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                  >C O M P U T E R   U N D E R G R O U N D<
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              ***  Volume 2, Issue #2.17 (December 16, 1990)   **
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MODERATORS:   Jim Thomas / Gordon Meyer  (TK0JUT2@NIU.bitnet)
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From: Various
Subject: From the Mailbag
Date:  December 16, 1990

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***  CuD #2.17: File 2 of 7: From the Mailbag                    ***
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From: Robert McClenon <76476.337@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Subject: Cowboys and Indians and the cyberfrontier
Date: 11 Dec 90 00:54:55 EST

   The question was posed as to whether hackers are cowboys seeking new
territory to stake out.  Maybe.  But I propose a different (electronic)
frontier metaphor.  Cowboys lived on the frontier in what they perceived to
be freedom but did not understand the limits of the world and eventually
wasted the commons.  There were another group of people, living further out
on the frontier, who in general did understand the limits of the world and
the interdependency of all things, and who had their own tribal culture and
ethic that was not well understood by outsiders.  They were called by many
names and called themselves by many names, but at the time most outsiders
called them Indians.  Their society was tribal, but most tribes had an
organization that at the same time was mostly democratic and yet placed a
great deal of authority and respect in a chief.  They had a few enemies.
Principal among their enemies were the federal cavalry.  The objective of
the cavalry was in general to herd the Indians onto reservations as a step
toward fencing in the free range, and some of the cavalry had the secondary
wish to massacre a few Indians in the process.  The cavalry often waited
for a provocation, which sometimes came from rogue Indians who interfered
with the white man's property, by raiding his sheep, or with his
communication, by cutting telegraph lines or harassing the pony express.

   I suggest that the BBS community are comparable to Indians, living
peacefully on the frontier, in harmony with the world, and mostly
respecting the authority of the chiefs (sysops), although not without
complaining.  Hackers are rogue Indians, who threaten communication and
property.  It does not take much of a provocation to bring on the feds.
And the feds do not respect the Indian culture and have shown a willingness
to slaughter Indian chiefs who tried to cooperate with the feds in
controlling the rogue Indians.

   What are the conclusions?  The rogue Indians threaten the continued
existence of the Indians.  The worse rogues are the feds, who do not seem
to respect anyone's law, even their own.  The only long-term hope for the
Indians is to maintain their own discipline.

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From: wex@PWS.BULL.COM
Subject: A Philosophical Reminder
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 90 13:41:49 est

Not to rain on Dark Adept's parade since I largely agree with him, but...

The ancient wizards he refers to, and whom he credits with things such as
Physics and Philosophy, were but pale imitations of their Greek, Babylonian,
and Chinese forbears.  It was these men (for women were systematically
excluded) who -- as far as we know -- founded such things as Philosophy.

The alchemists (and similar "wizards") were indeed similar to (some) hackers
in that they were unsystematic dabblers in things that were supposed to be
forbidden.  But credit where credit is due, please.  It was people like
Descartes and Russell who systematized and made Western science what it
became.

--Alan Wexelblat        phone: (508)294-7485
Bull Worldwide Information Systems  internet: wex@pws.bull.com

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