[Air-l] re:Response to Thomas Koenig - Part I

[Dan L Burk]

On 25 May 2004, ET wrote:

> You jest, surely :-)
>
> I go to the library, pick up a book off the shelf and browse - taking 
> mental notes.
> I go to USENET, open a ng and browse - taking mental notes.
> I have achieved the same result.

Yes, but when you opened the newsgroup and began browsing, you created
dozens of copies -- on intermediate servers, possibly in your ISP's cache,
probably in your own buffer or cache, certainly in your desktop RAM.  Also
additional copies if you are using a modem.

This is not the case for the book.

> I go to the library, pick up a book off the shelf and write down some
notes.
> I go to USENET, open an ng and write down some notes.
> I have achieved the same result.

While creating dozens of electronic copies in one case, and not in the
other.
 
> I go to the library, pick up a book off the shelf and photocopy some
pages.
> I go to USENET, open an ng and save a few pages.
> I have achieved the same result.

Creating dozens of electronic copies in one case, and some paper copies in
the other.

> It is exactly the same thing - but if you dont want to see that,
> then its fine by me.

You appear to have a very unusual definition of "exactly the same."  You
may want to think more carefully about the operational differences of the
technologies you are using.  


Dan L. Burk
Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly Professor
University of Minnesota Law School
229 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
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