Registration? For what?

John Dvorak's take on mandatory registration on online news sites:

I have to conclude that the typical newspaper in this country does not want you going on its Web site, and deliberately creates a barrier in order to prove to the shareholders that the Web is losing them money. It's a feeble attempt to emphasize the printed version of the paper at the Web site's expense.

See also my earlier comments ([1] [2] [3]) on the folly of mandatory registration.

[Thanks, David Carlson, for pointing out John Dvorak article]

Update: Rich Skrenta discusses the Dvorak article, focusing on the distorted incentives created by undervaluing online advertising. Well worth a read.