CFS and Linux

[Dr. Dimitri Vulis]

Eric Murray <ericm at lne.com> writes:
>
> > That's what's wrong with the net in general. 10+ years ago, when I started
> > using it, it was hard to use e-mail and Usenet, so most of the people using
> >had to be fairly intelligent. Today, no intelligence is required to use e-ma
> > or even a cpunks anonymous remailer. I wish crypto software and mail filter
> > software followed the suit and became as easy to use and transparent at the
> > rest of our comm software.
>
> Long for the good old days of bang-paths, 300 baud acoustic couplers
> and UUCP maps?  see http://www.lne.com/lemay/writings/curmudgeonnet.html

Not at all -- I welcome all progress. My first modem was 110 bps.  When we
got a 300 bps one, it seemed lightning fast (and really cut down the LD bill
for the data calls to Virginia). In fact, I'm very happy that easy-to-use
Internet software enables people to use the net who couldn't do it before.
I've been telling all my non-computer acquaintences to get onto the net
for 5--8 years, but most of them did only in the last year or two.
I wish there was real easy privacy-enhancement software that every
"clueless newbie" could use. Maybe in PGP 3...

> Where we're headed is mail filters with PGP imbedded (PGP 3 will
> make this much easier) that check incoming mail for a valid signature
> for certain PGP keyid/fingerprints and pass that mail along.
> Other mail that doesn't match gets tossed into a 'junk' folder
> or thrown away if you really don't want to talk to anyone that you
> don't already know.

Alas, this is what the future net will be like. Some out-of-band
communication will be necessary before e-mail can be exchanged;
or perhaps there will be a protocol to enable Alice to write Bob
(who doesn't know Alice) and say: "You don't know me, but Carol
vouches that it's worth your while for you to read my e-mail."

Or Alice can ask Carol to e-mail Bob directly.

Is something like this already available for FTP? :)

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Dr. Dimitri Vulis
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps