At 05:33 PM 1/15/97 -0800, Vadim Antonov wrote:
The technology we're playing with lost it virginity years ago, and it is our duty to remember than it can be an immensely powerful tool in politics and military. We're not in a sandbox anymore.
Not everything is a freeking conspiracy either. - paul
Paul Ferguson writes:
At 05:33 PM 1/15/97 -0800, Vadim Antonov wrote:
The technology we're playing with lost it virginity years ago, and it is our duty to remember than it can be an immensely powerful tool in politics and military. We're not in a sandbox anymore.
Not everything is a freeking conspiracy either.
Vadim is making a reasonable point. Supplying technology to some countries is not a neutral act. Businesspeople must take this into account when doing business with such people. That said, let me mention a difficult conversation I had about a year and a half ago with a friend who works for Unnamed Large Company. It was of this form: "The PRC wants us to supply them with technology to censor their internet connections. Do I refuse on the basis that it is wrong to aid them in attempting to achieve their goal, or do I go along with it on the premise that they basically can't succeed in the end anyway and this will give them a false sense of security that will encourage them to link up the country?" I couldn't really answer well. These sorts of moral dillemas often have no good answer. I suspect, though, that Vadim's assumption that the folks at Bay proudly announcing their marketing coup probably had no such moral dillemas in mind when they made their decision. Make no mistake about it, by the way -- the government of the PRC isn't a friendly bunch of toddlers. Since it isn't clear that this will cause harm or good I'm not as clear on my reaction as Vadim was. Perry
On Thu, 16 Jan 1997, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
Paul Ferguson writes:
At 05:33 PM 1/15/97 -0800, Vadim Antonov wrote:
The technology we're playing with lost it virginity years ago, and it is our duty to remember than it can be an immensely powerful tool in politics and military. We're not in a sandbox anymore.
Not everything is a freeking conspiracy either.
Vadim is making a reasonable point. Supplying technology to some countries is not a neutral act. Businesspeople must take this into account when doing business with such people.
MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm...........Do the same considerations apply to BUYING from the PRC? We were working in our NOC last night unpacking and installing a Cisco 7513 and a Catalyst 5000 switch and one of them had cooling fans that were clearly marked "Made in China" ie. made in the PRC. Why is SELLING to the PRC by Bay any more morally difficult than BUYING from the PRC by Cisco? Bay sells to the PRC; Cisco buys from the PRC. Has any University stood on principle and refused to buy from Cisco? Bay? On this basis? University SysAdmins can read the component labels as well as Private Sector SysAdmins. But then The North American Universities' hands aren't very clean after their own supression of Student Speech during the Pograms of 80's in their own futile attempt at "Cultural Revolution" AKA "Political Correctness?" I am thankful the University didn't have tanks. Sell/Buy PRC ?? mox nix, tanto faz...... Ronald Barron Yokubaitis A Internet Access for the Texas NetWorking Inc. B REPUBLIC OF TEXAS and San Antonio (210) 272-8111 5 neighboring countries Austin (512) 472-2532 L Boerne (210) 249-7058 Houston (713) 222-2260 J Georgetown (512) 869-5947 _.. . ._ _... ..... ._.. ._ _ _ ._ _... ..... ._.. ._ _ _ _._
participants (3)
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Paul Ferguson -
Perry E. Metzger -
Ronald Barron Yokubaitis