From: Alex Strasheim <cp@proust.suba.com>
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 08:12:23 +0800
To: watson@tds.com
Subject: Re: your bogus post
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960130100318.10851A-100000@mailman.tds.com>
Message-ID: <199601302019.OAA11936@proust.suba.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text


> Seems to me the irresponsibile thing too many of our society do is put too
> much stock in the marketeers.  I usually select products on their merits,
> not on the marketing.  Maybe you do too.  But the marketing works, and
> companies have to use it to stay profitable. 

I don't think you can make a hard and fast rule about this sort of thing. 
The problem isn't just marketing hype.  The problem is that the claims fv
is making about competing systems border on misrepresentation. 

When a company does something you believe is unethical, what do you do?  
It depends on how much better their product is than the other guys', how 
badly you need it, and how offensive you find their actions.

I'm not as bothered by the incident as many here are;  I tend to attribute
it to panic on their part as it becomes increasingly clear that credit
card numbers transmitted via ssl web servers will be the first standard
for online commerce.

Marketing is important, and it can do a lot for a compnay.  But I don't
think it will be able to prop up fv over the long run.  Suppose you want
to buy some information off of a web page.  You can either give your cc
number via ssl, or go out and create a fv account, then come back and buy 
whatever it is you wanted.  Which one are you going to do?