From: "Enda Brophy" <enda_b-AT-email.com>
Date: Mon, 04 Mar 2002 11:50:39 -0500
Subject: Re: AUT: enclosure of geocities, the alternate root server option


Dave and all-

One of the most interesting facets of the 
current struggle over the structuring of 
cyberspace has been the emergence, 
since roughly 1994, of alternate root 
servers.  as many of you probably know, the 
Internet domain name system is structured 
in a hierarchical fashion.  In order for 
information to find a destination on the 
network, your computer uses what is in 
essence the Internet's official phone book.  
Located in Herndon, Virginia, it is most 
often referred to as the "root" server, and is 
operated (in a most post-Fordist regulatory 
move) by a private company (Network 
Solutions, now owned by Verisign).

What the overwhelming majority of Internet 
users *don't* know is that, in a 
phenomenon laden with significance for 
the perspective of autonomy, individuals 
and groups have been creating territory 
outside of the officially mapped internet for 
verging on a decade now.  most browsers 
are configured to automatically get their 
data from the official root server, but a small 
tweak and you can point yours to another, 
unsanctioned map of the Internet.  as a 
result, operators of these alternative root 
servers are offering all sorts of other 
top-level domains.  my favourite is .indy, run 
by OpenNIC  at: 
http://www.OpenNIC.unrated.net/

you may even be able to register a site for 
free from these people.  the catch is that 
people who aren't aware of this alternative 
Internet won't be able to log on to your site.  
but I thought I'd bring up the alternate root 
servers because of both their relevance to 
the kind of perspective that is discussed on 
this list and due to the fact that the more 
people that know about them and the more 
powerful an antagonistic force they 
become.  any discussion of these issues 
would be welcome, as I spend far too much  
time thinking about them solo.

anyway, where does this leave you and your 
website dilemma?  not sure.  the free 
offering of domain space by media giants 
has catches, and this will only increase as 
they try and extract more and more surplus 
value from the usage of their server space.

another solution could be to look for some 
kind of local organization that offers space 
within its second-level domain.  here in 
Ottawa for example, flora.org offers space 
on their servers to local activist 
organizations and the concerns they 
address.  So the Ottawa Vegetarian Society 
is hosted at http://www.flora.org/ovs/.

anyway, another solution, if you don't want 
to take the more radical one of alternate 
root servers, would be to find or create a 
space such as this that creatively uses the 
openness that the original creators of the 
domain name system structured into the 
network (and which is now being 
threatened by capital's attempt to subsume 
cyberspace.)  I know that among the new 
officially sanctioned top-level domains 
there's a .coop, but you'd have to check 
what the qualifications are to register.  

anyway, got to be going now, but I'd love to 
hear thoughts on all of this and would be 
happy to provide more information and 
analysis where necessary.

enda


-----Original Message-----
From: dave graham 
<davgraham-AT-hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 04 Mar 2002 08:21:00 +0000
To: aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
Subject: Re: AUT: enclosure of geocities


> 
> 
> Hi all
> 
> This could be a general move as the hot 
money that backed these companies is 
> now pulling out or seeking real 
shareholder value.
> 
> Altavista is doing the same and no longer 
even offers free e-mail.
> 
> How long before Bill's front does the 
same?
> 
> I can only ask if maybe we could run an 
area on a co-op /cover costs basis?
> 
> Gra
> 
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: bobandsally 
<bobandsally-AT-ntlworld.com>
> Reply-To: 
aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> To: aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
> Subject: Re: AUT: enclosure of geocities
> Date: Sun, 03 Mar 2002 18:25:45 +0000
> 
> I've had just the same problem with the 
Subversion site.  Don't know what
> to do about it yet.  Any suggestions?
> Bob
> At 19:59 01/03/02 +0000, you wrote:
> 
> >One of the effects of the downturn in 
IT/new media/etc is that
> >Yahoo! are trying to make their business 
generate more money
> >more quickly. They had to drop their plan 
to move into porn
> >almost as soon as they announced it 
due to the 'public outcry',
> >but are trying various other means. 
Previoulsy Yahoo! gave away
> >free webspace, on the basis that they 
could sell advertising.
> >But website advertising has been 
shown to be ineffective, and in
> >any case, spending on advertising has 
decreased in general in
> >the current economic climate.
> >
> >Its been a long time coming but Yahoo! 
are now trying to force
> >money out of people with free geocities 
websites. eg me. I got a
> >mail last week saying that the 
antagonism site had been
> >temporarily shut down as it had 
exceeded its 2 gigabit per month
> >bandwidth allowance (as if!), and this 
week they have removed
> >FTP access and, like wanna be 
gangstas, are now offering to sell
> >it back at a price. One major provider, 
'another.com' has
> >already simply started to charge for a 
previously free web mail
> >service.
> >
> >So two questions.
> >
> >1 Has there been any comeback to 
Yahoo! about this? Eg protests
> >of some sort or anything. (I doubt it but...)
> >
> >2 Are there any places still offering free 
webspace that are
> >likely to remain doing so and provide a 
good enough service to
> >make it worth the hassle of moving?
> >
> >If you're looking for free webspace or 
free webmail, yahoo! is
> >probably no longer a good place to look 
for.
> >
> >steve
> >
> >ps. Ignore the Yahoo! advertising that 
the gits apend to all my
> >mails.
> >
> >
> >====> >Antagonism
> >web: 
http://www.geocities.com/antagonism1
> >email: antagonism1-AT-yahoo.com
> >mail: Antagonism, BM Makhno, London 
WC1N 3XX, UK
> >
> 
>_________________________________
_________________
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page
> >from News and Sport to Email and 
Music Charts
> >http://uk.my.yahoo.com
> >
> >
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