Why does this group have so much spam?

[Ethan Furman]

Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> On Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:01:26 -0700, Ethan Furman wrote:
> 
> 
>>Steven D'Aprano wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:19:48 -0700, Ethan Furman wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Steven D'Aprano wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>On Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:01:54 -0400, Terry Reedy wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>ISP's price residential service based on average fixed cost and
>>>>>>average usage. Multiple homes using one connection push those
>>>>>>averages up.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Is that meant to be a problem?
>>>>>
>>>>>When people buy more, the unit price they are paying falls, but the
>>>>>total price they pay generally goes up. E.g. we've recently upgraded
>>>>>our business link from AUD$150 per month for 60GB to $190 for 100GB.
>>>>>The per GB price is less, but the total we pay is more -- and the ISP
>>>>>doesn't have to do much extra work for that extra money.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>The difference is that you *upgraded* your service and so incurred a
>>>>greater total cost.  If my neighbor lets the rest of the neighborhood
>>>>use his wireless, while I do not, yet my prices go up because on
>>>>average more usage is happening, I am paying more but not getting more.
>>>
>>>
>>>Incorrect -- you are getting all the downloads you make yourself, plus
>>>the warm fuzzy feeling of happiness from the knowledge that other
>>>people are making downloads you have paid for.
>>>
>>>Of course, if you've *unintentionally* left your wi-fi open, perhaps
>>>"cold feelings of dread and horror" would be more appropriate, but
>>>we're talking about the situation where folks deliberately leave their
>>>wi-fi open for whatever reason.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Read a little closer, Steven -- *my* wi-fi is *closed*, it's my neighbor
>>(in theory) who has his open, and all that extra usage is making *my*
>>rate go up -- no warm fuzzies, only irritation.
> 
> Okay, that makes zero sense at all.

[snip]

> If I'm leaching off my neighbour's open network, chances are that I'll be 
> using my own account less, so the average will tend to remain about the 
> same.

[more snippage]

Ah, I think that's the communication problem between us -- you're an 
optimist!  ;-)

In my experience, the folks that would use the open wi-fi do *not* have 
an account of their own, are *not* paying their fair share, and I feel 
very differently about that situation than about somebody who *is* 
paying for their *own* service, even if they use it *a lot*.

Don't you just love bold?  ;-)

~Ethan~