Observing the Rules of the Road

When you drive an automobile from one town to another, you need to be aware that the rules of the road may be slightly different in each area through which you travel. There may be differences in where you are allowed to park, in whether turning right on a red light is permitted, or in speed limits, for example. When you traverse the Internet, the same sorts of things can differ, depending on the network and the host systems you are using. Some hosts and services only permit a certain number of connections at one time and will refuse any more until some of the resources being used are freed. Some networks allow commercial messages; some do not allow them.

In general, usage policies for connected networks and services are posted on each service or host. Read the "message of the day" or "banner" messages at the entrance to each service. These messages will tell you of policy changes or locations.

In all cases, it is illegal to use networks for illegal purposes.

Copyright

Remember that copyright law and intellectual property right law still apply even though materials may not be represented in some physical form like paper. The materials obtained under license from news services, for example, may be not altered or used without permission. A shareware computer program obtained by downloading from a program archive may ask for a registration fee as part of its license agreement. You are obligated to pay the fee if you use the program.

Commercial Use

What about commercial use? Material traversing the Simply Internet network and the interconnected networks of the Commercial Internet eXchange (CIX) explicitly may contain commercial transactions. Currently (early 1994), commercial use of certain other networks, particularly the NSFNET, that have significant support from the United States federal government can be restricted to only activities in support of research and education. Unfortunately, the definitions of support, commercial, research, and education are not really clear, and such definitions as do exist are changing. In general, the best thing to do is to be aware that there are restrictions and try to abide by the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) of each network. Consult with the associated authority if you are in doubt about your proposed usage.

For-Fee Services

Some services use the Internet to deliver you to their front door and then begin charging for their use; others do not charge. Services that charge for their usage are well-marked. You will need to make account arrangements with these services before you can use them. There will be signs at the front door of these services to tell you how to open an account.

A Few Words About "Netiquette"

The American Heritage Dictionary defines etiquette as "the practices and forms prescribed by social convention or by authority." It lists etiquette, propriety, decorum, and protocol as being roughly equivalent words which refer to codes governing correct behavior. Netiquette is the personal protocol that helps us be a part of the networked society. Such protocols are not, unlike the remainder of the TCP/IP suite, necessarily written down, but they are essential to the well-being of the society as a whole. Netiquette provides the guidelines that allow us, for example, to agree to disagree. Mostly, being a good networked citizen is to be a responsible person: to not waste resources; to be aware of and observe restrictions that are placed on some Internet resources; to observe the posted rules; and to remember that on the net, you are in public.