Yes Indeed Joop!
What we have here is a very serious startup problem of bootstraping
from no members at all to some Interent informed memebers who are
dedicated to openness and due process.
Surely we cannot feel comofrtable saying the we mus start out with the
least well informed consituencies to build the core processes, and I
agree with Joop that those parties who have admin and operational
responsibilities for DNS Zone files at least form an educated
constituency without any special biases toward ISPs or toward closed
decison processes and secret processes for controllign the actinos of
others.
Actually, Rus, to respond to your concern that somehow the voices of
the users of the Internet might be shut down, I must say that the
Interent Protocols developed by your brother Jon, and others are
actually very good at placing real controls at the edges of the net,
in files in your personal workstation, versus some central control
point to which all users must pay obeisance. So, it is going to be
extemely difficult for anyone to steal control of the whole Iternet.
This fact of edge survival being imbedded in the heart of the
protocols, is our greatest ace in the hole and defense against central
agency takeover. They can try, but cannot succeed, given the way the
protocols work. If "they" become too oppressive us "proles" will just
find ways to tunnel through their barriers and work around their
control efforts. I suggest that you read the book "Orwell's Revenge"
to get some better feel for the idea.
So, lets start with what is a clearly definable constituency as the
startup constituency, with a commitment to openness, due process,
fairness, stability, security, freedom, robustness, and survivability.
(There are some more common basic values to be included here...)
Cheers...\Stef
>From your message Mon, 08 Feb 1999 23:46:30 +1200:
}
}At 23:43 7/02/99 -0800, Rus Postel wrote to the DNSO.org list:
}>i do not qualify for any of the categories of membership suggested, yet i use
}>the internet and believe i have a right to participate in democratic decision
}>making. probably i am in a very small minority of users. why exclude us?
}
}Rus,
}
}Why not introduce yourself. ;-)
}What I propose isn't an exclusion. Just a light barrier, easy to overcome
}for those who really want to participate.
}It is a lot more than you get as a user of FCC regulated utilities.
}
}aren't
}>basic end users entitled to have a say in issues effecting how the
}technologies
}>we use are governed? admittedly this is somewhat revolutionary, and it
}should be
}>as it is clear that other models of governance/regulation that are removed
}from
}>popular participation (as the FCC in the US, example) develop eventually to
}>serve industry with few crumbs thrown to users, who are nevertheless
}paying for
}>the service. in fact, the technical creators historically are removed from
}>decisionmaking, ultimately limited to serving industry thru innovation. i
}>believe that those of you that have a technical/scientific interest would be
}>well advised to encourage inclusion of the masses, as they will probably
}support
}>openness and new creativity while business/industry interest usually is:
}control
}>in order to maximize profit.
}
}I have deeply considered this argument, because it is made so often and it
}sounds popular. But the masses that will support openness are the millions
}of individual DN owners, with a real stake in the DNS. If businesses own
}Domain Names, they still get only one vote. (one vote per admin contact)
}
}>furthermore how can you turn away from the possibility, even if it is
}REMOTE, of
}>encouraging the spread of participatory democracy?
}
}Perhaps you adressed this question to George Conrades who can answer for
}himself.
}
}My humble view is: On the contrary, instead of turning away from it, I
}believe that the participatory democracy of ICANN has the best chance of
}being born alive and surviving , when it starts off with a large mass of DN
}owners.
}It is having your own Domain that makes the internet user like you
}independent from the (connectivity) industry that otherwise would use it's
}"control" over your address "to maximize profit" .
}
}One step at the time, that's how your ideal can succeed.
}
}
}
}
}--Joop--
}http://www.democracy.org.nz/model.html
