February 16, 2001
O'Reilly Network: P2P Smuggled In Under Cover of Darkness.
Clay Shirky. Just as workers took control of computing 20 years ago by smuggling PCs into businesses behind the backs of the people running the mainframes, workers are now taking control of networking by downloading P2P applications under the noses of the IT department.
Inside: Napster and Bertelsmann Finally Reveal Blueprint for New Version of File-Swapping Service.
Charles C. Mann. But the new Napster -- call it Napster II -- will use a proprietary form of digital-rights management to impose limitations on what members do with the files once they download them from other Napster members. The changes may occur as early as June...
Washington Post: Hill Takes Notice of Napster Legal Fray.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin G. Hatch said the music industry has failed to deliver a marketplace alternative to Napster... Hatch warned that some in Congress may attempt to remedy the situation by stripping the music industry of some of its Internet copyright privileges.
ZDNN: Domain database sale--marketers delight, privacy nightmare?
Since the dawn of commerce on the Web, companies that want their own dot-com addresses have registered with Network Solutions. Now Network Solutions is selling that information. "On your mark, get set, go!" gushes a recent advertisement in a newsletter for direct marketers.
Internet World: Should Whois Be Public?
The domain business is unique in that a customer list with personally identifiable information is required to be posted for all to see. Register a domain name, and your contact information will be accessible to the world in the form of a searchable Whois database.
Online Journalism Review: The New Yorker's Sad Arrival On the Web.
Expectations of NewYorker.com arriving in the distant future - best illustrated by parody sites at Feed and Modern Humorist - have been ruined by this week's untimely arrival of the official Condé Nast NewYorker.com. In keeping with the failure standards of Web publishing, it is a disappointment.
FEED Magazine: Stories on a Rail.
Steven Johnson. Games have complexified tremendously in recent years: You didn't need twenty pages to explain the PacMan system, but two hundred pages barely does justice to an expanding universe like Myth II or Ultima. But that complexity can also be crushingly annoying.
TechWeb: Web Developers: Upgrade Or Get Left Behind.
A coalition of developers issued a call on Friday for Internet users to upgrade their browsers if they want to make the most of the Web. WaSP does not promote one browser over another, just the latest upgrade to any browser that supports standards.
digitalMASS: Monster.com starts online ads that roam the screen.
In a claimed first, Maynard-based Monster.com has unveiled a new form of online advertising called 'Shoshkeles.' Developed by United Virtualities, a New York-based software company, a 'Shoshkele' roams around around the screen inviting users to click.
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