Richard Menedetter wrote to James Digriz:
RM> Hi James!
RM> 
RM> 04 Apr 2018 17:11, from James Digriz -> All:
RM> 
RM>  JD> Since I've just gotten back into BBS'ing and Fidonet, I thought I'd
RM>  JD> get some perspectives from folks on analog modems, the PSTN,
RM>  JD> and dial-up BBS'ing.
RM> 
RM> From my point of view analog modems, PSTN and BBSes are completely 
RM> irrelevant nowadays.
RM> There seem to be some people who, for whatever reason, still have BBSes, 
RM> but all that I know use IP communication like SSH or (jikes :( ) telnet.
RM> 
RM> CU, Ricsi
RM> 
RM> --- GoldED+/LNX
RM>  * Origin: Dogs come when you call. Cats have answering machines. 
RM> (2:310/31)
RM> 

Hi Richard. Yes, it seems irrelevant, yes. Maybe not to a 711 user, or 
somebody
 maintaining a network of field data sensors, legacy alarm systems, etc, but 
to
 most people, it probably is. And I guess that's my real concern. I'm just
suspicious of monocultures. Much has been made in recent years of the possible
effects of a natural or man-made EMP event for instance. Fiber is less
vulnerable there, but then it doesn't run off batteries, either. More to the
point, 
in my opinion, there need to be infrastructure alternatives to the Panopticon. 
Even the NSA agrees. Or it did in 2003, anyway. Perhaps it was pre-Patriot 
Act,
 pre-Cheney et al. inertia, or not, but a significant part of V.150.1 
addressed
 the need for *secure* communications, apparently at the US DoD's behest.      
         

    Greetings, James Digriz
    email: jbdigriz@bbs.dragonsweb.org

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