Private/public groups

Private/public groups

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

I was thinking about defaults for stuff like gnus-blocked-images and the
gravatar stuff.  You don't want that stuff to default to being on
because of privacy concerns...  but only in mail groups, I think?  If
you're reading a Gwene group, I think most people would want the images
to default to being on, for instance.

So should there be, like, a ... super-setting, saying what privacy you
want?  Where the default would be "privacy in mail groups, but not in
other groups"?

I'm not sure myself...  or how that would be implemented.  Having a
single variable flip over lots of other variables has proved messy in
the past.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: Private/public groups

[James Cloos]

>>>>> "LMI" == Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

LMI> I was thinking about defaults for stuff like gnus-blocked-images
LMI> and the gravatar stuff.  You don't want that stuff to default to
LMI> being on because of privacy concerns...  but only in mail groups,
LMI> I think?  If you're reading a Gwene group, I think most people
LMI> would want the images to default to being on, for instance.

Bandwidth is also an issue.  When behind most wireless links or dialup --
or even offline -- it is best to avoid implicit pulls.  ANd there is also
the issue of running gnus in a non-gui emacs session.

On the low bandwidth side, I prefer to only grab images and the like on
explicit command.  By default I'd prefer something akin to elinks -dump
style rendering:  images and links tagged and listed end-note-style at
the end of the page.  And a key to toggle that to a GUI rendering.
I'm sure others will have different preferences.

But it is important to have a setting which does no net other than
to the backends or when the user explicitly asks for it.

-JimC
-- 
James Cloos <cloos@jhcloos.com>         OpenPGP: 1024D/ED7DAEA6

Re: Private/public groups

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

James Cloos <cloos@jhcloos.com> writes:

> Bandwidth is also an issue.  When behind most wireless links or dialup --
> or even offline -- it is best to avoid implicit pulls.  ANd there is also
> the issue of running gnus in a non-gui emacs session.

If it's non-gui, no pictures are shown.

> But it is important to have a setting which does no net other than
> to the backends or when the user explicitly asks for it.

Yes.  But the defaults should be what a reasonable user would expect.
For instance, Firefox doesn't come with image-fetching turned off by
default.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: Private/public groups

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:40:12 +0200 Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> wrote: 

LMI> So should there be, like, a ... super-setting, saying what privacy you
LMI> want?  Where the default would be "privacy in mail groups, but not in
LMI> other groups"?

I think it's better as "privacy if the image came from a writeable
backend, open if it came from a read-only backend."  The idea being that
you get mail delivered to a writeable backend so spam has a chance to
reach you there, whereas you seek out content in read-only backends so
spam is much less likely to be targeted at you.

Ted

Re: Private/public groups

[James Cloos]

>>>>> "LMI" == Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

LMI> Yes.  But the defaults should be what a reasonable user would expect.
LMI> For instance, Firefox doesn't come with image-fetching turned off by
LMI> default.

I think it may be the default, though, for thunderbird and the mail
component of seamonkey.  I think it is also a common default in other
gui MUAs.  Too much risk of doze t-horses.

-JimC
-- 
James Cloos <cloos@jhcloos.com>         OpenPGP: 1024D/ED7DAEA6

Re: Private/public groups

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

James Cloos <cloos@jhcloos.com> writes:

> I think it may be the default, though, for thunderbird and the mail
> component of seamonkey.  I think it is also a common default in other
> gui MUAs.  Too much risk of doze t-horses.

Yes, mail is private and non-mail is non-private, like.  :-)

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: Private/public groups

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:

> I think it's better as "privacy if the image came from a writeable
> backend, open if it came from a read-only backend."  The idea being that
> you get mail delivered to a writeable backend so spam has a chance to
> reach you there, whereas you seek out content in read-only backends so
> spam is much less likely to be targeted at you.

Yes, so it's `gnus-news-group-p', basically.  For most people.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: Private/public groups

[James Cloos]

>>>>> "TZ" == Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:
>>>>> "LMI" == Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

TZ> I think it's better as "privacy if the image came from a writeable
TZ> backend, open if it came from a read-only backend."

LMI> Yes, so it's `gnus-news-group-p', basically.  For most people.

How about gnus-news-group-p plus the group is non-local?

Non-local would mean not on the same net as the local box, so;
not 127/8, 10/8, 172.16/12, 192.168/16, etc.  Unless, of course,
the lookup is also to a local network.

Hmm.  A bit complicated.  But it would likely be of more general use,
were Emacs able to deduce whether a given ip address is local or remote.

-JimC
-- 
James Cloos <cloos@jhcloos.com>         OpenPGP: 1024D/ED7DAEA6

Re: Private/public groups

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Sat, 09 Oct 2010 15:07:44 -0400 James Cloos <cloos@jhcloos.com> wrote: 

>>>>>> "TZ" == Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:
>>>>>> "LMI" == Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

TZ> I think it's better as "privacy if the image came from a writeable
TZ> backend, open if it came from a read-only backend."

LMI> Yes, so it's `gnus-news-group-p', basically.  For most people.

Excellent, that works.

JC> How about gnus-news-group-p plus the group is non-local?

JC> Non-local would mean not on the same net as the local box, so;
JC> not 127/8, 10/8, 172.16/12, 192.168/16, etc.  Unless, of course,
JC> the lookup is also to a local network.

JC> Hmm.  A bit complicated.  But it would likely be of more general use,
JC> were Emacs able to deduce whether a given ip address is local or remote.

I don't think that's any more useful than letting the user say "this is
a safe server/backend/group so show me all images."

Ted