Re: The LOGIC of Navigator 2.0 ?

["James M. Cobb" <jcobb@ahcbsd1.ovnet.com>]

  Steve, 
 
 
  I posted a message, The LOGIC of Navigator 2.0 ?, to the list 
  on 01 08 96. 
 
  That message quoted a couple of paragraphs from a Bloomberg news 
  agency newsstory.  The story is headlined, Netscape Will Release 
  an Updated Internet Browser in Two Weeks.  The story's datelined 
  Mountain View CA. 
 
  Your 01 08 96 followup message characterized my original message 
  as "garbage." 
 
  You posted your message via Best Internet Communications Inc in 
  Mountain View CA... 
 
  Whatever the significance of that may be, there's the additional 
  matter that you may not understand the significance of the phrase 
 
                        GOVERNMENT LOGIC 
 
  which I used in my original message. 
 
  I hope the following provides you sufficient context-- 
 
 
  In 02 96 Internet World, science fiction writer Vernor Vinge 
  is interviewed: 
 
    Suddenly [about 1984] people realized that if a 100 million 
    people each had computers that were one-tenth of one percent 
    as smart as the government's computers, they had much less to 
    fear about government. 
 
    Now we've entered an era where the government understands this. 
    On the one hand, police forces are legitimately [?] frightened; 
    law enforcement could become much more difficult.  But at the 
    same time --with some new laws and technology-- police powers 
    could be much greater than before....  You've heard of ubiquitous 
    computing, but how about UBIQUITOUS LAW ENFORCEMENT? 
 
 
  Developing that line of thought, Vinge says: 
 
    ...the old Clipper chip proposal recommended that GOVERNMENT 
    LOGIC be present in certain communications equipment. 
 
    For the future I think this aspect of Clipper was as significant 
    as the crypto issues.  What would it be like if a certain amount 
    of GOVERNMENT LOGIC were mandated in the design of every host 
    in a country? 
 
 
  And Vinge concludes: 
 
              WE COULD HAVE REAL-TIME TAXATION. 
 
  and 
 
        ...very fine-grain CONTROL would be possible. 
 
 
  Capitalization in the above excerpts is mine. 
 
  The whole interview is worth reading.  Its title is: Reality & 
  Fiction.  It starts at page 82.  Jeff Ubois asked the questions. 
 
 
  Every HOST in a country?  As Larry Ellison says in 12 26 95 / 
  01 02 96 Computerworld 41: 
 
    The ideal operating system arrives across a network when you 
    turn your computer on. 
 
 
  The GOVERNMENT LOGIC arrives too... 
 
 
  Cordially, 
 
  Jim 
 
 
 
  INCLOSURE: 
 
  Date: Mon, 8 Jan 1996 16:03:06 -0800 (PST)
  From: Steven Weller <stevenw@best.com>
  To: "James M. Cobb" <jcobb@ahcbsd1.ovnet.com>
  Subject: Re: The LOGIC of Navigator 2.0 ?


  Please refrain from posting such garbage on the cypherpunks mailing list. 
  You are not a friend, you are a pest.

  On Mon, 8 Jan 1996, James M. Cobb wrote:

  >  
  >  
  >   Friend, 
  >  
  >  
  >   01 07 96 the business news agency Bloomberg reports: 
  >  
  >     Netscape Communications Corp. said it will release in two 
  >     weeks a new version of its popular browsing software, de- 
  >     signed to keep the Internet software company ahead of rival 
  >     Microsoft Corp. 
  >                               ... 
  >  
  >     The [new] browser can use programs that are stored on cen- 
  >     tral computers on the Internet, making a personal computer's 
  >     operating system less important. 
  >  
  >  
  >   And thereby making GOVERNMENT LOGIC more important? 
  >  
  >  
  >   Cordially, 
  >  
  >   Jim 
  >  
  >  
  >  
  >  
  >   NOTE: The newsstory's headline?  NETSCAPE WILL RELEASE AN 
  >   UPDATED INTERNET BROWSER IN TWO WEEKS.  Its dateline? 
  >   MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (Jan 7, 1996 4:16 p.m. EST).  Its 
  >   Nando News online filename?  biz7_1087.html 
  >  
  >  
  >