From: tcscs!greg@src.honeywell.com (Gregory Youngblood)
Newsgroups: alt.bbs.allsysop,alt.bbs
Subject: Re: Nintendo to Apologize, sez PCBoard
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 23:44:16 CST
Reply-To: greg%tcscs@src.honeywell.com
Organization: TCS Consulting Services

uunorth!cibbs!root writes:

> greg%tcscs@idss.nwa.com (Gregory Youngblood) writes:
> 
> > Obviously they don't want to be bothered so they threw that little bit
> > in about 'please do not call ...'.  Nintendo and Nintendo's attorneys
> > needs to learn they can't resort to scare tactics like this and then sidest
> > responsibility for their actions.
> 
> Just a short comment. I am a PCBOARD sysop. I run the BBS where I work. I
> wasn't offended by the letter. In fact, I almost never read it. (I typically
> trash junk mail without a second thought) After reading it, I wondered why th
> heck I received it. A scare tactic it was indeed; however, as soon as I read
> it...to went into the blue box with the rest of the junk paper. I personally
> think it would have been better of this Law Firm to publicize the case via th
> media, and not waste stamps on us sysops.
> 
I went off without thinking first and I apologize for the bandwidth it took up.

I would NOT have been upset if they would have used the media.  Depending on
how they publicized it, that is.  What upset me was that they went and sent
this directly to known owners of a BBS and basically said, see what we are
doing to this one, watch out or we'll do it to you.  It was also the way they
did it.  I know there are a lot of people out there who use and sysop pirate
systems.  I wonder how many of these use legitimate versions of their software.
If they pirate other stuff, why shouldn't they use a pirated BBS package as
well.  If so, they would NOT  have received this letter.  I would like to 
think that the vast majority of BBS sysops and systems are NOT pirate boards
and do not knowingly willingly keep non-shareware/freeware/pd ware etc in 
their files section.  It has been my experience that sysops are generally
fine folks.  

What is happening here is what happened when hackers started to mean
negative things other than the older style hackers.  

Pretty soon if things like this persist, sysops will be considered bad news.

Most systems are hobbies run without hardly any financial backing.  First
these people had to join together to fight mandetory business rates from
the telcos (not in all areas) and now this.

To me, the same message or press release that was issued would have been 
better put in the media or even in electronic distribution in a related
forum, but to send it expressly to PCboard (and who knows what other system)
owners, they singled out a group of people and is trying to intimidate them.
That was and is my big objection to this...

again I apologize for the bandwidth this is taking up.

Greg



.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.
.   TCS Consulting Services   P.O. Box 600008   St. Paul, MN  55106-0008    .
.   ..!srcsip!tcscs!greg                 ..!src.honeywell.com!tcscs!greg    .
.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.
Newsgroups: alt.bbs.allsysop