Re: registries and lotteries

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

Jeff Williams allegedly said:
> 
> Michael,
> 
>   You don't seem to get it.  Even if it was only a dollar, that would 
> represent a transaction, therefore commerce.

On the contrary, Jeff, I believe it is you that doesn't get it.  You
could say that National Parks are commercial enterprises because the
State charges an entrance fee, but that would be a gross distortion of
the meaning of the term. 

Perhaps you think that all telephone conversations are commercial
behaviour because someone pays a phone bill? Or that this mail message
is commercial activity, because I pay for my connectivity? Or that all
reading of books is commercial activity, because someone paid to get
the book printed? Eating is a commercial activity, because people pay
for food.  Sleeping -- someone paid for that bed and those sheets.

If you think about it that way hard enough, the net and *everything
else* are commercial activities, and the distinction becomes meaningless. 

-- 
Kent Crispin				"No reason to get excited",
kent@songbird.com,kc@llnl.gov		the thief he kindly spoke...
PGP fingerprint:   5A 16 DA 04 31 33 40 1E  87 DA 29 02 97 A3 46 2F