[9370] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Cost vs benefit of internet services (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Marc Horowitz)
Fri Dec 31 00:44:13 1993
To: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: [9364] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Date: Fri, 31 Dec 93 00:43:31 EST
From: Marc Horowitz <marc@MIT.EDU>
I just thought of something which I don't like, but I think it might
be true. I was trying to think of a good analogy from another
industry of the distinction between the "IP-clued" who want no-support
wires-and-bits service and the other customers who are happy with the
service available today, and something hit me.
Maybe what every single IP provider today sells *is* the "raw
bitpipe" level of service.
Another question for all you IP providers out there: What would happen
if, Monday morning, you got a stack of purchase orders from companies
who recently came into money somehow, and wanted go get on this
Internet thing? "Great!" you say.
Now, presume that *every* one of these customers was the internet
equivalent of Tom's mom (and mine :-). Customers who would assign as
the technical contact the guy who was considered technically astute
because he knew how to change the font in Microsoft Word.
What would happen to your support costs? When the site has a problem,
you ask if the router is pinging, and he says "I can't hear if it's
making a pinging noise, it's in another room." Or worse, "Router?
oh, you mean the beige box in the closet under the phone books with
the cute bridge logo."
*These* are the guys who are going to need the real handholding. For
now, I bet IP providers have it easy.
Marc
