Ah, the ‘do it again, only HARDER’ fallacy espoused by so many pro-regulation types. I still wonder why people assume that something will be good if you sprinkle the magic pixie dust of government on it.
– ‘Toastrider‘, discussing ‘Net Neutrality’
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Samizdata quote of the dayFebruary 5th, 2015 |
 12 comments to Samizdata quote of the day |
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There are a few comments along the line of “I am a free market guy usually, but in this case….” Classic. When you think you know that really is when you should start wondering whether you don’t.
There is a natural human belief that if something is good, then more of the same is better. That is why people over-eat. Excess of anything is the normal human belief.
So we don’t have a mystery here, just another failed belief.
Wheeler’s anecdote is a bit bizarre, too. It’s true that modem-over-phone line service is open in the sense that the phone service provider doesn’t control it, whereas a cable-modem service is closed in the sense that the service provider does control it. But I doubt that explains the difference in success between NABU and AOL. The fact that access to AOL was free and NABU wasn’t would have made a heck of a lot more difference, at that time. The relative success of cable modem service since also argues against his thesis. And Wheeler’s lack of objectivity (or honesty) about his failure probably sheds a little light on it, too.
In the 1990s we were ADAMANT that the governments keep their stinking hands off the internet.
Now the chattering classes are BEGGING them to regulate it.
Cable modems have succeeded because they carried both TV and internet, and the TELEPHONE COMPANIES WERE HEAVILY REGULATED.
The right thing to do in this case would have been to significantly *de-regulate* the phone companies.
Idiots. Stupid F*king idiots.
Im sure any regulation brought in will be purely beneficial to the users of the net.
There is no possible downside to government regulation
Anyone who disagrees is a Commie mutant traitor and deserves to be vaporised.
The computer is my friend, serve the computer..
/Sorry old Paranoia flashback there.
ALL governments hate the internet and want it brought to heel.
“ALL governments hate the internet and want it brought to heel.”
Yes, precisely that.
Yes Perry – and the number of “techie” people who are in favour of government regulation of the internet is especially depressing.
It reminds me of George Orwell (himself a socialist) who complained that when other socialists said “under socialism” they really meant “everyone else under socialism – and me on top if it”.
The techie types think government regulation will put them in charge – so they can do lots of good, and not have to worry about grubby businessmen obsessed with money……
They are fools – they are fools with wonderful technical skills, but they are still fools.
Paul, you have hit the nail on the head. Read comments on TechDirt regarding this subject, and you will find tech people literally saying that a company failing to provide an unprofitable service is a criminal act.
Count me as a “techie” (of 30+ years in IT)* who does _not_ believe the government can contribute anything meaningful to the interwebs.
It reminds me of George Orwell (himself a socialist) who complained that when other socialists said “under socialism” they really meant “everyone else under socialism – and me on top if it”.
In the technical world this is so true of System Administrators, many of whom make it a mission in life to restrict regular users of the system to the nth degree, whilst giving themselves free and unaudited reign, they are able to turn off the telescreens everyone else has to use. See The Register BOFH, they did actually exist at one point in time.
The government is just another user like the rest of us, and it wants to play SA for a change, despite being the least qualified to do so.
* techie _and_ one time Paranoia player.
Happiness is mandatory, Balspune.
— –Signed,
Dolores Umbrage
RB – good comment.