[11748] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: The unwashed masses invade the Internet
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bruce Fancher)
Sun Apr 17 00:30:51 1994
From: bruce@phantom.com (Bruce Fancher)
To: frezza@radiomail.net (Bill Frezza)
Date: Sat, 16 Apr 1994 20:25:18 -0400 (EDT)
Cc: stahlman@radiomail.net, dbuck@world.std.com, stevec@aol.com,
opfer@radiomail.net, gbolles@radiomail.net, ggilder@mcimail.com,
spiff@radiomail.net, fnelson@radiomail.net, jswatz@well.sf.ca.us,
kgs@panix.com, rothman@netcom.com, brodsky@radiomail.net,
com-priv@psi.com, farber@central.cis.upenn.edu, gnu@toad.com,
barlow@eff.org, interesting-people@eff.org
In-Reply-To: <199404151410.AA26249@radiomail.net> from "Bill Frezza" at Apr 15, 94 07:10:22 am
[Bill Frezza] has written:
|
| Well, so much for the vaunted egalitarian desire to
| open up the Information Superhighway to The People. Good Lord, can you
| imagine letting anyone on the net whose only credentials are that they can
| come up with $9.95 per month!
|
| I guess it's easy to be a champion for
| the underprivileged - until they
| move into your neighborhood.
|
| This calls for an immediate congressional inquiry!
|
| Bill Frezza
| frezza@radiomail.net
|
| ----- Forwarded Message
|
| Date: Thu, 14 Apr 94 09:16:55
| >From: Information Broadcasting <IBC%IBCMHS1@infocite.com>
| Subject: Daily Industry News: Telecommunications
| To: <frezza@radiomail.net>
|
| DECISIONLINE/Telecommunications
| USA TODAY Update
| April 14, 1994
| Source: USA TODAY/Gannett National Information Network
|
| INTERNET UNHAPPY WITH NEWCOMERS:
| Some veterans of Internet say they're fed up with the
| boorishness of newcomers from America Online. The fast-growing
| on-line service began offering wider Internet access to its
| 700,000 members Feb. 28, opening the gates to hordes of novices.
| They have upset the staid Internet culture, established by its
| original users: Scientists, engineers and computer experts.
|
| AMERICA ONLINE FACES BAN:
| Some Internet members say newcomers from American Online are
| posting Internet notes without learning the unwritten rules. There
| have been threats by operators of some Internet sites to ban
| access by anyone from America Online, which is obvious by their
| e-mail address. There are rumors of programmers using electronic
| trickery to flood offenders with "junk" e-mail.
|
The culture of the Internet is very firmly biased against users who
violate "netiquette." Users of America Online aren't stupid, they just
don't know the rules yet. Individuals who don't bother to learn what
others find unacceptable before they participate on mailing lists and
newsgroups will fall into line when they find that they are unwelcome.
America Online users and others who continue to generate noise despite
protests can be dealt with easily enough with kill files. Businesses may
see the Internet as great way to distribute junk mail cheaply, but I
doubt very many will persist when they realize they are offending the
people they are trying to sell to.
Bruce Fancher
