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Netizens-Digest Volume 1 Number 368
Netizens-Digest Friday, December 1 2000 Volume 01 : Number 368
Netizens Association Discussion List Digest
In this issue:
[netz] Idea :-)
[netz] Update on .EU domains
[netz] US Election: View from Abroad
[netz] FYI - A comment on the New gTLD's being issued supported by ICANN
[netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
Re: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
Re[2]: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
Re: Re[2]: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
Re[4]: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
[netz] Fwd: A moment of silence for Mike Muuss
Re[5]: [netz] PlanetP .......
Re: [netz] Fwd: A moment of silence for Mike Muuss
[netz] ? Cyberurbanity ?
[netz] patenting computer software
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 21:56:46 +0200
From: Dan Duris <dan@netcommodities.com>
Subject: [netz] Idea :-)
Dear Netizens mailing list participants,
At 1st some introduction:
I study political science at Comenius University in Bratislava,
Slovakia and am now in 3rd grade. One of my great interests is also
Internet. I have written some essays on Internet and its connection to
democracy, etc.
Yesterday (maybe time is not important because of the nature of
Internet), I wrote the email to Ronda Hauben and asked her about
founding of some association of Internet scientists, volunteers and
activists, who are interested in the field of Internet and want to
change the current development of it. Maybe we should create a group
that would try to influence the current development and make Internet
place for many talented people, including those from poor countries
(and not just commercial corporations).
I do web design, so I am able to make up a website and also to commit
to the project by other available means.
Please, let me now, if any of you are interested. Write directly to
the list, I would be really glad to read your responses. Please,
include all your other ideas that could be useful in a future. Thank
you.
PS:
If you want to see one of my projects, redirect your browser to:
http://www.staznosti.sk (in Slovak only :) )
- - Staznosti.sk (Complaints.sk) - project aimed at customer rights
advocacy in Slovakia. Do you know some bad-quality services or
companies (or even governmental departments)? Now, you have the
choice: fill and send the form at Staznosti.sk website and the
not-for-profit association Cybernet Corporation will do everything
else for you for free. We will send a complaint to given company and
ask them for a reaction.
Yours,
Dan Duris
dan
- -----------------------------
email: dan@netcommodities.com
ICQ: 17932727
*- gouranga! -*
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 10:59:06 +0200
From: Dan Duris <dan@netcommodities.com>
Subject: [netz] Update on .EU domains
European Web suffix close to approval
12 October 2000 - AP - But don't expect dot-eu names right
away. Mike Roberts, chief executive of the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), said final approval will
come only after the group works out contractual details with the
Europeans who will be in charge of assigning such names. The
European Commission wanted an .eu suffix to help unify the
continent's businesses. Currently, French companies use .fr, British
firms have .uk and Germans use .de.
To read the full story go to:
http://www.techserver.com/noframes/story/0,2294,500267866-500416348-502568317-0,00.html
dan
- -----------------------------
email: dan@netcommodities.com
ICQ: 17932727
*- the bat! is my servant, is yours? http://www.ritlabs.com/the_bat/ -*
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 12:20:29 -0500 (EST)
From: jrh@ais.org (Jay Hauben)
Subject: [netz] US Election: View from Abroad
Hi,
The following was posted on the Canadian Universal Access mailing list.
Jay
- ---------------
- ----- Original Message -----
From: Craig Brown <csb@ime.net>
To: <lbo-talk@lists.panix.com>
Sent: Friday, November 10, 2000 9:41 AM
Subject: Africa Offers To Send 'Observers' To Help US End Poll Confusion
Published on Friday, November 10, 2000 by Agence France Presse
Africa Offers To Send 'Observers' To Help US End Poll Confusion
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/111000-03.htm
PARIS - African nations suggested Friday sending 'observers' to the United
States to help overcome presidential poll confusion as the world's press
argued over whether it was witnessing electoral chaos or simply democracy
in action. "International observers should be put in place" because "the
United Stat= es must join the established democracies," said South
Africa's daily Star.
A top aide to Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe endorsed the idea:
"perhaps now we have reached a time when they can learn a lot from us.
