🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <ZWjm6.4105$S25.62134@typhoon.sonic.net>, 
spamfilter@navasgrp.dublin.ca.us says...
> [POSTED TO comp.dcom.modems.cable; PLEASE REPLY THERE]
> 
> In <MPG.15036433d3d994679896fe@news.earthlink.net>, Rebeccah Prastein
> <rhp@fgi.net> wrote:
> 
> >I'm not sure which side I'm arguing for.  But I think the situation 
> >here is that there is a vocal group that like window-shopping and 
> >similar activities that do not involve picking out a specific place to 
> >visit ahead of time (not sure what the size of the group is), an 
> >overlapping group that want to provide this type of window-shopping 
> >experience for others without having to pay for advertising (or maybe 
> >even for a business license), lots of people who are completely 
> >unaware of the traffic in and out of their living rooms, and a growing 
> >number of crooks taking advantage of the situation, committing 
> >burglary and vandalism, and running their operations out of innocent 
> >peoples' living rooms.
> 
> Port scanning is not "window shopping" -- it's attempted entry.  There's
> a big difference.
> 
> 

In my hypothetical neighborhood, you can't do the equivalent of 
windowshopping without entering the building -- OK, maybe it's not 
such a great analogy.

The point is, there are providers and consumers of filesharing 
services that are based on scanning.  There are spidering and indexing 
services that use scanning techniques to find content.  These methods 
are rude, but there is no way for them to "knock", as you have pointed 
out yourself.

Although, as I think you also mentioned, pinging first comes close.  
But when you knock, and someone answers, you can ask them if they want 
to share some of their cash with you in exchange for a magazine 
subscription.  When you ping, all you can find out is whether anybody 
lives there.  You can't ask them if they want to share some of their 
files with you in exchange for your undying gratitute, or your e-mail 
address, or a list of files you might be willing to share with them, 
or whatever.

Rebeccah