Re: Cyphernomicon FAQ -- Review in "Wired"
tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May):
1. Rishab Aiyer Ghosh tells me he has committed to write a review of the Cyphernomicon FAQ for "Wired," for either December or January publication. I had nothing to do with this, and it surprised me when he contacted me to notify me. (I reminded him of the "pre-release" status, the
It surprised _me_ that you put this on the list - magazines usually don't care to announce their future stories so much in advance, but this is a little review and cypherpunks are noted for their discretion ;-) so I guess it's ok. As far as the "usefulness" of info on "advanced stuff", and the "questions it will generate" - awareness is all about arousing curiousity. It will be a Good Thing if people who keep reading about the nuclear terrorists and pedophiles can come and see for themselves what _really_ goes on on the list. Of course the membership may soar for a while before declining again, but _some_ new useful people are bound to join.
3. Hal Abelson, Professor of Computer Science at MIT, has asked me if he could convert the FAQ into a Web document for his class on "ETHICS AND LAW
If he does a good job, then it would be nice. A web is really the best way to browse through so much inter-related info.
4. Yes, I still have concerns about multiple, out-dated copies floating around. I worry about people going to great lengths to "Webify" the version
Come on. Responsible sysadmins regularly mirror updates - from the thousands of PGP sites to the dozens who download 6 mb of movie databases each week. Every one does not get in sync as soon as the new release is out, but these things usually don't take more than a week.
5. Rishab is especially anxious to get CompuServe, AOL, etc., versions available, or referenced in his review in "Wired." Thus, if any of you want
Scott Loftesness (76703.407@compuserve.com), the primary SysOp of CompuServe's Telecom and Internet Forums says he'll have the Cyphernomicon in both forums: TELECOM FORUM (GO TELECOM) LIBRARY: NETWORK SECURITY (LIB 6) FILENAME: CYPFAQ.ZIP INTERNET FORUM (GO INETFORUM) LIBRARY: RESOURCES-TECHNICAL (LIB 15) FILENAME: CYPFAQ.ZIP Worst comes to worst, WIRED can put it up in their forums at AOL etc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rishab Aiyer Ghosh "Clean the air! clean the sky! wash the wind! rishab@dxm.ernet.in take stone from stone and wash them..." Voice/Fax/Data +91 11 6853410 Voicemail +91 11 3760335 H 34C Saket, New Delhi 110017, INDIA
tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May):
1. Rishab Aiyer Ghosh tells me he has committed to write a review of the Cyphernomicon FAQ for "Wired," for either December or January publication. I had nothing to do with this, and it surprised me when he contacted me to notify me. (I reminded him of the "pre-release" status, the
It surprised _me_ that you put this on the list - magazines usually don't care to announce their future stories so much in advance, but this is a little review and cypherpunks are noted for their discretion ;-) so I guess it's ok.
Sorry! It never occurred to me that this could be a secret, as several Cypherpunks have reported on upcoming articles they are writing, or are to be interiviewed in. But, like Rishab mentioned, be discreet (as well as being discrete, always a good thing for number theorists). on Abelson's Web doc:
If he does a good job, then it would be nice. A web is really the best way to browse through so much inter-related info.
That's a matter of opinion, and perhaps of age. I find most hypertext docs incredibly confusing and incoherent. Web docs I've seen are often just a mishmash (mishmosh, for you Gen Xers) of scraps, of articles, and of pointers to other, equally disorganized docs. This is a raging debate in hypertext and authorial circles. The "voice of the author" vs. "lost in hyperspace." What kind of job Hal Abelson and his associates do--if they still plan to do it (Hal contacted me within a matter of hours of the release, so he clearly couldn't have seen much of it...maybe it's considered too extreme, too outre, for an MIT class...)--is of course unknown. I don't think any of them has the time to do a fine-granularity linkage, so the "Web browsing" will mostly likely just be the usual course-granularity linkages of entire chapters, not individual points, a la Nelson.
4. Yes, I still have concerns about multiple, out-dated copies floating around. I worry about people going to great lengths to "Webify" the version
Come on. Responsible sysadmins regularly mirror updates - from the thousands of PGP sites to the dozens who download 6 mb of movie databases each week. Every one does not get in sync as soon as the new release is out, but these things usually don't take more than a week.
If they agree to do so. But I see a lot of old, outdated FAQs on people's systems, indicating that updates are often not diligently done. All I ask is that anyone who puts up copies at their sites agrees to maintain them as current, and if they leave their site or can't maintain the docs currently, that they then delete the old version(s) and thus not lead anyone into thinking that what they find is current. Seems reasonable to me. --Tim May -- Warning: I'm using Netcom as my Internet service, and both mail and News are being delayed by up to several days. I may not be able to respond promptly, and may have missed other posts and messages. .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. Cypherpunks list: majordomo@toad.com with body message of only: subscribe cypherpunks. FAQ available at ftp.netcom.com in pub/tcmay
participants (2)
-
rishab＠dxm.ernet.in -
tcmay＠netcom.com