Re: On the control of the Internet.

[Joe Greco <jgreco () ns sol net>]

> On 6/13/2010 15:54, Joe Greco wrote:
> > If we want to be pedantic, Sony this year announced that it is shutting
> > down its production of floppy disks by next year.  Of course, the choice
> > of "floppy disk" is irrelevant, and I'm guessing you know it.  If your
> > devices are more comfortable with CD-ROM or USB MicroSD readers, then by
> > all means.
>
> I certainly hoped that that was the case, but not very long ago I read a
> current "Emergency Recovery Plan" that depended on 9-track 1600BPI round
> reel tapes in a shop that had not had a drive like that for ten years.

That's why emergency planning needs to be an ongoing thing.

> > If your network has been so thoroughly taken over that you cannot hope
> > to get a file from a computer that does have a floppy over to your DNS
> > server, you have Much Bigger Problems to begin with...
>
> And that is the issue I was trying to raise.

If they've got control of your network to the point where you cannot even
hook up a laptop and get access to the DNS server, I submit that they 
effectively own your network and it is no longer your problem, unless
maybe you have a love of being thrown in some dark room where no one will
find you for a few years.  If that's the issue you're trying to raise, I
do not think it's solvable in any meaningful way.  More generally, is 
your company going to refuse to comply?  Or are you planning to refuse to
comply with the directives of your employer?

> > Our monitoring systems are definitely able to detect when connectivity 
> > goes away.  What happens if and when that happens is generally left up
> > to a human to decide.  The sorts of brokenness that one might potentially
> > discover if the government were to corrupt connectivity is much more
> > complex than simple on/off; I feel comfortable saying that the best plan
> > is to have diversity of resources and some in-depth knowledge, since that
> > also serves normal engineering needs well.
>
> I'll bet you think The Stimulus created jobs.

It sure did, there's a bunch of construction going on all over the place.
Of course, a much better measure would be "how many of the jobs created by
these projects will be there in a year" - or better yet, but much harder
to quantify, would be positions created that weren't directly funded by
The Stimulus.  That's the best target to discuss, since everyone can pull
statistics to prove whatever position they hold dear.

... JG
-- 
Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net
"We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I
won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail spam(CNN)
With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many apples.