Maybe Africans and others should send observers to help Americans deal
with their democracy."
Others fantasized about observers dressed in Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda
shorts, alongside UN Blue Helmets, investigating Al Gore's campaign claim
there were "serious and substantional illegularities" in the ballot.
"It is a shameful reflection on our continent that, in the US's hour of
need, we were not there beside our American brothers and sisters to help
and advise where we could," said an editorial in South Africa's weekly
Mail.
As the presidential vote cliff-hanger threatened to drag on into next
week, there was widespread surprise this could happen to the world's most
famous democracy.
"An American legend collapses -- suspicions of fraud in US vote," ran the
headline in Turkey's mass-circulation Hurriyet daily.
"Even in the United States there is electoral fraud," the Bulgarian
financial daily Curentul wrote.
Congo's independent La Reference Plus said Thursday the US vote provided
"strong arguments for bad leaders and dictators in Africa."
"If this happens in the United States, how do you want everything to be
clean and transparent in the poor African continent," added the daily.
Portugal's Diario de Noticias also echoed the view that democracy was
being undermined: "In the end, this (US vote) is bad news for democracy in
America. And in consequence, is bad news for democracy."
But the French press dismissed that notion, saying the true winner in the
US presidential elections was, in fact, none other than democracy.
"The current crisis will be overcome," wrote the conservative daily Le
Figaro, dismissing claims the chaos will damage the US.
"In spite of waiting two more days and playing with the nerves of
onlookers, it's only the vote count -- precisely because every vote counts
- -- which determines the outcome of the vote. That is democracy."
Democracy is imperfect but "it's worked for two hundred years. And not
that badly," it said.
Britain's press, however, began dividing along party lines, debating the
rights and wrongs of attempts of Democrat Al Gore camp to overturn the
result in Florida, which his Republican rival George W. Bush won by a
whisker, according to the initial count.
"Desperate Al Gore began fighting dirty last night in his bid to snatch
the US presidency," wrote Britain's best selling tabloid, The Sun.
The right-leaning Daily Telegraph echoed this view, saying Gore's team had
"opted to challenge the results rather than concede defeat graciously."
The Guardian, however, came out in support of the vice president for the
sake of US democracy.
"It said there had to be challenges to the alleged "possible wilful fraud
and/or gross incompetence" and called for a re-run of the vote in areas
where there had been significant irregularities.
Copyright A9 2000 AFP
###
Common Dreams NewsCenter is a non-profit news service providing breaking
news and views for the Progressive Community.
___________________________________________________________
hosted by Vancouver Community Network http://www.vcn.bc.ca
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2000 21:08:22 -0500 (EST)
From: ronda@panix.com
Subject: [netz] FYI - A comment on the New gTLD's being issued supported by ICANN
>Subject: From NY ISOC YIKES!
> From isoc-ny.org!owner-discuss Sun Nov 19 10:03:45 2000
> Reply-To: discuss@isoc-ny.org, "William G. Thompson, Jr."
<wgthom@tnt-web.com>
>According to this story on Wired, most of the new TLDs selected by ICANN
>will be restricted. For example, .biz will sport a $2000 price tag with an
>annual $150 fee, and will be limited to verifiable, legitimate businesses
>with specific commercial intent. The .pro TLD will be used exclusively by
>certified "professionals," including doctors, lawyers, etc.
>http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,40270,00.html
>Who decides what a "legitimate businesses"? (yikes)
>Bill
> From isoc-ny.org!owner-discuss Sun Nov 19 10:16:05 2000
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 14:16:29 +0100
From: Dan Duris <dan@netcommodities.com>
Subject: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
Hi people!
I don't know if you have heard about PlanetProject.com Global Poll
Online. If yes and you have already participated in it, you can delete
this message.
If not, please, go to http://www.planetproject.com and take part in
the biggest poll online, yet. This poll is organized by UN and it
includes people from 231 countries, approximately.
