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AOL Ends Open Access Push
Elwood Blues writes "The Washington Post is reporting here that AOL has ended its push for access to cable systems, pulling out lobbyists across the country. Kind of sad. Instead of fighting the companies, they just bought one. " Just as pundits predicted. Steve Case, Jan. 11, 2000: "AOL Time Warner will remain committed to open access." Steve Case, today: "Suckers! I can't believe they actually bought it!"
Jazi feels yuor pain!
:-)
midgets have nipples too!
Jazi loves Microsoft!
Jazi is a coward
Jazi loves fags!
Jesus uses linux!
AOL rolls on...
No, some of the rest of us have noticed as well.
In addition to that, there have been rather a lot of general screw ups lately - postings that I have made to a posting have wound up being attached to a completely different posting.
In other cases, attempting to post a reply means sitting and waiting a ridiculous long period of time so that the request times out ( even though the response time can be lightning quick when you try to post a response a couple of minutes later.
These kinds of problems may have a perfectly reasonable explanation, but I'm begining to suspect that Rob has a "rodent" problem that he will need to deal with, so it could be that everyone is busy trying to find the hole that the little dip-shits have been using.
Actually, the current transfer network in place in heaven only supports rates less than 1.2kilosouls per second, or the buffers overload and souls start spilling into Hell.
Too slow loser! Ha ha. The real first poster.
jesus has a leech FTP! jesus is leet!
if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. or in this case, buy them.
Llama post
mofo
nobody cares what you and that other fag have to say about fictional characters.
in case you did not get it the first time FUCK OFF
I didn't know he was a fag. Ick just the thought of jesus cumming down my throat makes me ill. maybe he can come back in a gay bar if he likes cumming in peoples throats.
Come out of th closet bitch. Don't be angry cause you find men attractive. COme to the dark side young Luke & we will show you the way.
its full of whores
I need to correct you: Ayn Rand was not an ethnic Russian. She was an ignorant kike Jew bitch. Igor
ANd he hates fags, God is a vindictive god.
Jesus will kill him and his family for this blasphemy. Jesus hates the world that made him die in vain.
he only eats kosher. He will kill all you pigs for being such dicks.
He knew it was not permanent. It was a pretend death. Jesus was probably an alien. He died for himself.
MOFO...
Jesus is misery personified
He told me so
Aren't there any arts and crafts YOU could be doing rather than... ahh screw it
Jesus hates him. But he loves sheep.
He is alive, what kind of bullshit sacrifice is that. I would die for a bunch of sheep too if I knew I would be coming back....
we must stop them from completing their capitalistic genocide of the internet. they will destroy our culture if we don't destroy them.
The really sad part about this is that some places like Houston, Texas only have Time Warner cable. Yes, there are some smaller cable companies (Optel and another for sure) but the majority of it is run by Time Warner (who a year ago bought out TCI). With AOL giving up on the openness of cable, and opting to purchase their own cable company (and mega-media giant) they've closed the door on cable options. Admittedly, I don't want cable because sharing bandwidth with my neighboors is scarey, but I sure wish those that did opt to get it had some type of choice. The screws just get tighter
Jesus loves Atheists, homosexuals, and Anonymous Cowards! Jesus isn't very discriminating!
Hrm... someone's been using their Nine Inch Nails CDs a little bit irresponsibly... ;-)
fsck /u /steve_case shield_remoderation=-1
amen
He shall wield a fiery sword and cut them down.
He told me so
and for my nipples.....
He lives where it is safe and pleasant. He laughs at your misery.
But, has anyone picked up any gossip on how this is likely to effect the overall security of the final product?
ICQ is just as famous as Java/Javascript for it's security holes/lack of privacy control ( which is the main reason why I avoid ICQ ).
It seems to me that this is more of the same kind of "seamless integration" that has Micro$oft internet products ( browser, email, etc ) an open invitation to the script kiddies to tap dance on your hard drive.
Even without specific details, the added bloat will inevitably add plenty of possibilities for buffer overflow exploits for anyone with a decent dis-assembler and basic assembler knowledge.
Has anyone picked up any gossip on the matter?
even midgets love to eat balls!
jesus just can't stop
I see that a lot of satisfied AOL and Steve Case supporters are carrying on an intelligent discussion here....just like an AOL Chat room. Apparently Steve Case heads his own religion ...at least that is the impression one gets reading these replies.
what he said was an obvious implication of what you just said. Re-stating what he said doesn't making anything invalid. Logic error^M^M segmentation fault (core dumped)
They will perish in a fiery lake and he will roast marshmallows on their flaming bodies.
Don't fuck with Dick.
will they allow warez and porn??? i wanna bild a big old honkin warez and porn site on my AOL accownt!!!!!!!!
Alright buddy. You owe me a new keyboard. I just laughed so hard the coke I was drinking just went all over the monitor and keyboard.
Jesus is pissed off.
He's comingto kick your sinner ass.
He will bend you over and shove his Holy Cock up you virgin ass and make you wish you had never sinned.
Repent or get the HOLY SAUSAGE
FUCK YOU
b00
He only pretended to give his son. If he wanted to give him up he would have let him stay dead. We are just his pets.
between the thighs of a beautiful teenage schoolgirl. That is as good as it gets. Hell is trying to leave her without getting caught by her father.
Cable is not available in all areas. The only options I have for broadband access is moving or pay through the nose for satellite access (while keeping my ~33.6K upload speed).
It is not always line quality that prevents people from getting DSL. I happen to live 6 miles from the exchange, which is alot farther than the 2.5 mile max GTE claims is needed.
I like socks, Jesus likes cocks, HUZZAH!
HE hates us I tell you. How else do you expalin Micro$oft & AOL
would ban fags from using there service! altho it wood like kill there bizness cuz like all aol ppl = fagz
Because he can't be botheed to kill you. HE does not care. What has he done for the world. He showers you with presents of guilt & misery.
You really make me want to pour hot grits down my pants!
be given a life ful of guilt & misery. HE will break you, give you shit and make you love it!
