I'm just a lurker on this list, trying to pick up on what's happening in this subset of computing and communications, but my chain's been yanked, and the subject merits a reply. On the matter of the discussion that's been going on vis-a-vis reputations versus kill files, I'm afraid we're regressing to the bad old days when everyone was considered bad and worthy of suspicion until they demonstrated that they were good and trustworthy. I'd personally rather believe people are basically good than otherwise. Even if I must occasionally suffer getting burned, it's easier on the nerves, attitude, and karma to assume the best in those I interact with. I think it's significant that there are really so few of us on the net who are actually insufferable and refuse to be shouted down to reasonable behavior by the civil rest of us. Those few who are will not be prevented from troubling us by the measures being advocated - positive reps, scores on 1-to-10 scales, etc. - any more than weapon makers are deterred by manufacturers of armor. someone who really wanted to could still flood our group with vitriol, using multiple artificial identities vouched for by other artificial identities. If such neurotic vengeful behavior were really likely on the net, we'd have seen it already. What, other than good sense and a low threshold of boredom, prevents any of us from flooding any and all news groups with garbage? And if it ever becomes a problem, we'll just have to appoint a moderator, perhaps on a rotating basis, from among those of us who are personally acquainted with each other. My point here isn't that we shouldn't prepare for the worst, but that we shouldn't get crazy about it. The theoretical aspects of the discussion are interesting to me, but I just thought it was getting a little close to the edge not to comment. Tom DeBoni (Once I figure this stuff all out, I'll get a "protected" identity, too.) deboni@llnl.gov