[8353] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
WSJ Technology supplement
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Barry Shein)
Mon Nov 15 22:55:12 1993
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1993 22:54:41 -0500
From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein)
To: stpeters@dawn.crd.ge.com
Cc: dave@oldcolo.com, com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: Dick St.Peters's message of Mon, 15 Nov 93 20:22:27 EST <9311160122.AA06069@spare-parts.crd.Ge.Com>
> Good coverage of the failure in Europe and Japan to join in,
> putting them years behind the US in networking of all types.
Although I'll admit that when I ran into the Yugoslavian (now Croatian
I guess, he wasn't entirely sure) EUNET rep about 18 mos ago he did
seem quite discouraged I'd have to concur with other voices that there
doesn't seem to be any indication that Europe is laggard. Quite the
contrary. Then again Europe is a big, diverse place and all
generalizations like this are quite doomed.
I was in Budapest, Hungary a few weeks ago and even there (i.e. a
country learning to stand on its own two feet after many years of
unpleasantness, rapidly I may add) things looked very encouraging: I
was telnet'ing here to read my mail regularly from the ELTE (a major
university there), people asked me all sorts of questions about
getting their sites hooked up (just general stuff, this was at the
John Von Neumann Society / HUNIX / HUUG joint conference), and they
seem to be building an optical fiber ring (someone said FDDI) around
the entire city, largely for IP traffic. Don't misunderstand me,
they're struggling economically and will be for the next few years,
but there's no lack of energy and enthusiasm that I could find.
Again, it's very hard to speak in generalities but from my meetings
(e.g. attending EUNET Governours Board Meetings where 24 countries
send representatives) just about everything I've heard has been very
encouraging and interesting. About the worst problem that seems to
plague these projects are where monopolistic PTT's exist and keep
prices for leased lines etc high. But even that is being challenged.
-Barry Shein
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