THE F.B.I. IS COMING FOR YOU LINUX ZEALOTS. LINUX HAS BEEN DECLARED UNLAWFUL. LINUX ZEALOTS = COMMUNISTS = PIRATES = CHILD PORN PEDDLERS = TERRORISTS = CHILD MOLESTORS = HACKERS
god will have your balls for that!
HE will wield his HOLY COCK upon you
*ROFL*
Oh man, that was really funny...
D00d u R 3L33+!!1!
Please tell me how excite@home is so far ahead of the game. The cable market is growing at an exponential rate. By 2001, @home will only have a small percentage of the potential market. Content wise, 300kbps or so fox news videos aren't exactly stellar. All the other content on www.rdc1.area.home.com is in my opinion a joke. Backbone wise, there are plenty of potentials with much better backbones as well as public and private peering arrangments. This is one of the reasons @home has few business customers. The best service? I doubt it. Monopoly is the only thing keeping @home afloat.
"Open access is bad mmmkay?"
Translation: I am a corporate tool. My self interest negates the interests of the masses.
I hope you cashed out of your stocks a long time ago...
*** Disclaimer: I own ATHM stock and it isn't going anywhere so I am bitter.
He will thrust uponyou his HOLY SAUSAGE
He has lots of cash. Thats what you get for making an idol out of a JEW.
HE HATES THE POOR!!!
I find it ironic that you would choose a name such as "Jazi". Jesus was in fact a jew. The Nazis are the most infamous persecutors of Jews, with killings well into the millions. So, to me, by combining the two, you are not in fact glorifying your "saviour", but mocking him.
He would put'em in his mouth 'n suck'em & suck'em
will aol cable modems get busy signals?
keep the spam up so we can reach 666 comments and shut fuckers like jazi up
And how many Jews died at the hands of the Nazis? What is the number? Six million? What's next? JKK? Jesus Klux Klan?
http://www.prattas.com
http://pennsun.essc.psu.edu/satan/sata n_doc/
http://urth.acsu.buffalo.edu/security/
Maybe they weren't bored enough to actually read all his posts?
He is a cool guy
He will come out of his hiding place and kick Prattas' ass. He will do so holy skull cracking on that pretender.
is making me horny....
loves to suck cock. especially after you put it up some altar boys ass. He loves the crusty ones. Satan is a fag.
Stan the man is my neighbor, and he cuts my grass when I am on vacation. His wife is hot and loves to cheat. So, fuck you, leave poor Stan alone.
STFU bizatch I HATE YOU!!!
1 4m 1337!!
Ph33r m3! 1u53r5!!!
FUCKAZ
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
SPAMMING FOR JIZZUS!!
FUCKAZ
Okay, what the hell made you come up with the Jackie Chan nude. I want Portman damn it!
I am done masturbating....what are we talking about???
STFU MOFO
Noone has anything stupid to say???
don't oppress me you fucker
WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA, WACKA, WACKA, WACKA, WACKA,WACKA, WACKA
FUCKAZ
COWS RULE. SO SUCK ME
Open. Is AOL open in ANY respect? No. Is the AOL source open? No. Is their infrastructure open? No. Hell, is their "forums" and "online communities" open? Not even close.
I know this isn't what you're talking about (you have a point), but their webserver actually is open source. Plus, they own Netscape.
Everyone knows cows cant type. You are not a real cow. Cows cant type in english or in any of the other second rate languages, so fuck off peasant.
I did not say that I was a cow. I merely advocated bovine superiority. Also, who you calling a peasan you farmer!!
I can't leave, I want to see what the Jazi will say next.
you know, like whoah, or something
whoa
whoa.
What if I've already read the bible? Does Jesus have anything else to say?
SOME PLZ HELP ME I HVAE WHTE STUFF SHOOTIGN OUT MY DIKC WTF?!?>
oh god
OH FUCK
oh jesus
OH FUCK
oh god
OH FUCK
oh jesus
OH FUCK
oh god
OH FUCK
MODERATERS MAKE GOOD TROLL FOOD
AND JESUS TOLD ME
GOD HATES FAGS
AND GOD TOLD ME:
JESUS IS A FAG
I wondered the same thing. I mean, why wouldn't someone want to work for the newest multi-billion dollar company (aka. Slashdot/Andover.net/VA Linux) that doesn't pay them a single dime?
subject sez it all
wtf? i cant even tell what that is. is he supposed to be wanking off or somehting?
If Jesus will give me a static IP and 1.5Mbps bandwidth, then sign me up for JesusNet!
P.S.: Until now I alsways used to come in anonymoux coward mode, but if this kind of thing keeps up I will finally be forced to create an account, so that my tresholds are automatically set high enough to avoid wasting my time with this kinda of crap.
AOL is cool! No wonder it's number 1!! It's the most spectacular ISP I ever used in the whole wide world! Good for keeping touch with friends!
! it raises more questions than it answers! his nutsack is wayyy to big! do you know anyone who has a scrotum that disproportionate? i certainly dont.
It's PPP over Ethernet (I think) or PPPoE. Search freshmeat for patches.
I would bet dollars to pesos it is so they can track usage, monitor for warez, and a host of wonderful other features.
Of course they could do that anyway with plain IP. Use ssh, pgp, or some vpn if you don't want them to keep track of the pr0n you download.
Jazi loves you all, even midgets!
hell dosent exist, either does heaven
Jazi loves first posts tooo!
Jazi can save you from PacHell.
Jazi thinks you are sad.
he will -1 you :) just kidding he loves everyone!
Or Lov'em!
he will -1 you :) just kidding he loves everyone - except christian dumb fucks.
The point is I love yoU!!!
Jazi loves llamas too!
The subject says I love yoU!!
Jazi loves big companies!
YEAH! First Posted! Take THAT Ron!
the devil is in all of you!......................
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there
Er, that's...
RMS: Source code should be available to everyone.
Translation: Except people who don't want to make their source code available.
"You know you want me baby!" - Crow T Robot
While we're on the topic of AOL and their crazy hijinks, what's up with this?
The problem is that moderating this kind of shit down burns moderation points that would be better used elsewhere, and there's a limited number of moderation points available. I realize that Rob & Co. don't like censorship, but I really think they need to step in and do something about this kind of crap and soon, or /. will become totally unusable. Suggestion: let more people become unlimited moderators.
