[lore] Submission: From the Archives

[David Adam]

Adrian pointed out to me our copy of Zen and the Art of the Internet, so I
thought I'd submit an excerpt for historical value...

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>From The Archives: Zen and the Art of the Internet

(This short manual, published in 1992, explores the various facilities
available on the Internet for "newbies". Commerical resale of Internet
access was first permitted in 1993.)

3.1 FTP Etiquette

Lest we forget, the Internet is there for people to do work. People using
the network and the systems on it are doing so for a purpose, whether it
be research, development, whatever. Any heavy activity takes away from the
overall performance of the network as a whole.

The effects of an FTP connection on a site and its link can vary; the
general rule of thumb is that any extra traffic created detracts from the
ability of that site's users to perform their tasks. To help be
considerate of this, it's *highly* recommended that FTP sessions be held
only after normal business hours for that site, preferably late at night.
The possible effects of a large transfer will be less destructive at 2
a.m. than 2 p.m. Also, remember that if it's past dinner time in Maine,
it's still early afternoon in California - think in terms of the current
time at the site that's being visited, not of local time.
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David Adam
zanchey@