[governance] Another Immovable Legal Object Meeting An Irresistable Internet Force (this time it ain't Taipei...

[Roland Perry]

In message <4E4CD615.9090301 at digsys.bg>, at 12:06:29 on Thu, 18 Aug 
2011, Daniel Kalchev <daniel at digsys.bg> writes
>I do not expect you have ever heard of most of what I have witnessed. 
>There are no doubt others, with different experiences.

I've travelled the world, with modem, for the past 25 years, and the 
most difficult obstacle is finding the right connector (I have a bag 
full of them). For the record, I don't regard that trivial issue as a 
huge drawback, any more than different shaped (and voltage) power 
outlets.

>Still, the phone network was pretty much different everywhere.
>The end-user had absolutely no choice.
>
>Not so with Internet.

The Internet is very different, there's already at least four different 
wifi standards to cope with, and more different cable-modem 
configurations than I can count (which is why you don't tend to get that 
functionality built into a PC where it would be a tenth of the cost).

Therefore equipment is far less standardised (even if people often build 
in backwards compatibility for things like wifi).

>> >You remember the e-mail "standard", X.400.
>>
>> Yes, but that's neither a telephone nor the Internet.
>
>Yes, but it was product of the ITU.

If an organisation produces very many standards, it's hardly surprising 
that some don't reach world domination. Is the demise of Gofer an 
indication that the Internet is poorly designed?

>Everyone should be thankful ITU does not govern the Internet!

I've never suggested they should.

ps And what is "The Internet" In this conversation it's not the content 
people see through their browsers, but the mass of largely 
telco-operated telco-standard connections which transport the traffic.
-- 
Roland Perry
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