...phil
...phil
"For a list of the ways which technology has failed to improve our quality of life, press 3."
An there be any moderators left, moderate this up.
...and moderate all that Jesus / Satan crap down, dammit.
---
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
AHH but does Jesus love Satan? How does Satan feel about that?
--
Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.
****Gfx Scrollbar Special case hit!!*****
I don't know about other cable networks, but on my cable subnet, I can only see broadcast traffic. You can't not see other people's traffic and you can't sniff jack except your own and broadcast traffic. This is on a road runner netowork.
enforce open access. But FCC Chairman William E. Kennard has said new regulations might slow the deployment of high-speed Internet service. Moreover,
Kennard points out that cable has competition for high-speed access from DSL, a service that runs over phone lines."
Where I live (Sprint, Time-Warner) they're fiercely competing to let the other one stick its neck out on this first. Maybe once they see the cable company gettting that extra $20 per subscriber each month, they'll finally get around to letting those of us using local ISP's to get DSL. On second thought, they'll probably tie it to using them as my ISP, put all the locals out of business, and then jack up the rates.
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
1) Internet time. The regulators and government are moving too slow (to make open access), and hence AOL had to buy their cable access.
2) The Portland open access case is in the courts. We all know how long this is going to take to be resolved.
3) The FCC is involved. The commissioners are not appointed for life, and a lot of politics is involved in their selection. Kennard has been lukewarm to open access. Congress has been beating down on the FCC. Conclusion: don't build your business plan on the actions of the FCC. Cover all your options. For AOL, they have cable access, and if open access is mandated, AOL also wins.
4) Virginia and Maryland, while close to AOL headquarters, have only local interest as far as AOL is concerned. While the old saying is that all politics is local, the internet is not.
5) AOL decided that fighting for open access is too unpredictable.
6) Time Warner does not want open access. Why? I don't know, but there maya reason.
7) Another acquisition is in the works (e.g., another cable company).
8) It is late, I'm going to bed. Do you know where you cookies are?
To understand this, you have to ask "What was AOL's goal?". The answer is "To get themselves cable internet.". So, why the heck would they push for some "Open Standard" when it could turn around and bite them later on down the road? Better just to own the cable company outright.
There's got to be some historical reason why the mediocre always come out on top, but I just can't think of it...
Hmmm... I don't think that the "mediocre" ever come out "on top" by definition (unless you're holding a mediocrity contest).
--------------------
--------------------
Earth first? Oooh, and I was thinking of paying the rent.
Not that I want to interrupt the bashAOL festival, but when I logged onto AOL today (I use it when traveling) the following tease was featured on the first screen:
Upgrading to Windows2000?
Click here for important information
you should know first.
It links to a screen that warns "the AOL service is not supported on this or other WindowsNT platforms at this time."
Users can ask to be emailed when an NT-compatible version is available.
Hey, I know. I have a 100Mbps lan in my house, but a 28.8Kbps dailup and that's not even local. I live too far out for IDSN, cable, etc.
I was hoping AOL, Earthlink ( I use MindSpring ), and the other ISPs would push out here sooner with all the cable vs ISPs goings on back last summer. (?)
..but I guess I'll have to settle for overnight apt-get's.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
1) There is a BUG in slash as of right now, that caused this post to appear as it would be posted by "Anonymous Coward" when I hit "Preview" (as I asked it to) but was posted by..well, you know who, when I hit "Submit".
:P
:P
2) It's supposed to be FUNNY. (Or at least, it seemed funny to me at 2 am on a Friday night). You probably don't want to KNOW where I got this idea from in the first place.
3) My sex life is NOTHING like this. (not nearly as kinky, anyway)
4) I guess I'll LOG OUT first BEFORE posting anything like this again.
1 - Aside from the AOL 5.0 fiasco, AOL isn't really lacking concern for their users.
/.ers would want AOL on their Linux boxes. They're too "sophisticated" to be bothered with AOL.
2 - how many additional accounts would AOL get if they offered straight up PPP service? I doubt too many. Many of the hold outs are doing so just because it's AOL. Would you use aol as your ISP? I doubt many people here would. I also doubt that many
Besides that, AOL isn't so much a service provider, but a content provider. They're just the only one that supplies it's users with a dialup account.
So far as the $8 billion lawsuit goes... EVEN if it did go through, AOL/Time Warners got plenty of cash available to pay it in full. But most likely, they'll either settle for a fraction of it, or fight it and win.
So far as the gov't thing goes... I haven't read anything about them just welcoming the government into their offices with open arms. Maybe i'll check out apb and re-educate myself.
Why's that sad?
They're probably one of the biggest factors in the whole stock market boom... They get consumers online. Consumers buy stuff, or consumers view ads, Amazons and Yahoo's stock prices skyrocket. Other companies see this, and go public and also sky rocket. Venture capitalists give money to other interesting companies, feeling more confident about the whole computer age.
I'd even say in a round about way, Transmeta, among others, might never have gotten the financing they needed if it weren't for AOL shoving consumers on the internet.
Don't panic, it's pppoe, there's a cool
open source solution for linux at
http://www.davin.ottawa.on.ca/pppoe/.
For other solutions go to freshmeat.
If my cable company spent $100 million laying cables in my state so that I can have 1.5 MBit for $40/month, why should we (cable company and I) get penalized and have Joe company who spent $0 laying cable and other infrastructure have access to our bandwith?
Oh, it only hurts that big conglomerate company. They don't deserve their "cable monopoly"
It hurts all of us. With open access there the incentive to provide high bandwidth solutions to your doorstep drop to near zero.
Instead of attacking those wonderful cable and phone companies for providing us cable modems and DSL, we should be thanking them for freeing us from the world of 56.6
-Snoot
I take it then that you're a pro-labor camp Kommunist? Look, let me make it simpler for you - the pre-roasted pigs was the option you were supposed to choose. Jeezus, can't you people not even see your own self-interest (enlightened that is) when it's staring you in the face - BTW we Ayn Rand followers prefer to be known as Randroids.
