Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2000 09:23:58 -0800 From: "FreeBSD" <freebsd@gtonet.net> To: "Brad Knowles" <blk@skynet.be> Cc: "freebsd-current@FreeBSD. ORG" <freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: load spike strangeness Message-ID: <NCBBILEECKNKMONCIAIOOEGPCGAA.freebsd@gtonet.net> In-Reply-To: <v04220804b49e5e58b17d@[195.238.19.152]>
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<more snippage> > At 4:48 AM -0800 2000/1/9, Amancio Hasty wrote: > > > For instance, just because someone has an email name which resembles > > a real name lets say "Brad Knowles" does not necessarily mean that the > > real "Brad Knowles is sending the mail assuming of course that there > > is a Brad Knowles. > > I've built up enough history over the years (all the while using > my real name and a real e-mail address, although the address has > changed over the years as I've changed employers, etc...) that you > can go do some AltaVista or Hotbot searches and find enough stuff > that I've written that we can be reasonably sure that this really is > me. I may not be proud of some of the stupid things I've done or > said over the years, but I'll own up to them regardless. > > I'd say that the same is probably true of most of the people > posting to the various lists. > > > Let me put another way I sure hope we don't assume that any given email > > truly identifies the individual and that the person is legally > responsible > > for his email handle. > > No more than you can be sure that a particular PGP key belongs to > the person it claims to belong to, or that a person who presents you > with a drivers license that claims to tell you their name or address. > > However, in the case of electronic discussions, there is likely > to be enough history available that you can be reasonably sure you're > dealing with the same person who claims to go by the same name, even > if that isn't their real name. > > > It's hard to make the same kinds of connections with an alias. > Yes, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton published the Federalist > Papers under assumed names, because that was necessary at the time in > order to avoid the potential legal consequences of the British > finding out who the real authors were. However, I sincerely doubt > that any such claim can be made today for posting to one of the > FreeBSD mailing lists. Look, show me in the mailing list charters where it says I must use my realname or shut-the-<snip>-up. If you don't like it filter me, I've already said I don't care. The Patriots you use as examples risked death by hanging. We merely risk identity theft and financial ruin. Unfortunately for you, I'm not willing to take that risk. > > Claims of "needing" anonymity in cases like this just aren't > likely to be very well received, and the more strident the claimer > becomes in their "need" to remain hidden, the more likely people are > to either try to unmask the jerk or to decide to simply start > ignoring them. Again, I don't care if it's well received, I'm not here for a popularity contest. Mr. Bushong had a problem and I replied with a tidbit of possible info. If you disagree, fine. If you don't like it, too bad. Other than that, get a life. > > > If you want to post in a public place like this, and you want > other people to be able to help you or carry on an intelligent > conversation with you, I would suggest that taking the extremely > anti-social approach of using an alias is one of the worst possible > things you could as a first step. Anti-social? Are you for real? Please post your Social Security Number, home address, home phone, drivers license #, mothers maiden name and date of birth, Mr. nothing-to-hide-in-a-public-list. Since when does personal info preclude an exchange of information? I might, now, suggest therapy for you Mr. Knowles. > > It won't help stop the spam, and it will just annoy the people > you'd want to be talking to. What makes you think I want to be talking to a self-righteous bore, with no respect for peoples privacy in a day and age of identity theft? You, Brad, have just made my filter list as I hope I've made yours. > > -- > These are my opinions -- not to be taken as official Skynet policy > ____________________________________________________________________ > |o| Brad Knowles, <blk@skynet.be> Belgacom Skynet NV/SA |o| > |o| Systems Architect, News & FTP Admin Rue Col. Bourg, 124 |o| > |o| Phone/Fax: +32-2-706.11.11/12.49 B-1140 Brussels |o| > |o| http://www.skynet.be Belgium |o| > \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ > Unix is like a wigwam -- no Gates, no Windows, and an Apache inside. > Unix is very user-friendly. It's just picky who its friends are. > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message
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