[LINK] Enum musings

[Roger Clarke]

"Chirgwin, Richard" <Richard.Chirgwin@informa.com.au>
...  draft article that needs to be published, omitted for brevity ...

This is a response to just one specific point RC made:
>Under Enum, the onus is on the user to manage
>contactability/availability/choice of device etc.

I'm a moderately mobile person, and use my portable as my desk 
machine when I'm at home.  I've had a bit of bother sorting out the 
most appropriate way to use Apple's Location Manager in order to have 
the machine adapt to its surroundings as transparently, quickly and 
reliably as possible.  (Location Manager records clusters of settings 
for such things as TCP/IP, VPN, Modem, Dialup scripts and telephone 
numbers, printer, time-zone, etc.).

I currently have the following settings:
-   home-office when connected via the hub and router (normal at-home setting);
-   home-office when connected directly to the ADSL 'modem' (rare, but needed
     if the router packs it in ...);
-   travelling in Australia, using internal 56Kb modem and dialup to ISP;
-   travelling overseas, ditto - needs one for each relevant country, because
     of the variation in the number to dial, and the time-zone;
-   connected to a client's Ethernet, where the client uses DHCP;
-   connected to a client's Ethernet where the client *doesn't* use DHCP, and
     therefore I need to remember what IP-Address I borrowed last time - needs
     one per client.

Now overlay all of that with the need to think through which 
number(s) I want to be reachable on at any given time, based on such 
considerations as my need to be reachable (which differs between 
clients and family), and the costs involved.  The costs depend on the 
current terms applicable to each device and connection-type - and 
they vary often and a lot, e.g. as I move around, but also as the 
service-provider changes the tariff.

As RC put it, "IOW, the Enum user could easily end up enslaved to 
making themselves available, instead of merely deciding "do I answer 
the phone?" Even the most devoted gadgeteer will get sick of 
reconfiguring their 'availability' or 'location' etc every few 
minutes".

But if marketers would like it, you can bet it will be foisted on the consumer.

-- 
Roger Clarke              http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                 Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke@xamax.com.au            http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor, Uni of Hong Kong, Dept of Comp Sci and Info Sys
Visiting Fellow, Australian National University, Dept of Comp Sci
----------
For Link list information see http://sunsite.anu.edu.au/link/