No,no,no that's not the way that it works. See, the market takes care of it all - the FCC realizes this and doesn't want to upset the magic forces that result in wealth for everyone. Think about it, which do you want:
1. A land of the free market where companies give you machines to play on and pigs run around pre-roasted with forks sticking out of them and beer flows from natural springs
or
2. A nasty government regulated welfare state where everyone has to work in a labour camp?
Well, which is it?
For crying out loud, can't someone stop this shit?
I was with Earthlink and that was the only type of basic DSL service they offered, using PacBell's DSL lines and equipment of course. So I switched to PacBell to get a static IP. Earthlink was using some kind of "dial-up" DSL service and I didn't like that. I was lucky in that I got a static IP for the "basic" rate. If I am forced to switch when my year's contract expires then I will also be looking for another ISP and DSL option.
DSL, from what I gather is 'open access' to the Core, IE the system was designed from the ground up with inoperability in mind. I guess the difference is that it comes from an industry (telephone) that has had competition forced on them for a long time, and only acted as a blind carrier to begin with.
When you get a DSL line, all you get is access to a faster digital phone line, that you can connect to the ISP of your choice (usually the phone company, but it doesn't have to be). And that ISP is usually just an IP provider, as opposed to a 'content provider'
Aside from the fact that cable is a shared connection and can be slowed (and sniffed) a huge amount, Cable is something that comes from companies who have owned with an iron fist both the Wire, DataStream, and content.
I don't know why, but I'd personally rather have a direct DSL line, even if it were slower then having 'my eyeballs owned' by a cable company. But, that's just me.
This may be just me, but I've always seen Steve Case as somewhat of a wanker, he never looked like he should be up there with people like the SUN CEO (who's name I remember, but can't spell) or Even Bill gates. Just some used car salesman in a polo shirt. Oh well.
[ c h a d o k e r e ]
ReadThe ReflectionEngine, a cyberpunk style n
m010cd : "the devil is in all of you"
translastion : "the devil is in all of you, but not me."
see post for parody humor, and look hard.
+&x
nah, even software hoarders are free to use gpl software - the can modify it, share the source, etc - what they want, but can't have, is the right to distribute binaries without source. Your complaint is invalid - try reading the GPL some time.
Become a FSF associate member before the low #s are used
The sad part is that AOL is getting obscenely wealthy providing McInternet to the great unwashed masses...
IMHO, their merger (purchase?) of Time Warner was their way of insuring access--everything else was just a smokescreen.
----- Leghorn "Not responsible for program content"
Talk about an incentive to NOT upgrade. I've been using 4.6 since it came out, and I'm not upgrading to 4.7 out of laziness. But the options discussed in netscape six? Every last one of them are reasons for me NOT to upgrade. I LOATH AOLIM, and I'm not about to stand for advertising being integrated straight into my browser interface.
"The new policy means that Web sites can offer
visitors customized browser versions as a way to
draw and retain users and build brand loyalty. "
Uh... no? The only reason I use netscape is a graphical browser is a necessity for a large amount of web access, iCab sucks, and IE is... well, Microsoft. Sure, they'll be building brand loyalty with the sheeple out there who are dumb enough to dig that sort of thing....
With companies like AOL providing slow connections, shitty content, asinine service, and STILL somehow becoming number one due to the fact that their interface is so idiot friendly that it makes Mac users retch, it's no wonder the Linux community is as strong as it is.
Now, now! Didn't you read the article? AOL is still in favor of open access, they just feel the market can best make it happen. It's a complete coincidence that this happens a month after "they get theirs".
Seriously, I do believe that AOL will provide open access now. If you have a cable modem, you can choose from AOL version X or Roadrunner. Take your pick.
"We have both kinds of music here...Country _and_ Western." ---Blues Brothers
Much as the folks at our little dear software companies (VA, RedHat, etc.) are nice and civil about the whole ethics thing, people need to stop expecting civil behavior from large companies. It's the CEO's legal responsability to provide the maximum profit for the company's stockholders. Everything else comes second. Whether it be MSFT, AOL, or f'n Corel for that matter, everything a corporation does is motivated by profit alone. Stop pretending it's special news when one of them reneges on an idealogical crusade. We all know what's going on.
Wah!
First time i read that, I thought i saw BSD.
--
The shareholder is always right.
On the plus side, I'll feel like I've moved up a notch in life when I start throwing out AOL DVD demo discs instead of the AOL CD demo discs...
Have you heard word of the new DSL service that Pacific Bell is starting?
= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
No more static IP addressing. That, in of itself, would not be such a problem except that instead of just using standard DHCP...they force you to run a specialized "EnterNet" client.
In Windows, you basically have to install Dial-Up Networking or RAS and then "dial-up" to a VPN-type network with the PacBell client. Otherwise, the only thing you can access with the IP that the DHCP hands you is www.pacbell.net. PacBell also claims there is a Linux EnterNet client available, but I've only been able to find 95/98/NT so far. And I'm willing to bet that the Linux client is a closed binary.
God only knows why PacBell is moving to this system (which looks like a lot of work, customer support, slower access, and bugs) instead of standard DHCP. I would bet dollars to pesos it is so they can track usage, monitor for warez, and a host of wonderful other features.
As of December 17, you either have to accept this new dynamic system or pay $100 setup + $30/month for "enhanced" service with static IPs.
Feh. I can't believe I changed apartments so I could switch from my cable modem to this. Now I gotta try to find another apartment that has DSL service from Covad or someone else.
- JoeShmoe
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-- I wonder which will go down in history as the bigger failure: the War on Drugs or the War on Filesharing
Is it just me, or has there been a severe lack of moderation/moderators over the past 2-3 days? I've noticed a growing trend towards this, and even on this story, there's no evidence of (+) moderation at the point I write this. It seems they're checking for flamebait in the first 5 posts, and then leaving.
Pablo Nevares, "the freshmaker".
Pablo Nevares, "the freshmaker".