After each polling you can compare your results with other people who
have already voted. So don't miss this great chance to be heard and to
help to develop the similar polls in future. Thanx.
yours,
dan
- -----------------------------
email: dan@netcommodities.com
ICQ: 17932727
*- win sux, use mr. red hat :-) -*
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 14:21:18 -0500 (EST)
From: jrh@ais.org (Jay Hauben)
Subject: Re: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
Hi,
I thnk it was inapproriate for Dan to have posted the message about a
global poll brought to us by "a powerful group of leading technology
companies" on the netizens list. This list should be for interactive
discussion, not polls. Polls have the questions given to us but we are
trying to build something new and better. We need to generate our own
questions and for that we need discussion and interaction.
Jay
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 21:38:04 +0100
From: Dan Duris <dan@netcommodities.com>
Subject: Re[2]: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
OK,
I am sorry for that, but I thought also global poll brought to us by
"a powerful group of leading technology companies" could be useful. At
least for comparison your own results with other people from over the
world. I am sorry, again, but I was really glad to see that many
different people from many different countries share very similar
attitudes to very different issues.
In my opinion, it doesn't mind if the poll is organized by "a powerful
group of leading technology companies" or someone else - the most
important thing is that the poll attracts so many people to take part
in.
Maybe my post was quite an off topic, but I just wanted to ask you to
come and vote. Nothing less, nothing more. Just to make myself clear.
dan
- -----------------------------
email: dan@netcommodities.com
ICQ: 17932727
*- see ya somewhere in the time -*
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 17:55:28 -0500 (EST)
From: jrh@ais.org (Jay Hauben)
Subject: Re: Re[2]: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
Hi,
I was glad Dan answered my post because if there is value in what he
found it is good he shared it. My response was perhaps out of
disappointment that there isn't more discussion of what questions would it
be helpful to be asking and my hope that more of the potential of the NET
for people to people communication would be utilized. The net should
become more interactive not more passive.
Somehow the current moment seems more promising on a world scale because
people in different places are finding ways to get rid of the old guard
like in Yugoslavia, the Ivory Coast, the US (?) and Peru. All of these
places will now have to deal with a different set of problems than the
last 8 years or more have been troubled by but still they at least said
change is perhaps worth trying. maybe an appropriate question for this
list is "can we identify how the net has helped may it possible for these
countries to throw out what seemed like entrenched regimes?"
Take carer.
Jay
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 14:15:40 +0100
From: Dan Duris <dan@netcommodities.com>
Subject: Re[4]: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
JH> The net should
JH> become more interactive not more passive.
I agree on this point, but the question is: "How?" How to make the net
more interactive and not passive? At this time, I'm not able to answer
it, I have to look for it. But, on the other hand, there are many
chat rooms and forums, all those interactive forms on the net. But I
am glad to hear your proposals and possible solutions.
JH> change is perhaps worth trying. maybe an appropriate question for this
JH> list is "can we identify how the net has helped may it possible for these
JH> countries to throw out what seemed like entrenched regimes?"
I am not sure about Peru or even Ivory Coast, but in the case of
Yugoslavia, I think, the net was very good stream of uncensored
informations. My brother know a Yugoslavian girl and email of her was
the one kind of staying in touch with civilized world. I don't know
about particular activities or actions of "Otpor!" associated with the
net, but I think (because they are students) they communicated by
email. But this should be the point of future research.
BTW: I think I've already asked this question, but does somebody know,
how many people are subscribed to this list? It seems a little bit
quiet at this time.
dan
- -----------------------------
email: dan@netcommodities.com
ICQ: 17932727
*- see ya somewhere in the time -*
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 21:20:47 -0500 (EST)
From: jrh@ais.org (Jay Hauben)
Subject: [netz] Fwd: A moment of silence for Mike Muuss
The following appeared on the IFWP mailing list.
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 16:54:56 -0500 (EST)
From: Joe Baptista <baptista@pccf.net>
Subject: [IFWP] a moment of silence for Mike Muuss - confirmation? (fwd)
Status: RO
Content-Length: 1769
a moment of silence as we honour a network great.
