Text 9456, 74 rader
Skriven 2010-07-26 08:43:32 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
   Kommentar till text 9436 av Bob Ackley (1:300/3)
Ärende: Good, free email addresses in the States
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Bob Ackley wrote to Michiel van der Vlist on Sunday July 25 2010 at 06:56:

BA> You and Bob Bashe refer to 'forums,' I assumed that meant newsgroups.

If we had meant newsgroups, we would have written that, Bob. We're surely both
aware of the difference.

BA> Apparently you were referring to what we call 'chat rooms' over here.

No, a chat room is something else. In an Internet forum, you write messages
like we do here. In a chat room, you contact people _directly_ in realtime.

BA> I am totally unfamiliar with such things, I am also unfamiliar with
BA> 'blogs.'

Which are also common nowadays.

BA> I do note, however, that while the IP addresses and other identifying
BA> data are probably stripped from the packets at the receiving site,
BA> such packets *can* be intercepted and that information extracted
BA> there.

If someone wanted to mount a "man in the middle" attack, that's surely true,
but the effort would have to be worth it, and this is something you can't do
except during the actual transmission. As for the IP addresses, sure, the
website/forum can log them, although most don't - but remember most IPs are
dynamic and not easy to trace after a few days have past. As for "other
identifying data", just wnat did you have in mind? The only really identifying
characteristic of an Internet transmission is the IP.

MvdV>> A proposal to shut down the internet is as realistic as a proposal
MvdV>> to do away with motorised transport.

BA> You've not heard about the "Internet Kill Switch" proposal that the US
BA> congress wants to enact for Obama.

Yes, and we laughed our heads off at people who know nothing about how the
Internet works making such a suggestion.

BA> Not at all unfeasible as the US government owns and controls the root
BA> servers for it.

Think again. The Internet was designed to remain functional regardless of such
things, and there are root servers everywhere in the meantime. The proposal
only exposed the lack of knowledge of those putting it forth.

BA> Shutting down a private network - such as the telephone system or a
BA> broadcast network - is also possible...

Let's just say "possible" without the "also", since shutting down the Internet
is not.

BA> ... and only a bit more difficult

To the contrary, much easier. Phone systems are national, broadcasting networks
too. Flip a switch and turn them off. Try that with the Internet. It'll keep
going quite happily without you - the only ones to be cut off might be your own
population. But even that is debatable, if you look at the experience of the
Chinese.

As for the rest, you can shut down anything national, but once things go
internation you've got problems. As for the Internet, forget it. It was
designed to function even after atomic strikes and will survive ignorant
politicians as well.

BA> Actually I'm considering getting a horse.

Careful about that. At your age, you can fall and break a hip - and who's going
to rescue you in the middle of nowhere?

Cheers, Bob

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