I'm only saying this because I've got my nose buried in 19th century history, but I still feel it's a valid point: AOL is acting exactly like the white settlers in the Wild West, circa 1850's and such. How, you ask? Well, AOL is doing exactly what the white settlers did to the Indians: they had a conflict, they made like they were going to do The Right Thing(tm), then they just dropped everything for a better opportunity.
For white settlers this meant ignoring all treaties with the Indians and just taking their land anyway. For AOL, this meant ignoring their campaign for open access and just bought a cable company instead.
If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em.
There's got to be some historical reason why the mediocre always come out on top, but I just can't think of it...
------------
"Okay, who taught the cat how to type ctrl alt delete?"
AOL's lack of concern for users has caused me to have to worry about the AOL stock I own. I was a Netscape stockholder startin around NN3 and I got the AOL stock through the merger. I wish AOL would not only allow people to dial up without their software, but would stop working so much with the federal government. APBOnline had a story about how law enforcement doesn't even really need a warrant to search AOL's network. Pretty scary stuff. Not to mention the fact that AOL could easily be crushed by the $8billion lawsuit against it. If that happens then this will all be irrelevent.
God, even 'Blondie' has a better plot each day.
Hey, I like Blondie. That Dagwood, boy can he eat! And sleep! And Mr. Dithers sure is grouchy! It makes me laugh just thinking about it!
It'll be interesting to see if AOL actually opens up their new cable lines (new to AOL) Although
I'm not counting on it.. Infact I'd go so far as to say that the same guys striving to pass the legislation just a couple weeks ago will be making strong efforts to supress any new bills that come up.
nt=no text
Source code for GPL'd programs is most certainly available to "people who don't want to make their source code available" -- they are included in "everyone". Name me one person on earth to whom the GNU Emacs source code is not available. Bill Gates doesn't want to make his source code available. Yet, the GNU Emacs source is still available to him. So name one person.
then shut the fuck up. the devil is in all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
got satan?
got satan??
...god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there
got satan???
....god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there
got satan??????
satan will 'alway' be in all of you!!
g0d is dead
satan loves you!
the devil is in all of you!
satan loves everybody, even dumbasses like you!
satan loves both cheeks!
the devil is in all of you!.
satan doesn't need jesus, dumbasses followers like you are worthless
the devil is in all of you!...
the devil is in all of you!....
satan will always be here to tell you how dumb jesus looks when his worshipper can't type
the devil is in all of you!.....
the devil is in all of you!.......
in hell, you can laugh at jesus all the time!
the devil is in all of you!.........
satan burns fools like you, isn't that what we all want?
i know that the devil lives in you, dumbass
the devil is in all of you!..........
why go to heaven when people like you will be there?
satan wants to see you burned in hell very much!
the devil is in all of you!..............
satan is the only one who can save us from jesus
satan has special plans for you: to be burned in hell for our pleasure
the devil is in all of you!..................
everyone wins with satan!
the devil is in all of you!.........................
don't worry, satan hates jazi too
the devil is in all of you!............................
the devil is in all of you!.......................................
the devil is in all of you! :)
satan hates jazi, and never in moderation!
the devil is in all of you!!
satan wants YOU for his demonic army!
the devil is in all of you!!!
satan never quits, he keeps on burning fools like you!
satan hates you, dumbass, that much is fact
the devil is in all of you!!!!
the devil is in all of you!!!!!!!!!
the devil is in all of you!!!!!!!
with satan, there's no reason to worry, he'll make sure people like you never live!
satan loves leeches because they suck blood from dumbasses like you!
luckily, satan does discriminate and is preparing the incinerator for you
satan feels everyone's pain: that's why he's going to burn you
satan thinks jesux looks a lot like jesus sux
jesus is dead: don't let anyone tell you otherwise
satan loves you
jesus is dead, so get on satan's team
jesus is dead, who needs him in your heart?
satan will burn aol users like jazi
god is dead and no one cares if thereis a hell i'll see you there
godis dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see youthere
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there (spelled jesus wrong dumbfuck)
god is dead and no one cares if there is a helli'll see you there
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there.
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there..
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there...
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there....
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there.....
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there.......
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there..........
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there............
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there...............
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there..................
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there....................
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there.....................
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there.........................
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there..............................
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there.................................
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there....................................
the devil is in all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!
the devil is in all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there........................................
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there..........................................
the devil is in all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there............................................
..god is dead and no one cares if there is a hell i'll see you there
Soon there's gonna be a super corporation ruling the world, and everything will be too late.
I see fusions everywhere.. but hopefully the absolute need of quality will return.
Big corporations makes richer less and less people, and the caveat between the rich and the poor is only going worse.
Big corporations also mean less and less innovation, less creativity. Bad. Very, very bad.
You should change the title of this article to:
AOL Begs for Government Intervention.
I just checked ATT and it will be at least a year before cable internet is available in my area. The same from PacBell. Oh well, life is easier in that amish kind of way at 26,400.
Whenever the comments are expounding predominantly anti-corporate rhetoric, I always am tempted to buy that companies stock. Sure it may contribute to the stifling of some consumers rights, but if it generally means the company has a commitment to it's shareholders. On the otherhand, the additional capital gains taxes go to such government programs as Echelon or other wonderful creations. That kind of makes me want to take a vow of poverty.
They have become The Blob (in 3d!) consuming everything in its path. Be afraid, be very afraid.
one better than mcleodeight
Well first of all this is good news. I work for Excite@Home so this is a boost to our morale and will hopefully improve our stock price. :)
My guess is that AOL will get acclimated with Time Warner and start to open up to keep with AT&T. By that time (2001, 2002) ATT will start letting in providers like Mindspring when Excite@Home's MSO partnerships are up in certain markets.
I think AT&T and Excite@Home are far ahead of AOL and the acquisition of Time Warner is just going to slow them down. I think it's ironic that they wanted open access so bad, then when we outmaneuvered them they got mad and bought a cable giant. Sure, there was a lot more to buying TW than open access, but it did play a large role. Watch out, AOL is the next "Microsoft" of the Internet.
Open access is bad mmmkay?
--
Poor Nazi GRITS petrified by Jesus!
--
fat lenny's gonna lick your brain today.
