Re: About Port Forwarding, Apache and Firewall Rules

[jseymour () linxnet com (Jim Seymour)]

Christopher Hicks <chicks () chicks net> wrote:
> [ I know this strays even further from the original topic and I won't be 
> offended if its rejected.  But having experienced a number of ISP's (too 
> many) from the web serving perspective I hope this will help people avoid 
> some hassle. ]

Well, maybe my follow-up will make it, too, then ;).

> On Tue, 7 Sep 2004, Chuck Vose wrote:
> > [Chuck quoted someone else who said:] 
> > > There is no God-given, natural law or Constitutional right to Internet
> > > access.  What there is are for-profit companies (mostly) that provide
> > > various levels of Internet access, for a fee, under contractual
> > > agreement.
>
> I agree with you on what we have now, but given that having Internet 
> access is becoming as necessary to getting through daily life as the 
> telephone is I do think society has a moral obligation to provide cheap or 
> free access to individuals who can't afford it.  

If you want to see the experimentation, diversity and growth of the
'net stifled, if not damn near killed-off, the above is as good a way
to get it as one could ask.  As soon as the 'net is labeled a
"necessity" (more on that shortly), it will be given common carrier
status and be subjected to no end of regulation from which it's
currently purposefully been exempted.

As for "individuals who can't afford it": Whom do you think will pay
for it?  Take a look at your phone bill some day, then you'll know.

Lastly: There is no way 'net access is yet anywhere near "necessary."
Convenient: Yes.  Handy: Yes.  Necessary: No.

>                                                  Libraries have done this 
> for years.  Wifi collectives are also making internet access to anyone who 
> happens by.  This is good in my opinion.

They're more than welcome to do that.  The libraries are nominally
supported by their local communities.  Those local communities have
obviously decided to support free access.  Same with the WiFi
collectives.  I don't mind a church, voluntarily joined, demanding from
its flock a tithe.  I *do* object being forced to tithe at the point of
a gun.

>
[snip]
> If people are looking for a decent DSL provider that offers business 
> quality service I strongly encourage you to consider Megapath.  
[snip]
>

There's something we on which we can agree :).  I've got MegaPath IDSL
at home, set up a business with MegaPath ADSL (over Covad) and recently
switched one of $work branches from ISDN to MegaPath SDSL.  MegaPath is
a bit more pricey than the pseudo-business-class crap offered by the
ILECs and cablecos, but you get the kind of connectivity and service
you'd expect out of a private-line T1.

And MegaPath is Instant Death to spammers and other network abusers.  I
saw one trojaned machine account suspended w/in 5 minutes after I
reported it to abuse@ there.  I think that's gotta be some kind of
record.

(Btw: If you want to see ISPs TOS' wrt network abuse rended nearly
worthless, let Internet access gain common carrier status.  Spammers
would just *love* to see Internet access gain common carrier status.)

Jim
_______________________________________________
firewall-wizards mailing list
firewall-wizards () honor icsalabs com
http://honor.icsalabs.com/mailman/listinfo/firewall-wizards