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future of the net?

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q...@nauvax.ucc.nau.edu

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Dec 22, 1993, 2:07:06 PM12/22/93
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I don't think the net has a future as we know it.
The commerical interests will take over either
by the gravity of their services with the new
info highway or by the granting of monopoly with
the help of the feds. Look at radio, when that was first
invented, people could transmit freely over the air
with no license but now you have to get a license or
be in big legal trouble. why? because the corporations
knew that they could make alot of money if the access
to radio was limited (as with the licensing fees
and requirements by the FCC). I think we will soon
have a net equilvalent of the FCC which will make
it cost prohibitive for small groups a real voice on
the net.

david e doughty

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Dec 22, 1993, 5:09:16 PM12/22/93
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In article <22DEC93....@nauvax.ucc.nau.edu> q...@nauvax.ucc.nau.edu writes:
>I don't think the net has a future as we know it.

> Look at radio, when that was first


>invented, people could transmit freely over the air
>with no license but now you have to get a license or
>be in big legal trouble.

> I think we will soon
>have a net equilvalent of the FCC which will make
>it cost prohibitive for small groups a real voice on
>the net.

What about HAM radio and citizens band? Granted you don't hear many
discussions of majorly important issues (like the last episode of Trek :-) )
on the CB, but there seems to be more intelligent discussion amoung HAMs, and
the net could eventually be like that...if fact, it almost is: there are no
liscenses (yet!), but we all pay for our access in one way or another
(even us students have to "buy" our access with tuition).
Also, bandwidth is a major limiting factor with personally owned radio,
but with the net, BW is infintly large (isn't it?). It's just a matter of
having the equipment to supply more. (Please correct me if my understanding
of net BW is off.)
David D.


--
David E. Doughty | "Far over the Misty Mountains cold,
-}------- | To dungeons deep, and caverns old,
sa...@hubcap.clemson.edu | We must away, ere break of day,
ddo...@eng.clemson.edu | To find our long forgotten gold."

Darrell Shandrow

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Dec 23, 1993, 9:57:59 PM12/23/93
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Hello. Well, I don't think the internet is going to die and it will
hopefully stay similar to the way it is now. The difference will be that
more people will have access. There are some problems but not major ones.
Those who are pesimistic about the net's future should help us do
something about it instead of just complaining. You know there is a
self-fulfilling prophecy. Let's not fall into that trap as far as the
internet's future is concerned.
I don't think the net will die since it is quite an international
communications system now. In some ways it is like amateur radio in that
it is international in scope. There could be changes but, in ham radio,
it is likely that we'll always have many of the freqs that hams in other
countries have. 73

--
Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all.
Member: National Federation of the Blind
"Proud, Angry, and Strong" -- Jennifer Restle
(The complete information access agenda - You print it you braille it too!)

da...@gilly.cca.org

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Dec 25, 1993, 10:44:16 PM12/25/93
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nu...@indirect.com (Darrell Shandrow) writes:

>Hello. Well, I don't think the internet is going to die and it will
>hopefully stay similar to the way it is now. The difference will be that
>more people will have access. There are some problems but not major ones.

It has been said that the internet is the only functional Marxist State.
It seems to be true - people work for the general good, and receive services
for free. (*On* the net, services are free. *Getting* on the net is entirely
different of course.)

The only reason this works (has worked so far) is because of the culture.
The internet is comprised of hackers. We love doing this stuff, and earn
respect and popularity in the community though doing neat net things, like
writing new servers & services & protocols, or setting up new sites.
The respect of fellow hackers is sufficient payment.

When the net slowly becomes populated with non-hackers, who aren't part of
that community, and don't do anything productive for the net at large,
much of the motivation driving the current system will die. (Yes, of
course there will be non-hackers who find some usefull thing to do that
is beneficial to the net. I think most will just be TV-watching drone
types though.)

The raw population problem can be dealt with (specialize more) but the
community motivation problem is harder.

-<=>- Dave Fischer -<=>- Help Fight Ambient Light! -<=>- da...@cca.org -<=>-

Darrell Shandrow

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Dec 26, 1993, 11:55:01 AM12/26/93
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First of all, as has been said before the net is actually not free and
connections are expensive.
However, I agree with much of your position. So we need to do something
about it. We need to properly initiate new users who come to the net with
the various internet guides that are available. Many new users from
commercial sites can and do contribute to the net. I'd sure like to see
more of that though. 73

Michael Hauben

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Dec 29, 1993, 12:59:28 PM12/29/93
to

>It has been said that the internet is the only functional Marxist State.
>It seems to be true - people work for the general good, and receive services
>for free. (*On* the net, services are free. *Getting* on the net is entirely
>different of course.)

One point that I haven;t made often enough in my own posts, is
that when I say the net is *free*, I mean that (at least in the
USA) there is no additional costs. Much of the development and
growth of the net was paid via citizen's taxes, when it was only
the ARPANET, and then later (and still now) with the NSF funding
for the NSFNET and the various entities which make it up now on
the US. Continent - not talkingabout other countries.)

>The only reason this works (has worked so far) is because of the culture.
>The internet is comprised of hackers. We love doing this stuff, and earn
>respect and popularity in the community though doing neat net things, like
>writing new servers & services & protocols, or setting up new sites.
>The respect of fellow hackers is sufficient payment.

This is an interesting point - however, I do not think that only
"hackers" are interested in giving things back.

>When the net slowly becomes populated with non-hackers, who aren't part of
>that community, and don't do anything productive for the net at large,
>much of the motivation driving the current system will die. (Yes, of
>course there will be non-hackers who find some usefull thing to do that
>is beneficial to the net. I think most will just be TV-watching drone
>types though.)

