From: [t--na--s] at [interaccess.com] (Timothy Toner)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc,rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks,rec.arts.comics.dc.universe,rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe,rec.arts.comics.alternative,rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh,rec.arts.comics.vertigo
Subject: Re: tyg treatise #4: Good-bye
Date: 25 Mar 1996 17:46:56 -0600

Hum.  I knew about the "death of the Internet" long long ago, and I'm very 
much a part of the reason why it died.  Oh, it's not going away, as tyg 
clearly states, but rather it's transforming into something wholly 
unrecognizable to those who first washed ashore on this green and pleasant
land.  To a large degree, people like tyg, Maddox, etc. were the pioneers, 
blazing trails and dealing with the natives.  They took the risks and 
wasted the time, just so us ungrateful asses could get binaries of 
Cindy Crawford's head on Oprah Winfrey's body.  They had dreams, but those
dreams were compromised by reality, a reality dictated, as always, by the
fool and not the sage.  So now they're going off to dimmer vistas, where 
the risks are less, having consumed so much of their useful energy in a 
an uncontrolled burn.  And in truth, they're leaving a community better 
left in the dust.  When they first came, Usenet held infinite promises.
It was readily malleable, and survival was dictated by learning its laws 
fast.  If you were an asshole, then everyone would just killfile you, 
and route around the damage.  If you didn't play, you didn't play.

        And then came people like me.  People who loved the concept, but 
didn't give two shits about learning perl and whatnot.  We were bright and 
imaginative, and we wanted it all spoonfed to us.  But it was a facade, 
because all our bright dreams had no substance, no hard coding experience,
no infinite patience that a 400 baud modem can instill.  We took the 
fruits of the pioneer's labors, and built saloons and whorehouses, trying 
to emulate the hidden world "out there" with one far from prying eyes.
The less people learned how to use a killfile, the more tolerant of 
the assholes we became.  Eventually we were invaded by huge commercial 
providers who had Terms of Service to hold you back _inside,_ but 
nary a killfile to keep you in line outside.  So with 10 free hours, 
they began the erosion and the creation of something new.  Not better, 
and perhaps not worse...just new.

        So now we're at the current state.  As bandwith grows, more and 
more people will rush online, craving moderation of some sort, as 
protection from the assholes who stalk the Net.  We'll need the insight 
of the pioneers, and like the pilgrims headed for Plymouth, we'll bring 
the journals of John Smith for insight.  Although we could invite the good 
captain along for the ride, he's too expensive, and frankly he's not one 
of us.  And like the pilgrims, we'll suffer for it.  Terribly.  But someone 
will keep her head, and keep the signal flowing.

        Tyg, I won't miss you.  I can imagine that your taste in comics and 
mine diverged a decade ago.  Most of your on-topic posts, your ability to
call up invaluable bits of Silver Age trivia have held no interest for me.
That's of course _my_ loss.  And as I've said in the past, your impassioned
defense against OM is pointless.  He won't go away, and you won't win.
But drawing back to the original analogy, this conflict was inevitable.
You're two mountain men fighting over a dispute decades old that the people 
in town frankly don't give a damn about, but it's not their concern, right?
I will miss a sense of wonder you brought to the newsgroup, often lost in
your tone.  You're an icon of a simpler time, and you deserve a break.
But this is a brave new world, and our dreams are made of sterner stuff.
So much our loss.

"All evil requires for total victory is for men of good character to do 
_nothing._" 
-- 
Timothy Toner  ------  School Librarian  ------  thanatos @interaccess.com


                                Revenimus, MF!