[11278] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: MOSAIC
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Mark R. Ludwig)
Mon Mar 28 07:55:25 1994
From: "Mark R. Ludwig" <Mark-Ludwig@uai.com>
To: walkerl@iscmed.med.ge.com (Larry Walker)
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <9403261741.AB02155@iscmed.med.ge.com>
from "Larry Walker" on Sat, 26 Mar 1994 11:41:33 CST.
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 10:45:44 -0800
>>>>> "Larry" == Larry Walker <walkerl@iscmed.med.ge.com> writes:
Larry> They are all set to go ahead with a plan to deliver this via a
Larry> traditional BBS system provided by an X.25 dial-up vendor who
Larry> shall remain nameless. I am trying to convince them that this
Larry> is a self-limiting and archaic approach, and that they should
Larry> do it with Mosaic, etc.
Larry> The problem I'm having is that people can't uderstand the
Larry> difference! You dial up somewhere, you get some menus, you move
Larry> around until you find what you want, you transfer it back to
Larry> your PC. "So what's wrong with a BBS?", they ask...
What _is_ wrong with it? I'm not saying I like the idea of doing it
this way, but it'll work, right? What's better about "Mosaic, etc."?
Larry> I don't want to have 127 dial-up numbers and 99 different user
Larry> interfaces to go about my business.
Why not?
Larry> And I _really_ don't want to inflict that on my customers!
I actually agree with you, but challenge you to answer the questions
above for yourself as an aid to forming the answers you seek.
Larry> Any thoughts?
We're talking about ethereal stuff, on the order of why WordPerfect is
better than Microsoft Word, or vi is better than Emacs. There are no
_facts_ here, just lots of opinions.
Most people are naturally parochial. Those who use WordPerfect on a
daily basis will make up all sorts of arguments about why it's the
_perfect_ application to get their job done, whether or not they've
ever used Microsoft Word. The same of vi/Emacs users. I think you're
fighting this sort of battle.
You have no hope of fighting this belief with words, pictures, or any
second-hand representation of the difference. You have to get them to
experience it themselves. They have to be driving it with mouse in
hand. Nothing else suffices.
Put another way: think about why _you_ think Mosaic is better. I
suspect you've used _both_.$$
--
INET: Mark-Ludwig@UAI.COM NIC: ML255 ICBM: USA; Lower Left Coast
"For crabby middle-aged movie critics, it was a pretty long night."
-- Jim Schweda reviewing _D2:_The_Mighty_Ducks_
