RE: [Netstumbler] Browse Networks

["Scott Peterson" <scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm sorry, but ANY legislation, even if it forced manufacturers to act
more responsibly, would be bad.  Even though laws are created to protect
people, they also do a fine job of HURTING people.

Scenario:  Linksys/Cisco is now forced by federal law to enable
encryption on all access points sold.  Obviously every AP needs a unique
key.  Just the implementation of this will cause the price of their
802.11 equipment to rise.  Fast forward to Joe Dell, who has no
experience whatsoever in dealing with ANY type of networking, who buys
an AP for is home.  DOH!  Joe threw out the little slip of paper that
had his unique WEP key on it.  Now Joe has to call Linksys tech support.
Linksys had to add even MORE warm bodies to their call desk to deal with
the deluge of Joe Dells, thus tripling the amount of money spent on
salaries for help desk monkeys.  Prices continue to increase and
Linksys's profit margin shrinks.  Stockholders, of course, demand
greater profits.  Linksys then contracts a firm in India to deal with
technical support.  Help desk monkeys in California lose their jobs.  So
what are we left with?

Joe Dell is unable to understand the simple instructions to fix his
overpriced AP which is essentially a brick because the accent of the
person on the other end of the phone line is much too thick....

...all because you couldn’t keep off your neighbors goddamned AP, and
the federal government had to enact new legislation to prevent you from
doing so.

Seems to me the easiest way to deal with this problem is to keep the
hell of other people's networks unless you are absolutely certain it's
OK.

-Mr. White 

---

Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.491 / Virus Database: 290 - Release Date: 6/18/2003