Frederick Noronha said on Sun, Feb 29, 2004 at 01:43:48AM +0530,:
Please excuse the posting of a completely off-topic posting here. This is
Fred,
This is not exactly off-topic.
Do we realise that after non-free software, greatest threat to the right to information is control of the spectrum and bandwidth??
Do we realise that a few years down the line, the struggle to free software from hands of proprietary hoarders will go in vain if the spectrum and bandwidth is controlled by a few??
At the moment, I am reading on `quality of service'. This topic is giving me the goose bumps. I find that it possible to use Digital Restrictions Management technology to authenticate the type of content in the TCP/IP packet. `Extend' the DRM based IP packet authentication a little to identify the software creating the packet, and it will be possible for your your bandwidth carrier or ISP to give lower priority to traffic originating from software they do not like. (ouch!!! have I put ideas into peoples' heads??). Modify that a bit to drop packets containing certain kinds of information ... and 20 years (and a few weeks) of struggle goes ... zilch!!!
(I have not gone through the mail you forwarded -- I am working on the backup UPS, and before it shuts down, I have to send this ...)