On Sat, 20 Sep 2003, Margie wrote:
If the person running the system in question wants to run server class services, such as ftp, smtp, etc, then they need to get a compatible connection to the internet. There are residential service providers that allow static IP addressing, will provide rDNS, and allow all the servers you care to run. They generally cost more than dial-ups or typical dynamic residential broadband connections. As a rule, you tend to get what you pay for.
So if someone wants to run Outlook or Netbios from home, they need to get a "server-class" connection to the Internet? If everyone buys a server-class connection, we end up back were we started. The problem is many "clients" act as servers for part of the transaction. Remember X-Windows having ports 6000-6099 open on clients? IRC users need to have Identd port 113 open. Microsoft clients sometimes need to receive traffic on port 135, 137-139 as well as transmit it due to how software vendors designed their protocols. Outlook won't receive the "new mail" message, and customers will complain that mail is "slow." And do we really want to discuss peer-to-peer networking, which as the name suggests, peer-to-peer. It costs service providers more (cpu/ram/equipment) to filter a connection. And even more for every exception. Should service providers charge customers with filtering less (even though it costs more), and customers without filtering more (even though it costs less)? If the unfiltered connection was less expensive, wouldn't everyone just buy that; and we would be right back to the current situation? In the old regulated days of telephony, service providers could get away with charging business customers more for a phone line or charging for "touch-tone" service. But the Internet isn't regulated. There is always someone willing to sell the service for less if you charge more than what it costs.