The web definitely is a weird place. Free, but not really, open to all, but not really either. While no one has “a button” they can press to shut it down, a lot can go wrong.

Very quotable

If it ever does, I suppose a small set of clever guys will get something up and running again (it’s only a matter of distributing stuff, agreeing on a protocol, and talking to each other, right?

Well, not if the big corps regulate traffic (i.e. block competitor sites, or limit the line speed to sites they don’t like). Then it’d be more than software issues. But I suppose that’s a worst case scenario.

As far as the Rogers thing, you think it may lead to something like this: free, but ad-supported virtual ISPs?

The main thing I’m concerned with is that they’re putting their fingers into the content (by editing the packets); ‘hardwiring’ ads to the user. At the moment it’s somewhat harmless, but once the fingers are in the content they’ve opened a certain door that could be hard to close. What else will ‘they’ want to do to our content? (*Put on your 3D glasses*) But, I’ll end this appropriately with your words: Well, maybe …

If it ever does, I suppose a small set of clever guys will get something up and running again (it’s only a matter of distributing stuff, agreeing on a protocol, and talking to each other, right?) but it would be bad news for many of us.

As far as the Rogers thing, you think it may lead to something like this: free, but ad-supported virtual ISPs? You know, like the phone companies that offer low rates but use the infrastructure of the established providers. I could see a Google ISP offering cheap or free connections that are ad-supported instead. Well, maybe…