  We review what we consider to be the minimal model of quantized conductance
in a finite interacting quantum wire. Our approach utilizes the simplicity of
the equation of motion description to both deal with general spatially
dependent interactions and finite wire geometry. We emphasize the role of two
different kinds of boundary conditions, one associated with local "chemical"
equilibrium in the sense of Landauer, the other associated with screening in
the proximity of the Fermi liquid metallic leads. The relation of our analysis
to other approaches to this problem is clarified. We then use our formalism to
derive a Drude type expression for the low frequency AC-conductance of the
finite wire with general interaction profile.
