Comments

• Charles Oliver

  2009-08-26 16:52:27

  Yes because what we want is ISPs to increase their monitoring of internet usage to the level of knowing what OS you are using.
  
  On a practical level, I don't see how this would work. How many connections to the net are via a router. The router is probably running linux. Any browser in use doesn't tell you how up to date a windows client is. So you're left with ISPs requiring the installation some bit of software they can monitor your PC with. Where does that leave Linux users? AOL from the 90s, is where.
  
  Anything that prevents open access to all, whether it be lock-in to vendor file formats, extending HTML with things like flash or silverlight, or preventing access to the net dependent on your ISPs verification that you are running a secure OS has to be a bad thing.

• twitter

  2009-08-27 04:32:43

  Yes, M$ often uses the problems they create to their advantage, but we don't have to let that happen. ISPs can require Windows users to install software and leave others alone. No one else seems to have a problem, so this is not unreasonable. ISPs already try to get users to install malware and spyware. It would be nice if that malware served a useful purpose. ISPs can also watch for abusive traffic, things that break RFCs and are clearly malicious. They already have this ability at the modem level and have demonstrated their ability to interfere with P2P, for example. The power to cut people off the net has to be carefully regulated. As things are, ISPs claim a right to cut you off for any reason. It would be better to make laws to protect the net. People who pollute it should be cut off, fined or jailed the same way we fine people who litter, speed and do other obnoxious things. ISPs that don't get their act together should be sued by everyone else.