Well exactly. The shoe is on the other foot now. If AOL were to continue to push for open access, it might result in AOL/TW having to open its network to all comers. Makes sense to me.
What doesn't make any sense is the statement on 1/11 that they would remain committed to open access. Why even make a public statement like that if you're going to turn right around and drop out of the race? Stupidity, arrogance, didn't realize what he was saying, someone told him it would be a good idea before anyone really thought it through? Geez.
There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.
You're never bored with Jesus!
I KISS YOU !!!
Jesus loves all God's creatures!!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, nor do I work for any company or group involved with AOL.
Instead of a knee jerk reaction look at some of the other reasons AOL/TimeWarner should cut themselves loose from the proceedings.
1) Legal
If AOL were to push for open access legislation I am sure at least one of those competitors would try to claim if not counter sue on the fact that AOL could be (preceived as) using the law to harm competitors. See the MS case for how it was used against Netscape. Remeber that AOL is the company with market share, impeding competitors progress is bad. Being a leader and doing it is placing yourself into the realm of Anti Trust law.
2) Stock Holders
You can say what you will about capitalism, but AOL is responsible to its stockholders. How edgy would you as a stock holder be if you looked at the first option? Remeber you are concerned about your companies future. Along these lines comes the uncertainty of legislation. Until someone can sell shareholders on the concept of OpenAccess, it would be futile to try. Open Access will be an issue for shareholders in the future because eventually they will want to expand.
So what can AOL do?
a) Put some money into software projects that improve the Internet experience. Stuff like web browsers, instant messaging ect.
b) Support standards that keep things open for all. See browser, and IM RCF work
c) Support groups that are for open access, but do so at arms length otherwise you become liable to be attack as in 1)Legal. AOL looks like they are doing that. From the article, "AOL remains a member of OpenNET"
I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
docGui
I believe what you are speaking about PPPoE. I myself do not like it but my Telco has forced it on all of us Canadians in Ontario and Quebec. Check out these links.
l
Linux/BSD and links to OpenSource Clients here..
http://www.sympaticousers.org/faq/unix.htm
NTS's EnterNet FAQ's are here..
http://www.nts.com/support/FaqEnterNetLinux.htm
(In particular the Linux Roaring Penguin client comes highly recomended as a usermode implementation)
You know, the term "Open Access", in this context is such a misnomer on so many levels, it's frightening.
AOL loved to throw around this term, "Open Access", around in its quest to grab some cable bandwith to fill with its garbage content.
"Open Access".
Open. Is AOL open in ANY respect? No. Is the AOL source open? No. Is their infrastructure open? No. Hell, is their "forums" and "online communities" open? Not even close.
Access. Well, obvious jokes aside, access to AOL is pretty pitiful any way you look at it.
Yet, AOL comes up with this sick phrase and to think that ANYONE let them get away with it in the first place is what amazes me.
How about "open access" to the smaller ISP's who want to offer TCP/IP over the cable infrastructure? That's a hell of a lot closer to open access. Just my 2 cents.
Please, please visit my web site. I never get much traffic on weekends.
This isn't a problem with the merger, it makes sense. Now that AOL has what they wanted--open access to a cable company--their problems are solved.
What scares me more is that without AOL's support, the representatives don't care about the issue. Do we need someone to push a bill nowadays, or do politicians still have their own opinions?
I didn't think it had gotten this bad. Feel free to wail about how evil AOL is, but first wail about how evil lobbyists are, and wail more that politicians these days think they need them. I don't want the lobbyists telling the politicians what to think, I want the *people* telling them what to think. Are those days over?
---
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
Since when does a company advocating openness only when they stand to gain == antitrust violations.
AOL itself said that the lack of openness was an anti-trust issue. It is ALWAYS fair to apply a person's arguments to their own behaviour. The real test is to see if Time-Warner customers can request a new ISP now or if they remain stuck with what they've got. Perhaps AOL's aquisition of TW should be made contingent on opening access.
Can someone explain to me why stuff like this shouldn't be clear evidence to the FCC or trust-busters that there's a problem with this merger? This is the kind of behavior that should trigger an immediate response.
What's the point if it doesn't?
sigs are a waste of space
Was anyone _really_ surprised by this?
Now, if the FCC wanted to give Case the royal screwover, make equal access to cable channels the law. All those billions down the drain, when all he really wanted was exclusive access to all those cable modems.
> Since when does a company advocating openness only when they stand to gain == antitrust violations.
When AOL was advocating openness, they were warning that the the cable operators were going to have a monopoly. Now that they're a cable company, they've decided that maybe monopolies aren't so bad after all.
-- Don't Tase me, bro!
The storm clouds had been building around our bedroom for a while now, But I hadn't attempted to scatter them in fear that they would burst into rain instead. But the situation had progressed to the point that it could not be denied any longer.
Something was seriously wrong with our sex life.
My ably shaped wife lay on the bed next to me. I had only brought her to one, halting, orgasm tonight, or this week. She used to flood me with six or seven boundful orgasms a few years ago, but something had changed in the last few months, and not for the better. I gazed in her eyes and saw the trouble in them and knew she was thinking about the same thing. It had come time to broach the subject with her.
"Katie?" I cleared my throat, "What's happened over these last few months? It used to be that I could make you cum over and over again by licking you, and I know that my technique hasn't changed. Has something...affected the way you see me?"
And at that, she burst into tears, the first drops of water dropping to the sheets where she had laid gasping just minutes ago. I drew her to me and felt her warmth against me, her heart beating fast and her arms around me.
"I'm so sorry!" She sobbed..."It's not you...I swear...well, maybe in the strict emperical sense it is..but it isn't your fault!" She buried her head into my shoulder and I felt the warmth of her tears against my skin. "What is it then?" I probed. "You don't have to be afraid to tell me.."
"It's just.." She faltered, and looked down.
"Just.." I prompted
"Just....that we've run out of nasty things for you to call me while we're having sex." She started to sob again.
I sighed. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? It's nothing that a good thesarus and dictionary wouldn't solve. I know that Bitch and Whore and Cocksucker, and Dirty little slut now seem tame and dated and used up, but how about some of the more recent names that used to turn you on?"
