From: dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr. Dimitri Vulis)
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 18:42:08 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Response to Perrygram
In-Reply-To: <199602140212.VAA22242@jekyll.piermont.com>
Message-ID: <q9FBJD48w165w@bwalk.dm.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


"Perry E. Metzger" <perry@piermont.com> writes:
> Keeping appropriate postings in appropriate places is much like trying
> not to park in such a way as to take up two spaces, trying not to
> track mud into your apartment building, or other forms of good
> citizensship. It isn't required, no law forces you to do it, but
> everyone who isn't an asshole tries to follow the social conventions
> because it makes life for everyone. Yes, its your right to park such
> that no one can fit in behind or ahead of you, but is it something you
> really should be doing?

The protocols for both Usenet and the open mailing list were designed with the
assumption that the posters will follow the rules and post into "appropriate"
forums. This sort of worked 10 years ago, when I started reading Usenet, but
clearly doesn't work anymore. People should be free to post anything they want
anywhere they want. As more and more posters excercise this right, the readers
lose the right not to have their time wasted by the traffic they don't want to
see. A good friend of mine called this "the right to non-association". It's an
imporant part of one's privacy. While we have some technical people left on
this mailing list, perhaps we can discuss technical solutions to this problem?

---

Dr. Dimitri Vulis
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps