[NTLUG:Discuss] [ms.g@noitacude.com: [sb1116] ALERT: Texas "super DMCA" movingthrough the legislature]

[Steve Baker]

Kipton Moravec wrote:
> 
>> Besides, AT&T's agreement is kind of bogus.  It is only a 
>> *requirement* if you don't know another way to share the connection 
>> other than a hub/switch and multiple IPs from AT&T.  This agreement is 
>> informing the consumer of *one possible way* to do that, one which 
>> requires extra dollars to AT&T.
>> They just "fail to mention" that there is another way to achieve about 
>> the same end result, without sending them extra dollars.
> 
> 
> I disagree.  The argument you are making is that it is O.K. to steal 
> service if you know how to do it.

The argument is bogus - I agree - but the AT&T agreement is rather
silly.

I mean, you have an agreement to put one computer on the network - and
that's what you've done - your firewall machine.  Then, you are
controlling that computer from a second one via an internal, private
network.  So long as there is only one computer on their network, it
should be none of their business how you control it.

After all, the fact that the browser or email client happens to be
on another computer is just a means of controlling the software in
the firewall machine.  It's not really any different from the microprocessor
inside your keyboard - we don't count that as a separate computer.

Suppose I connected an SGI ONYX Minicomputer to the network.  It
can support dozens of simultaneous users on separate screens - all
accessing the Internet at the same time.  But that's a single computer -
does it count?

What if I have a dual CPU PC with two graphics cards and two keyboards?

What about a Beowulf cluster?

What about a PDA talking to my PC through a radio link?

It's all very 'fuzzy' - and fuzzy situations don't lend themselves to
good laws.

---------------------------- Steve Baker -------------------------
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