THis point I strongly disagree with. The "public at large" is not
the TV-watching drone which has become a gross sterotype. People
are much more intelligent than they are given credit for. Either
way, the people who will *want* to use the Net, will not be of
"drone" type. Since the net is an active medium, it will not be
attractive to people who want passive entertainment.

>-<=>- Dave Fischer -<=>- Help Fight Ambient Light! -<=>- da...@cca.org -<=>-


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William J Rehm

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Dec 30, 1993, 8:54:30 AM12/30/93
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Onc 22 Dec 93 19:07:06 GMT, q...@nauvax.ucc.nau.edu wrote:
: I don't think the net has a future as we know it.

: The commerical interests will take over either
: by the gravity of their services with the new
: info highway or by the granting of monopoly with

I read recently (I think in EFF newsletter) that Al Gore supports the EFF
stance on open access. I know that he & Billy haven't exactly been batting
1.00, but the position exists...
--
_______oOOo________oOOo_______________________________________________
| Bill Rehm
|"Somedays, it's all I can do just to hold on." wjr...@pitt.edu

Michelle Murrain

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Dec 30, 1993, 10:16:56 PM12/30/93
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In article <9365122441...@gilly.cca.org> , da...@gilly.cca.org
writes:

>The only reason this works (has worked so far) is because of the culture.
>The internet is comprised of hackers. We love doing this stuff, and earn
>respect and popularity in the community though doing neat net things,
like
>writing new servers & services & protocols, or setting up new sites.
>The respect of fellow hackers is sufficient payment.

I'm not sure about this. I'm not quite sure how you define hacker, I
suspect I don't qualify (have been on internet for 3 years, have
programmed some over the last 15 years, but I'm a biologist, and do very
little programming now). But in any event I am one of the many folk who
help keep some aspects of the net going (manage 3 lists, and co-moderate
a newsgroup, have been involved in creating one too.) Now I don't write
new protocols, etc (a bit beyond me at this point), but I am invested in
seeing it keep on, and don't get paid for my time.

>When the net slowly becomes populated with non-hackers, who aren't part
of
>that community, and don't do anything productive for the net at large,
>much of the motivation driving the current system will die. (Yes, of
>course there will be non-hackers who find some usefull thing to do that
>is beneficial to the net. I think most will just be TV-watching drone
>types though.)

See, I'm not sure that these folk won't be a flash in the pan, they'll
lurk for a while, ask newbie questions, get bored when they realize that
to get anything out of the medium you can't be passive, and go away. I
think that we will reach a steady state. Folks who can't deal with some
level of complexity will stay on AOL and Prodigy, make forays into the
internet now and again, I guess, but spend lots of time chatting.

>The raw population problem can be dealt with (specialize more) but the
>community motivation problem is harder.

I think that there are enough folk out there who do enough stuff to keep
us going. I don't think we are going to run out of that energy anytime
soon.

Roy M. Silvernail

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Dec 31, 1993, 12:40:54 AM12/31/93
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Michelle Murrain <mmur...@hamp.hampshire.edu> writes:

> See, I'm not sure that these folk won't be a flash in the pan, they'll
> lurk for a while, ask newbie questions, get bored when they realize that
> to get anything out of the medium you can't be passive, and go away.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

YES! YES! I was saying just this to a friend this evening, when the
subject of net expansion came up.

Now, if I can just keep my sense of humor until they're gone... :-}
--
Roy M. Silvernail [ ] r...@sendai.cybrspc.mn.org
head -2 /usr/philosophy/survival | PGP 2.3a public key
#! /usr/local/bin/perl -n | available upon request
next unless /$clue/; | (send yours)

ns...@aurora.alaska.edu

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Dec 31, 1993, 11:26:22 PM12/31/93
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This medium is very non-passive, you have to be very aggressive and assertive.
Not only of your rights, but to search and look for and grab any and all
information you can, and see what you can use it for..

Who dares, wins!

===
Ghost Wheel - ns...@acad3.alaska.edu
also 1@9714 WWIVnet..

RIC...@delphi.com

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Jan 1, 1994, 1:56:03 PM1/1/94
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I am a newbie, and I am here. Like many people out there, I have been
fascinated by the concept of the Internet for years, and because of a lack of
funds and equiptemt, have not been able to get online. After saving my pennies
to y a modem, I am here. L
ike many newcomers, I am a bit anxious about posting messages since we are well
aware that the Net has been a best kept secret for the lucky few who have been
using it for years, and we are not exactly a welcome site
with our naive inquiries. I think I speak for many when I say that I don't
want to cause trouble on the Net, I only want to be be a part of the burgeoning
communications revolution. After all, the Net is about mass communication, and
more means mass. Ri
ght
I am a freelance writer, and I have found the Net to be an incredible
place practice my trade. That is, the open discussion of current issues and
ideas. I
have recently been given an assignment to write an article for a national
collegiate magazine about the Internet; What it is, where to find it, how to
use it, what is available. This article, like many others before it, will
reach thousands of students an
d young people, and detail how they too can get connected. It seems to me that
the net should welcome newcomers, i.e. new ideas, with open armsand offer
direction and advice to those who stray from common netiquette. Does this mean
regulation or a sort of
renegade watchdog patroll? I don't know. I would hope that that would not be
neccesary. My approach will be to recommend to new usersusefull introductory
books and newsgroups, articles and magazines, many accisible online. Any
suggestions?
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