"They don't work either." she sobbed louder. Her tears were falling freely now, the salt making my skin tingle.
"So skanky bitch eating all her shit doesn't work anymore?"
"No." She continued to sob.
"Charles Manson urine drinking crackwhore shitting all over the salad bar at wendys while getting fucked with a 10 inch fetus doesn't do a thing for you either?"
"Not a thing now." She buried herself deeper into my shoulder, her voice muffled by my skin.
"How about Sadam Hussain Cock-sucking whore and personal assasin who spent the last week fucking the unearthed skull of Mother Teresa while.."
"No! No! No! NONE of them work anymore!!" she wailed before collapsing into deep convulsing sobs, your hot tears rolling down my back. I sighed as I held her close to me, softly caressing up and down her back, trying to comfort her. Maybe this was going to be difficult to solve after all. The Mother Teresa Skull Fucker fantasy had been one of her favorites, almost certain to soak her panties right through no matter what mood she had been in before.
She came up for air, her eyes red from the effort of expending her tears. "Remember that fantasy about me being the one who gathered up all the monks and threw them into the gas chambers while saluting Adolf Hitler while sucking him off?" I nodded, softly caressing her hair. "And then I would jump into the chambers after they were all dead and I would roll around in their shit, and then sit on one of the dead monks with his cock in me, and break off another man's cock and fuck myself up the ass with it?" I nodded again and handed her a tissue to blow her nose.
"Remember how I came 10 times the first night that we talked about it? Just a few months ago?" I softly ran my fingers down her back again and said "Yes, I remember that. That's the night that you were so exhausted after you came that you fell asleep completely wrapped in all of the bed chains and wouldn't wake up no matter what I did. Took me hours to get you out of all of those chains without you helping me. But I assumed you didn't want to wake up that way in the morning."
"And I miss those nights so much!" She cried loudly. "I was having that same fantasy when you were licking me today. Searching through the fantasy to make myself even more of a dirty rotten evil little slut! And I could only come once! I'm doomed! I'm going to become a frigid little asexual bitch and it's all my fault!"
"And even that thought doesn't turn you on?" I asked. She thought for a moment and then cried "No! Not even THAT!!" and burst into tears again.
I shivered as I held her close. We were definately in big trouble. I looked around the room as I held her close to me, my gaze sweeping over her clothes thrown across the floor, the assortment of whips and chains and leather that she had special ordered which used to work magic on her, and her backpack which she took to her sysadmin job every day, full of source code and Dr Dobbs. Looking at the last item, an idea suddenly hit me.
"Katie, you know those big Linux and BSD servers at work?" I whispered. "Yes?" She murmered back, still softly sobbing. "Well, I know what an idiotic and evil slut like you is going to do tomorrow when you get to work." I said, adapting the tone of voice she liked me to have in these situations. I felt her body flush slightly with heat. "Hmmm...what?" You said with your own tone, looking up in my eyes. I continued, speaking very deliberately now, "You're going to go to every one of those perfectly optimized servers, and you're going to install WINDOWS on every one of them!"
Her entire body shivered deliciously as her eyes hazed over. "Hmmmmm" she purred, her hardening nipples starting to press against me, inviting my fingers to reach down and pinch them sharply. She drew in her breath swiftly as I continued. "And you're not going to give anyone any advanced warning. You're going to flip the power on each server without any advanced warning! You're not going to init 0! You're not even going to unmount the file systems! You're going to corrupt everyone's work, and you're going to LOVE doing it, because you're a completely idiotic evil slut! Isn't that right?"
"Oooohh...yess!" she moaned, her breathing growing fast now. She leaned back on the bed, her legs starting to shift uncomfortably as her wetness grew inside her. I felt my own hardness growing again as I kept talking to her, building the fantasy. "Think about the hundreds of thousands of dollars you're going to cost your company for a new architectural setup that's not even going to work! Think about all the engineers sitting in the office for hours, not getting any work done, all because of you! And you're going to love it because it's so deliciously evil!"
"Aaahhhhh...yyyeess..I'll fuck up everything for them! OOohh" you moaned as your fingers reached down to touch the wetness that was just beginning to appear between your lips. "Oohhh...I can see that large blue setup screen now..on that huge monitor on my desk! Ohhh!" Your fingers dipped deep into the wetness and your body arched off the bed as your fingers found your clit.
"Yes...that setup screen will be nice and blue, and the setup process will screw up your entire computer and you'll have to reinstall two more times to even get it to boot up! And then do you know what you'll be, you fucking cocksucking slut? You know what you'll be?" "Tell me...Ooohh..Tell me." She whispered, biting her beautiful lipstick red lips while her clit and fingers glistened with wetness and she parted her labia further. "You'll be a WINDOWS USER!" I yelled "Just another fucking idiotic WINDOWS USER!"
Her eyes dripped with arousal as she moaned "MMMmmmmAhhhhhh....Ooohh..yess...I'll be just anoother fucking idiot". Her fingers started rapidly rubbing her clit, the wetness making a lovely sound as it covered her clit. My penis was now rock hard from the smell of her arousal filling the room, and she licked her lips at the sight of it.
"On your front, you fucking WINDOWS USER slut!" I commanded as she rolled over and lifted up enough for her hands to reach under her body and continue rubbing her clit, while her buttocks wiggled high in the air. "You know you're a naughty Windows user, you slut! You know what happens to naughty people who decide to use windows?" I growled playfully. "Oooohh..tell..me" she moaned loudly, her fingers finding that rhythm on her clit again.
My hand hit her buttocks hard in response. She moaned loudly in pleasure and rubbed even faster. "THIS is what happens to naughty idiots who become WINDOWS USERS! They must be PUNISHED! They must be reformed so they don't keep their users in complete misery!" I spanked her again and again, her breathing becoming faster as she thrusted against her fingers. I could sense that her orgasm was already starting to rise inside her. "Oooohhh...I'll have to be reformed...I'll have to discover the power of debian once again!"
