's the convenience of
the web browser which is at issue.  One can invoke netscape with or
without a parameter.

Yes -- interesting legal times ahead.

 - Carl

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Carl M. Ellison    cme@acm.org    http://www.clark.net/pub/cme		   |
|PGP: E0414C79B5AF36750217BC1A57386478 & 61E2DE7FCB9D7984E9C8048BA63221A2  |
|  ``Officer, officer, arrest that man!  He's whistling a dirty song.''    |
+----------------------------------------------------------- Jean Ellison -+


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.6.2

iQCVAwUBMFniL1QXJENzYr45AQFlYAP8DGHGk6EEmHXyPbeA7hoZjQ1pkEiyW2xB
1srFbXVsdJt9cwNQbBmFSfKARKVOnh1f+rEEqFZEwXXS1BbwlSljDz/hykZwfQwv
h1kXPvJ9MMqleg6y8IXM5nTL9lKnq+ThKmgl/aciDYZqZ009IL4ssb81gUA5r5lC
mYkfhqulWsU=
=AYRX
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----