Wednesday, July 28, 1999, 11:55:42 PM, William X. Walsh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Wednesday, July 28, 1999, 10:39:30 PM, Paul A Vixie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> like i said earlier, there's an ethical rudder consideration, and a
>> moderate intelligence consideration, before i take on a client.
>>> > How much for an entry in the root server he runs, which provides
>>> > services for millions of internet users? :)
> And Paul, I won't touch your ethics. That discussion doesn't belong
> here.
After I sent this, I thought about it a bit, and decided that since I
said this publicly, I should probably say why I question Mr Vixie's
ethics. Mr Vixie is the founder of the MAPS RBL system, a service
that black lists internet sites that send "Spam." Recently Mr Vixie
made the decision to RBL Real Networks. Real Networks does not "spam"
in any fashion. Real Networks provides a check box to not receive
mailings when you signup to download their free software. This box IS
honored. They also provide an email address IN EVERY mailing they do
for removing that address from the database, and this DOES work (I've
used both methods). This is a most responsible policy for them to
take, but Vixie wanted them to do more, wanted them to add an entire
additional level to the management of their list, a process that would
of been annoying to users, and indeed would of slowed down peoples
access to the Real Networks Software. Real basically told MAPS no,
and continued to do for some months now. Vixie has now added them to
the RBL for not conforming to his view of how opt-in should work.
He did all of this while sitting on the Board of an opt-in Email
Advertising company, Whitehat.com, a subsidiary of the direct
marketing service bureau American Computer Group.
Mr Vixie, I respect your technical ability, the great work you have
done in the software that so many of us use, and your efforts in
operating the f.root-server, but I have little respect for your
politics or your ethics. And that is the reason I took exception with
the comment I responded to where you mention your "ethics."
Of course, your definition of ethics maybe very different from the
norm. "I guess it depends on you define the word 'is' "
--
William X. Walsh
General Manager, DSo Internet Services
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fax:(209) 671-7934
The Law is not your mommy or daddy to go crying
to every time you have something to whimper about.
