ftp archives disappearing?

[Jim Leonard]

Jay West wrote:
> Perhaps some DOLT leeching the entire site causes them to be shut down 
> by their provider due to bandwidth. Perhaps some selfabsorbed arrogant 
> miscreant sucking down the entire site, costs this guy a sudden $200 
> bill that he wasn't expecting due to bandwidth. How RUDE not to respect 
> the site owners wishes.

1. If the person didn't want to share the files, then why are they up on 
the 'net in the first place?

2. QoS has been around for over a decade, both software and hardware. 
Put bandwidth controls on your stuff if you fear it will cost you money. 
  My FTP server limits to 16KB/s because I pay for my bandwidth.

3. Not everyone has to host their files on a plan that will cost them 
crazy money if abused.  There are $8/month plans with gigabytes of space 
and bandwidth that will automatically throttle if abused (or shut off 
temporarily if exhausted, then re-enable at the next billing cycle).

> Let me give you a good analogy. Lets say I have a desk in the basement 
> that's an antique. I want to give it to a good home. So I put it out in 
> the front lawn saying "Free to a good home".
> 
> You then take the desk. And all my lawn furniture. And the garden lights 
> from the planters. Your argument is "oh, you put it all outside your 
> house so of course I can take it all".

That analogy doesn't make any sense and isn't mappable to a file 
archive/repository.

> Sorry, touched a nerve.

Sorry, but you still haven't proven your point.  See points #1-#3 above, 
especially #2 (which I am surprised you are ignoring, especially given 
that you run an ISP).  QoS solves the cost problem, at which point there 
aren't any problems left.

Offering files online for the good of the community, then putting 
arbitrary limits on access, doesn't make sense.  You either want to help 
people, or you don't.

I administered a multi-gigabyte archive on ftp.cdrom.com from 1994 to 
1998, and a Tandy archive from 1998 to present, and I have never ever 
once told people they couldn't mirror.  What if I get hit by a bus 
tomorrow and the archives disappear?  All my work (gathering, 
organizing, etc.) would have been for naught!  Hasn't anyone learned 
anything from the Don Maslin incident?
-- 
Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org)            http://www.oldskool.org/
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