I-95 Accident claims life
Churchville, Md - (AP)
A double accident Monday night on Interstate 95 in Harford
County killed a Havre de Grace man. State police say 42-year-old Michael
Muuss died when his car hit a vehicle left partially in the road after
the first crash. Muuss' car then spun into the path of a tractor-trailer,
which pushed him into a vehicle stopped on the right shoulder to help
victims of the earlier crash. The truck driver was taken to Harford
Memorial Hospital. The accidents occurred about 9:30 pm on the northbound
side of the highway in Churchville. The first involved two cars and a
tractor-trailer. A driver in that crash was treated at Harford Memorial
and released. Police say it's not clear why either accident occurred. No
one has been charged, but the investigation is continuing. Traffic was
able to get by for most of the night, but it took until 2 am before all
lanes were opened.
> From: Sean Donelan <sean@donelan.com>
> Subject: The author of PING is reported dead
>
> Since many network operators consider PING as one of their essential
> tools, I thought this would be of interest to the list.
>
> I haven't been able to confirm this, but I haven't been able
> to reach Mike.
>
> Forwarded message:
>
> >Subject: The Creator of Ping is dead...
> >
> >Mike Muuss, the author of the PING program used on networks everywhere,
> >died last night in a traffic accident on US route 95 in Maryland. He was
> >an alumnus of Johns Hopkins (BS1978 or 1979 I think).
> >
> >Funeral arrangements have not been made yet, but I'll probably be going
> >back to Maryland almost immediately to attend.
>
> http://ftp.arl.army.mil/~mike/ping.html
- ------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 21:29:35 -0500 (EST)
From: jrh@ais.org (Jay Hauben)
Subject: Re[5]: [netz] PlanetP .......
The following was submitted to the netizens list by Liss Jeffrey
<ljeffrey@mcluhan.org>
> Subject: Re: Re[4]: [netz] PlanetProject.com Global Poll
On reason the list seems quiet is that some posts on point do not make it
onto the list. I have asked Jay for clarification, as list owner, but so
far cannot get a response. Jay, perhaps you might remind us about the list,
its mission and how you run it?
Thanks
Liss J
>
>BTW: I think I've already asked this question, but does somebody know,
>how many people are subscribed to this list? It seems a little bit
>quiet at this time.
>
>
>dan
>--
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 15:20:45 -0500 (EST)
From: ronda@panix.com
Subject: Re: [netz] Fwd: A moment of silence for Mike Muuss
It was with a real sense of loss that I read the notice that
Joe Pistritto posted on a mailing list last Tuesday.
>Subject: Re: IP: With great sadness: Mike Muuss has passed on
>Cc: jcp@jcphome.com
>From: "Joseph C. Pistritto" <jcp@jcphome.com> wrote:
>Last night (Monday), Mike Muuss, famous for creating the PING program as
>well as BRL-CAD, died in a traffic accident at 11pm on US highway 95 near
>Aberdeen, Maryland. He was going home from work at the time. Mike worked
>his entire career at the Army Research Laboratories in Aberdeen Maryland,
>and was a specialist in first networking, then solid modelling. Many in
>the SIGGRAPH community will know of him because of the BRL-CAD package
>that he authored (with others later) and his animation work which was
>shown at several SIGGRAPH conferences.
I wanted to add:
It is indeed very sad to hear of this great loss to the networking
community.
There is another important contribution of Mike's to the development
of the Internet. He created and moderated the ARPANET TCP/IP Digest which
helped in making the cutover from NCP to TCP/IP on the ARPANET in January
1983. The TCP/IP Digest provided a forum in which to discuss the
problems that those who were to do the cutover identified so they
could be solved.
The cutover set the basis for the creation of the Internet as a
metanetwork of diverse networks.
After the cutover, the ARPANET was split into MILNET, an operational
network for the DoD, and the ARPANET, a research network.
These two different networks were able to communicate via tcp/ip
communicate using TCP/IP. And that is some of the basis of the
Internet as we know it today.
A while ago, I wrote a paper about the role the TCP/IP Digest played in
the cutover online. The URL is
http://umcc.ais.org/~ronda/new.papers/tcpdraft.txt
In the research I have done about the early ARPANET mailing lists,
Mike's role in contributing to the networking and UNIX
communities stands out. His efforts helped to connect these
two pioneering communities. He will indeed be missed.
