In article <a70ve1toq1fh89t1b3pi6km79u561dfe9c@4ax.com>, Paul Harper
wrote:
> >There is one HUGE difference.
> >
> >There is no big sign saying "Free wireless connection here".
>
> There *is* if they are broadcasting (that's they key word, right
> there) the SSID of the network.

No there isn't. The SSID is simply an identification, not an
invitation. The registration plate on your car isn't an invitation for
somebody to drive it away, is it?

If the owner of a network has taken the trouble of changing the default
setting to something equivalent to "help yourself", then that's a clear
sign that they understand what they are doing and are consciously
making an offer, but most network owners will have no idea of what
their equipment is doing, having bought it in the simple expectation
that it will just do its job. They may be ignorant, they may be naive,
but what's theirs is still theirs and nobody has the automatic right to
take it simply because of this.

Rod.