Worm bait?

[jkinz at kinz.org (Jeff Kinz)]

On Wed, Aug 20, 2003 at 10:07:18AM -0400, Derek Martin wrote:
> On Wed, Aug 20, 2003 at 08:38:58AM -0400, Jerry Feldman wrote:
> > This is very true. BTW: Dvorak (on PC Mag) is making a proposal that all
> > PCs be licensed:
> > http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1224343,00.asp
> > 
> > Personally, I think Dvorak is an idiot, but he makes a good case for it.
> 
> I agree that Dvorak is an idiot, but that's as far as I'll go...  He
> compares licensing PC users to licensing automobile drivers, and I
> think that's a good analogy.  Most people start using computers as
> teenagers (or earlier, these days), much as with cars.  How many
> teenagers pick up a copy of the rules of the road, learn them for the
> written permit test, and then forget everything they learned five
> minutes after they pass it?  How many actually FAIL the test, maybe
> even multiple times, because they can't be bothered to look at the
> book?
> Licensing computer users will be no different, and will solve nothing.
> The average person will do the bare minimum required for them to pass
> the test, and then not give it another thought.

Derek, as usual, makes very good points.   How about a proposal to add
a requirement that every person who gets a license having to post a bond
of some specific monetary value which will be paid out in the event that
they either spam or do not secure their system against malware.  :-)
(Impractical and unlikely, I know, but I can dream can't I? :-) )

-- 
Jeff Kinz, Open-PC, Emergent Research,  Hudson, MA.  jkinz at kinz.org
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