Ronda
ronda@panix.com
http://www.columbia.edu/~netbook
http://www.ais.org/~ronda/new.papers
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 22:53:21 +0100
From: Dan Duris <dan@netcommodities.com>
Subject: [netz] ? Cyberurbanity ?
This is off tpoic, but does anybody know something about Cyberurbanity
mailing list? The last message I've got is from July 29, 2000.
I tried to email administrator, but something seems to be wrong. I've
got some error responses and nothing else, yet.
Thank you for any information.
dan
- -----------------------------
email: dan@netcommodities.com
ICQ: 17932727
*- win sux, use mr. red hat :-) -*
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 11:46:56 -0500 (EST)
From: jrh@ais.org (Jay Hauben)
Subject: [netz] patenting computer software
The following was sent to the netizens list by John Horvath
jhorv@helka.iif.hu :
The following is an opinion I sent to the European Commission concerning
their "consulatation" on issue of patenting software. The consultation
is supposedly designed to clarify whether patenting helps to enhance or
discourage innovation. For those not familiar with the issue, computer
programmes per se are not eligible for patenting (at least, not yet)
while inventions which use computer programmes can be patented.
If you are interested in sending your own opinion to the EC (for what
it's worth) you can get background information to the issue from
<http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/intprop/indprop/index.htm>
or send your comments and opinions directly to
MARKT-SOFTPAT@cec.eu.int
J
Knowledge: The Key to Success
by John Horvath
Without a doubt, there are many arguments both for and against the issue
of software patents. While many of these arguments are based on a
technical framework, there is a more fundamental basis for the rejection
of software patents. In essence, software patents act as a restraining
influence on the free flow of knowledge.
We often hear of the "information society" being knowledge-based and
knowledge-driven. Computer software epitomizes such a paradigm. The code
contained within a program is merely a set of instructions based on what
is known or can be learned from the hardware available. It is the
mechanisms for information input and output through this hardware which
enable users to interact with computers, and which differentiates these
types of machines from others.
Software, as a result, is foremost a "knowledge" product. Subsequently,
knowledge (and the ideas they produce) is most efficient when there are
no restrictions on its use (i.e., it's free). Admittedly, producing
knowledge can be expensive -- sometimes very expensive. Even so, it must
be recognised that knowledge is a cumulative commodity: existing
knowledge is the most important element in producing new knowledge. Not
only is knowledge most efficient when it's free, but the fast and full
dissemination of knowledge indubitably raises its economic value.
Consequently, delimiting the use of software through the vehicle of
patents invariably stifles innovation and the application of numerous
combinations of different kinds of knowledge. This includes research and
technical development (RTD), which is compromised as it becomes geared
more toward profit-oriented activities (establishing patents being one
such activity). This, when it should be neutral and indifferent to such
considerations.
Along these lines, software becomes a market commodity, with computer
code -- expressed in the form of a language -- treated as a trade secret
which is to be protected, as opposed to knowledge which is to be shared.
This, too, runs counter the basic precepts that have traditionally
driven the free flow of information and unhindered access (which,
incidentally, was one of the driving forces behind the development of
the Internet). Such a framework clearly does not promote innovation.
The best example of a successful, non-patented language, which can be
described as a form of open source software development, is that of
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The success of the Internet not only
has to do with a graphical interface that stretches across different
platforms, it also had to do with the fact that HTML code is freely
available. Not only has this enabled innovation in this area, it has
also contributed to more users using the medium and becoming more
involved in the generation of new knowledge than otherwise would have.
Finally, it must be realised that in face of the so-called "information
society" a patent is an outdated mechanism that is no longer relevant
nor applicable in this "digital age" of ours. There are many alternative
models already in use: the development and dissemination of Linux is but
one example of a solution which both encourages innovation and provides
an environment of competition among software developers. Thus, more time
and effort should be put toward developing such alternative models
rather than looking for ways to somehow preserve an archaic regime
within a new world order.
------------------------------
End of Netizens-Digest V1 #368
******************************
