IP: gnutella

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 22:01:37 -0400
> To: farber () cis upenn edu (David Farber)
> From: Richard Jay Solomon <rsolomon () dsl cis upenn edu>
>
> This hilarious socio-political quote is on the 
> <http://www.gnutella.com/> site. Read it all:
>
> > I was in the pub last night, and a guy asked me for a light for his 
> > cigarette. I suddenly realised that there was a demand here and money to 
> > be made, and so I agreed to light his cigarette for 10 pence, but I 
> > didn't actually give him a light, I sold him a license to burn his 
> > cigarette. My fire-license restricted him from giving the light to 
> > anybody else, after all, that fire was my property. He was drunk, and 
> > dismissing me as a loony, but accepted my fire (and by implication the 
> > licence which governed its use) anyway. Of course in a matter of minutes 
> > I noticed a friend of his asking him for a light and to my outrage he 
> > gave his cigarette to his friend and pirated my fire! I was furious, I 
> > started to make my way over to that side of the bar but to my added 
> > horror his friend then started to light other people's cigarettes left, 
> > right, and centre! Before long that whole side of the bar was enjoying MY 
> > fire without paying me anything. Enraged I went from person to person 
> > grabbing their cigarettes from their hands, throwing them to the ground, 
> > and stamping on them.
> >
> > Strangely the door staff exhibited no respect for my property rights as 
> > they threw me out the door.
>
>
> Reuters notes tonight that 1.2 million people have downloaded the gnutella 
> software in the last 24 hours, thanks to the free publicity inadvertently 
> given by the recording industry. Speaking of morons leading the blind...
>
> Richard