[12060] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: MCSNet and NSLS
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Karl Denninger)
Tue May 3 19:25:41 1994
From: karl@mcs.com (Karl Denninger)
To: hsaal@svi.org (Harry J. Saal)
Date: Tue, 3 May 1994 15:57:47 -0500 (CDT)
Cc: karl@mcs.com, com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <Chameleon.4.00.2.940503130250.HSaal@HSaal.svi.org> from "Harry J. Saal" at May 3, 94 12:56:39 pm
>
> >
> >**** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> >4/22/1994 - Chicago, IL
> >
> >MCSNet(sm) announced today that it has agreed to provide Internet service
> >to the North Suburban Library System's member libraries, encompassing the
> >Northeast portion of the state of Illinois.
> >
> >This service is expected to provide patron access to the Internet in a
> >large number of the public libraries in the region, as well as advanced
> >Internet capabilities for the librarians and staff of these institutions.
> >
> >MCSNet's Karl Denninger said:
> > "This is a ground-breaking initiative. North Suburban and MCSNet
> > are effectively extending connectivity to the public-at-large in
> > a library setting across large geographic areas.
>
> I read over the announcement several times. The press release doesn't give
> any indication of how this agreement is anything other than normal
> business-as-usual. Can you say what is
> ground-breaking about this?
Let's look at a few points -- and only a few -- there are many more:
1) This agreement covers political boundaries between cities and
towns, and extends the Internet to the <people> in a library
setting. Past Internet deployments have focused on a particular
municipal area -- this one does <not>, as it covers literally
dozens of local political domains throughout Cook and Lake Counties.
2) It does not shackle a branch to someone else's idea of what those
services ought to be or the form they will take. Some branches will
offer terminal mode operation, some graphical mode (ie: mosaic) and
some may do hybrid things. Capabilities and offerings will vary
with the will of the various libraries involved.
3) There is a significant discount being offered off both our standard
connectivy costs AND the consulting and installation services
required -- a bargain that onsie-twosie deals could not have
possibly obtained.
4) We have arranged to obtain over 100 routers capable of 56kbps operation
and will be offering those to the system at an unbelieveable price
- complete and configured - a savings of up to $3,000 on equipment
for the typical 56kbps connection. These routers are also available
to our regular customers (at a higher price). They are <not>
available to the general public outside our customer base. It is
expected that most of these will be used within the NSLS system.
This could save the system a quarter of a million dollars if these
incentives are used to the fullest extent. As capital equipment is
often hard to fund for these institutions, this is a very significant
issue for them.
5) We are providing training to the core NSLS staff, and they will then
disseminate knowledge to the branches. We also are permitting
no-charge access to our tech support desk for both library staff
and patrons during library operational hours.
6) We are providing the integration to connect their <existing>
information systems, including the existing card-catalog terminals,
PCs and other information databases (CDROM databases, the NSLS BBS,
etc) directly to the wire. Again, all of this at a greatly reduced
cost over what would be normally charged for this kind of work by
our organization. Both patrons and the general public world-wide
will be able to access these resources.
7) NSLS is funding part of the connectivity cost for the libraries,
making it possible for even the smallest branch libraries to afford
Internet connectivity. In the past this has been the purview of
the "rich neighborhood" areas. Not any longer.
> What is the time
> frame for this becoming effective, e.g. on what date will a local denizen
> be able to walk
> in and access, say, this very release, posted on a Gopher server using
> the assistance of a
> trained staff librarian?
If you really did read the entire announcement several times, you would
have noted that we expect first deployments to be complete and operational
within 60 days, as announced.
--
--
Karl Denninger (karl@MCS.Net)| MCSNet - Full Internet Connectivity (shell,
Modem: [+1 312 248-0900] | PPP, SLIP, leased) in Chicago and 'burbs.
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