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DISCLAIMER: On the surface, it may appear Jon and I hold radically
opposing views, but we are not that far apart on the issues. I
definitely respect Jon's opinions, while I don't completely agree on
all points.
<snip>
>The big studios whine and complain of lost CD revenues from use of
>this "ultra-evil" software, and have launched lawsuits, etc to
>claim damages. I personally don't see this software as any more
>"illegal" than a standard FTP server: both offer files for
>download. Napster just makes it easier . . . Both are very useful,
>and both can be misused
Degrees of legality are not the primary issue; illegal is illegal,
and degrees apply to the punishment. I do agree with the FTP/Napster
legality comparison, but the issue has really gained momentum with
the advent of MP3 files, and now with a super-easy way to share them.
FTP of .wav files (pre-MP3) do not transmit to similar volumes of
people. Also, only in recent years did large numbers of people have
access to cheap computing power or portable players to download to,
effectively replacing the convenience (and salability) of prerecorded
music. While I think prerecorded music is probably over-priced, I
don't think this new "method" of distributing it without payment will
lower prices anytime soon.
>The big problem with Napster, is clogging of bandwidth due to the
>ease with which MP3s can be downloaded. Imagine a university
>campus connected to the Net via a T1, with 5000 resident students,
>half of which are downloading MP3s all day. It won't take much
>more than a few downloads to kill that T1.
The biggest technical problem, I agree.
>Regarding the poor studios and their legal "issues", I apply the
>same logic to Napster offerings as I do to FTP servers - check what
>is being offered . . . and if it's not legal for distribution, hunt
>it . . . down and kill it. As someone else mentioned here, it's
>all a matter of "due diligence".
However, your success, given Napster's flexibility, will be limited,
and this type of "due diligence" without some non-IT backing may
involve more regular daily work than can be accomplished for already
overworked admins.
>OTOH, if your local security policy dictates that network
>access will be cut off and their firstborn sacrificed to the gods if
> Napster usage is caught and logged, then you have a solid recourse
>should the problem arise, and that is where I'd choose to start.
Agreed! Policy is still the first place to define security, not in
firewall configs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
R. Michael Williams
Senior Network Consultant
Inacom Information Systems
Nashville, TN
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