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Subject: Re: Check internet connection status using Matlab
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:48:01 +0000 (UTC)
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Dear Walter Roberson!

> Checking to see whether you are "connected to the 
> internet" is, in practice, a singularly useless
> thing to do.

Perhaps it is enough for Jaime Zamora to check, if he is not disconnected. E.g. for a task like "start the mail program only, if it looks, like the machine has contact".

Of course, a super-user can pretend an internet connection ever. We are all aware, that the impression of reading the Matlab Newsreader pages could be the result of a smartish virus working on out local host feeding the browser with faked messages. My complete mail correspondence of the last year could be a virtual product of tricky malware. 

Nevertheless, why stopping at this trivial point? Sensory perception of even humans could be remote controlled at all.

Plato's parable of the cave had less special effect than The Matrix. However, both describe the problems of intelligent life forms and Matlab: There is no way to answer the question, if any input is "real". There are no red and blue pills.

How to proceed with programing/living than?
In my personal opinion, Jaime Zamora can ask his imperfect question (is the machine connected?) and "believe" the found answer with respect to the potential limits. So if his internet connection is a good fake, it is as good as a "real" connection!

Kind regards, Jan