Re: Standard

Joseph Whitmore (whitmore@worldnet.att.net)
Sat, 30 Nov 1996 23:15:08 -0800

> >On Tue, 26 Nov 1996 23:53:56 -0800
> >From: Joseph Whitmore <whitmore@worldnet.att.net> scribes:
> >Subject: Standard
> > I've been following the robots mailing list since October and given the
> > current thread, I support HipCrime's position 100%. The robot exclusion
> > standard, while a nice gesture, seems to be a waste of time. The way I
> > see it, robots.txt is a convenience for the robot, not a method to
> > restrict its access. Speaking as a user, I really don't care what burden
> > I place on a distant server as long as I acquire the information I want.
> > Even if "Obey Robot Exclusion" was an option on the agent, I wouldn't use
> > it. And why should I? What is the penalty for not obeying? Perhaps
> > this list needs to refocus on positive/negative reinforcement as the
> > solution. (People comply with the speed limit only because they risk
> > expensive tickets.)
>
> From: "John D. Pritchard" <jdp@cs.columbia.edu>
> oh, it's so genet of you to be so open with your sadism. was it good for
> you?
> </FLAME>
>
> but i guess if you knew what you were talking about you would have known
> the difference between a tcp problem and an http problem.
>
> </FLAME>
>
> -john

I think "sadism" is a bit strong, but then again, I do live and work in
Washington, DC. I prefer the term pragmatist. In any case, I do appreciate
you notating your flames John, since I might have missed the subtlety.
Regarding the distinction between tcp and http: well, once again thank you.
I didn't realize there was only one flavor of robot, namely those that obey
RES.

In keeping with the car analogy, RES does not provide any protection against
drunk drivers (17,500 killed annually in the US according to the Illinois
State Police) -- it's more like "driving defensively" or perhaps, just being
courteous to other drivers. Unfortunately, I can't rely on courtesy.

I'm glad John lives in a world where propriety is the rule (please, no-one
burst his bubble). Others have to be pragmatic.

--Joe

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