From: tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 1995 02:24:17 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Positive Implications of the Compuserve Moves
Message-ID: <ad0ab8672c0210047052@[205.199.118.202]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 3:54 PM 12/30/95, tallpaul wrote:

>Among the other effects *already* visible, the decision has:
>
>1) Led to an enormous amount of anti-net publicity by incompetent editors
>on the national news;

On the positive side, I've heard some commentators (mainly on CNBC, and
all-business news channel) ask pointed questions, and note that if every
country imposes its own standards on the Internet/Usenet, then the
implications are dire.

The strong reaction developing against Compuserve could rebound to the
benefit of killing off the Exon/Hyde language, in the best of all
situations. (The Telecom Bill is still being thrashed out, and the CS
controversy may remind folks of the implications of their actions.)

>4) Promoted more dishonesty as a perfectly reasonable and perfectly
>acceptable means of engaging in social discourse;

I predict Compuserve will lose so much of what little respect they have
eked out amongst Internet users that they will be eventually forced to
provide the 200 dropped newsgroups, issue an apology, and probably retire
or reassign a few executives as a show of public remorse. You heard it hear
first.

And many users are seeing the problems with monolithic, primitive ISPs like
Compuserve, AOL, Prodigy, etc., and are moving to get "real" Net
connections. This is a Good Thing.

>Finally, I am not sure that Carp's economic analysis of the CompuServe
>decision is correct. The large internet service providers (LISP) form an
>oligopoly and, I think, the LISP all abandon hopes that they can become a

LISP?

(define CompuserveSucks (lambda () (display ".") (CompuserveSucks)))
(CompuserveSucks)


Recurses, foiled again!

--Tim May

We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^756839 - 1  | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."