In an earlier post, I remarked how modern technology let me
inexpensively enjoy stuff. It made me think about getting a new PC to
replace my existing one at home (let's just say for home I have to
keep track of EPA coal emissions rules and I use coffee cans for the
sounder).
So today I asked my co-workers for recommendations to buy a new PC;
that is, what specs and features should it have. Ads for desktops
seem to range from $300 to $1,000.
I also discussed speed. With a new machine I'll sign up for DSL or
even FIOS.
But then I found out the downside. My speed won't increase that much
because of the need for a firewall and virus protection. Everything
coming across the line, including today's constant java applets, must
be carefully checked for virus and spyware infestation. That slows
stuff down greatly.
I must admit I'm very frustrated. And very offended.
How much effort do the "powers that be" spend on tracking down and
imprisoning saboteurs of the Internet? Considering the flood of
viruses and spyware out there, I don't think very much time at all.
How much effort does the technical people who define the Internet's
data exchange protocols put into developing indelible "return
addresses" and "postmarks" so as to track the source of sabotage and
harassment?
(As an aside, some of this effort may reduce spam as well.)
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: How much 'time and effort' do the
powers that be and the technical people spend developing 'fool
proof' addresses and 'postmarks'? Oh, about as much time as
Southwestern Bell spends making sure caller-id is foolproof; namely
little or no time at all. When a spokesperson for the chairman's
office at SBC told me once that "if we deliver caller-id to you on
a call which shows the calling number as 111-111-1111 and the name
of the caller as 'anonymous' we have done our job" I knew right then
I had to get away from SBC's "services" as quickly as I could. What
I find so absolutely amazing is that the computer network equivilent
to the SBC chairman's office (ICANN) _could_ -- if they chose to do
so, clamp down heavily and hard on all the nonsense we see in a day's
time here. But the joke is, they do not wish to do it. ICANN mainly
ignores the average, everyday users of the net. PAT]
