121 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
121 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
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Computer Networks and Anarchy
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Communication using computers is possible because information may
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be transferred between two computers using a variety of methods:
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a physical wire, the telephone, or even radio waves. To get from
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a computer in Glasgow to one in California, a message is sent
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from one computer to another, then to a third, and so on, until
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it reaches its destination (to cross the Atlantic Ocean, two
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computers communicate via a satellite, or possibly a fibre optic
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cable). The next time the computer at the destination is used,
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the message from Glasgow is waiting and can be saved on the
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computer's disk, printed out, or a reply sent.
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These "networks" of computers have proliferated in the past
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twenty years; many of them are connected to form the biggest
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network, called the Internet. The Internet connects at least ten
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million people around the world. The growth and operation of
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these networks act as one of the most significant examples of a
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functioning anarchy. There is no centralised control; you join
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the network by cooperating with the nearest computer site already
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on it, which will forward all messages for you. Although
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governments sponsor and indirectly run the parts of the Internet
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which transfer a high volume of information, many networks are
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completely independent. For instance, Fidonet is a worldwide
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network of home computers run by computer hobbyists, and the
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European Counter Network is a network of activists in Europe.
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One of the most popular ways to use the networks is to send
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messages to a particular person or organisation; this is called
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"electronic mail". An important point is that it costs no more
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than a phone call to the nearest computer to do this, even though
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the message could be destined for California. Also, the message
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is sent after you have finished typing it, typically at a rate of
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page a second, so slow typing doesn't cost you more. On the
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Internet, such a message could take as little as half an hour to
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reach California, allowing a reply within an hour. The message
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could contain an article from a magazine produced by computer,
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which could be printed out and distributed locally. There is
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great potential for keeping in touch and working together. Many
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organisations can be contacted by electronic mail: the IWW, WSA,
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Love and Rage, the Autonome Forum, Infoshops, the Anarchist
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Communist Federation, the German FAU, the SAC, and anarchists in
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the U.S.A., Europe, Russia, Japan and elsewhere.
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Users of the computer networks maintain a strong tradition of the
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free exchange of information. This can be traced to links
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between the counterculture and those involved in the early
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development of computers. There is a vast amount of information
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available on a wide range of subjects - not only concerned with
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computers. Much of this is generated by discussion groups
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centred around "Bulletin Board Systems", or BBSes. With BBSes,
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anyone who wishes can join a discussion group by sending messages
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to a specific computer which sends the message to everyone else,
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thus simulating a real discussion. The Internet currently has
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several discussion groups on anarchism, anarchosyndicalism and
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anarchist activism.
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The information available is stored on particular computers'
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disks and can be accessed by several methods. Nowadays, text,
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pictures and even sound can be transferred. There are several
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computer archives of anarchist material, including the Fast
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Breeder BBS in London, Love and Rage, and Spunk Press. The last
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two can be contacted on the Internet. Love and Rage distribute
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their bulletin as electronic messages. The Spunk Press archive
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currently has over 400 articles from publications such as Here
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and Now, Libertarian Labor Review, Counter Information, Wind
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Chill Factor, Warrior, Mother Anarchy, works by Emma Goldman,
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Bakunin, Kropotkin, and articles from the Glasgow group and
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others around the world. A current project is to add back issues
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of 'Anarchy, a Journal of Desire Armed' to the archive. Any
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magazine produced by computer desktop publishing (DTP) on a PC or
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Apple computer can be added to the archive without the effort of
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retyping the contents.
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Spunk Press is run by a collective of members in the U.S., U.K.,
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Sweden, Holland, Italy and elsewhere, using electronic mail to
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discuss, coordinate and develop the archive.
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Is all this secure? It isn't difficult for governments to
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monitor messages, though there is a vast amount of traffic and
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methods of encrypting messages have been developed which make it
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almost impossible for eavesdroppers to read them.
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There maybe someone in your group who has free access to the
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Internet through work or study. In this case, they can act as
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the Internet contact for the group. Otherwise, what do you need?
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A computer, a modem - which is used to transmit messages via
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telephone - and a 'service provider', an organisation that allows
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you to connect to the Internet. The service provider usually
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supplies you with the software for your computer and instructions
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on how to connect and use the Internet. Computers are still not
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as straightforward to use as they could be, though things are
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improving, so it is best to find someone who has
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already done this. How much does it cost? The service providers
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should charge less than 10 pounds a month - shop around.
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Telephone bills depend on how much you use the system, the speed
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of your modem (the faster the cheaper) and whether your nearest
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computer is local or long distance. You can continue to use your
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computer for DTP and other purposes, too.
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Good books on computer networking include "The Whole Internet
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User's Guide & Catalog," by Ed Krol, published by O'Reilly &
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Associates, and "EcoLinking: Everyone's guide to online
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environmental information," by Don Ritter, from PeachPit Press,
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2414 Sixth St., Berkeley, CA 94710. There is lots of free
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information about the Internet itself, once you are connected. If
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you have material for Spunk Press, contact them c/o the Glasgow
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Anarchists. Once you get on the Internet, send a message to Spunk
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Press and the Glasgow group at their electronic mail addresses:
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spunk.@lysator.liu.se and cllv13@ccsun.strath.ac.uk
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respectively.
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Don't forget that computer communication is an addition to
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meeting people, using the telephone and writing letters, not a
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substitute!
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