I sighed as I stopped spanking her briefly. I knew I was going to sound like an idiot for this, but I had to make sure. "Are you sure that you wanted to use the word debian?" I asked in my regular tone. "Huh?" She looked back at me, rather confused. "Debian is our safe-word, remember?" I reminded her. "D'OH! I had forgotten that..well, I just won't use it in this fantasy then." she sheepishly replied.
"Good!" I growled, back in my demeaning tone, "Cause idiots like you don't DESERVE to use good distros." and I started spanking again. She moaned and resumed her rubbing. After a few more contacts with my hands, her buttocks were bright red and her lips were becoming that way as well. "And windows is all closed source, you slut! You know what happens when you use closed source?"
"OooohhAhhh..The same evil bugs stay in it?" she gasped back, her orgasm quickly approaching. "More then that, there are huge security holes that stay in there for YEARS..and then somebody finds one of those holes, and they fuck you! Just like this!" I plunged two fingers deep inside her soaking hole and felt her moan and grip me tightly. "But you know that you raped this way, and you LIKE it. Because you know that you DESERVE IT! Because you're a FUCKING IDIOTIC SLUT!"
"YES!!! Ooohhh Yesss Ahhhhh I DO!" she almost screamed as she thrust back hard against my fingers deep inside her and began to pulse. Her orgasm was only seconds away as her wetness flooded around me and her fingers became a blur on her clit. Her breathing becamer uncontrolled as her body flushed and she spasmed hard against my thrusting fingers. Then she clenched down on my fingers even harder as she gave the moans announcing her orgasm, and then her body contracted hard around my fingers again and again before finally returning to pulsing.
Her head turned as she came down from her orgasm and she saw my hard coch, ready to burst from the sight of her orgasm. She moaned loudly "I must be cured of my ignorance and stupidity. I must be filled with the power of open source! I must be filled with it fast and hard! Fill me!" I didn't need any more encouragement. "Yes, I'll fill you with open source, you dirty little slut!" I yelled and smacked her buttocks one more time before entering her from behind.
I could already feel her body building up to another orgasm as I entered her doggie style and started thrusting fast and hard into her, and that was good for me because I knew I couldn't last much longer myself. My fingers reached down to thake the place of hers on her clit as she reached up and tweaked and pulled on her nipples as each thrust into her caused her breasts to jiggle and shake. The air filled with our moans and groans and her moaning "MMmmmmm..that feels so Fucking GOOD! AHhhhh!" and I knew that I didn't have to say anything more until I came..that she had a good picture of the fantasy in her own mind.
I felt her expert muscles caressing and milking me with every thrust, and I just couldn't hold back any longer, and neither could she. I felt my muscles tighten and my penis throbbing. "I'm going to fill you with the source now! You ready now, slut?" I whispered into her ears. "Oooohhh...godddd..yeesss....fill me!" she moaned loudly as I felt the first explosions hit me. "MMmmmMmmmmmmMMMAAAHHHH!" She moaned as she felt my penis pulse inside her with every explosion and she felt her own orgasm hit, even harder then the first orgasm..leaving her shivering in rapture even when she returned to pulsing. Then we both collapsed to the sheets once again.
She turned over to face me and whispered "Debian". I took her back into my arms to cuddle her tenderly, and this time happily. She looked up into my eyes, her face filling my entire view at such short distance, her mouth so close that I could feel her breath on me. "I love you." It whispered softly. "I love you too" I whispered back before leaning down and softly kissing her lips. She sighed in contentment as I cradled her in my arms and she drifted off to sleep. I lay there feeling content and greatly relieved. After all, there were almost infinate ways to alter this fantasy, so it should work for her for years to come. I smiled as I drifted off to sleep as well.
(end)
RMS: Source code should be available to everyone.
:-)
Translation: Source code should be available to everyone.
RMS himself would tell you that the source code is not enough. He would say "freedom" implying an absence of restrictions on people's freedom to modify the source as they see fit.
Of course, that doesn't change the point you were making - RMS has stuck to that point longer than I have been alive
--
grappler
Vidi, Vici, Veni
Bill Gates: Microsoft should be allowed to innovate
Translation: Microsoft should be allowed to take over the world.
Microsoft: Where do you want to go today?
Translation: How would you like us to fsck you up the ass today?
Linus Torvalds: I was bit by a penguin.
Translation: I was tripping on LSD at the time.
:)
My journal has hot
I put a copy of atlas shrugged by the toilet.
I read it on the toilet every day.
I tore off each page as I read it.
I wiped my butt with the torn pages.
Here is my review of the book for you all.
It was rough and scratchy.
War is necrophilia.
Anyone else notice that AOL is buying Time Warner who are one of the people pushing the MPAA down our throats .....
This whole push for open access seems like a waste of time. The bottom line is that 90% of one's cable bill pays for the physical lines, the backend hardware, and the bandwidth to the rest of the Internet. If my cable company was forced to participate in open access and my bill suddenly said that I owed my monthly cable modem fee to AOL, AOL would in return have to pay the cable company, whomever controls the hardware at the backend, and then pay the company that supplies the bandwidth to the cable system.
Roadrunner and @Home basically rents the physical lines from the cable company and provides billing and the backend hardware. If AOL wanted to be involved with this aspect of the service, it would require a significant investment that wouldn't seem practical. The service AOL could directly provide is the small portion of your bill that pays for mail and news service.
Sig goes here
Since when does a company advocating openness only when they stand to gain == antitrust violations. Everyone has been hypocritical on the open standards issue for years now and nobody can seriously claim that Sun or HP has a monopoly of anything. Name me one major player in the computer industry (other than the FSF) that hasn't constantly shifted its position on open standards and free competition. Let me provide a translator for you:
Scott McNeally: We need an open and competitive marketplace.
Translation: I want to be Bill Gates.
Larry Ellison: It's wrong for a company to monopolze standards and leverage its marketshare.
Translation: It's wrong for Microsoft to leverage its market share, but when we do it, it's OK.
Steve Case: What we need is an environment where no company has an unfair advantage.
Translation: What we need is an environment where only AOL has an unfair advantage.
RMS: Source code should be available to everyone.
Translation: Source code should be available to everyone.
I hope that clears things up for you.
--Shoeboy