I wanted to print out the thread but I can't find it now. Could someone e-mail it to me. Thanks

-- Gay Boling (wilber@montanasky.net), December 07, 1999

Answers

Gay,

Sorry I don't have the answer to your question, but here is a related story:

---------Begin Article----------------- Northwest Market Update News Magazine December, 1999 issue

RealNetworks offers apology

RealNetworks Inc, Seattle developer of software for listening to music on computers, has issued an apology to consumers who complained that its program secretly collected information about their listening habits.

More than 12 million people use the company's software. It is among the world's most popular programs for listening to CDs and digital music on the Internet.

A security expert discovered that the software secretly transmitted details about which CDs each customer listened to and how many songs were copied, along with a serial number that could be used to identify the user. The company said it did not store the information or use it for marketing purposes.

RealNetworks said early this month that it will distribute a small patch on its Website for users of its free"RealJukebox" software to block the tracking technology. The patch can be downloaded from the company's Internet site at www.real.com.

---------End Article---------------

Question: If the company "did not store the information or use it for marketing purposes", why would they go to the time and trouble to transmit details about the customer's listening habits, what songs were copied, and identify the user by a serial number?

-- (RUOK@yesiam.com), December 07, 1999.

As I write, it's still on the main page. Search! In Netscape, use Edit | Find in Page... Just enter "cook". Hit F3 for next occurance if the first isn't what you want. (Note: after a search, you will have to reload the page and go to top to do another search.)

Once a topic drops off the bottom of the main page, go to archives. Try related page headings. Computer, IT, etc.

-- A (A@AisA.com), December 07, 1999.

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001w6S

You might also want to read Phil Greenspun's chapter 9. (You know, the on-line book he keeps telling us to read when we get those server busy messages.)

-- (hope@this.helps), December 08, 1999.