[9601] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Internet in a box
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Dave Hughes)
Thu Jan 13 18:22:32 1994
From: dave@oldcolo.com (Dave Hughes)
To: Paul.Rarey@ssf-sys.dhl.com (Paul Rarey)
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 1994 16:13:39 -0700 (MST)
Cc: com-priv@psi.com (compriv)
In-Reply-To: <9401111208.ZM2027@maverick.ssf-sys.DHL.COM> from "Paul Rarey" at Jan 11, 94 12:08:47 pm
>
> On Jan 11, 11:59, Peter Deutsch wrote:
> > Subject: Re: Internet in a box
> } [ You wrote: ]
> }
> } >
> } > > 2) Once the end user has this (or any other IP) capability what purpose
> } > > does the BBS serve?
> } >
> } > None, one hopes. (Well, I hope.)
> }
> } I must disagree with these sentiments, since I think one
> } of the single largest business opportunities coming up in
> } the next couple of years will be in "packaging"
> } information for specific user communities. BBSs are to me
> } the canonical example of how to do this and I think they
> } have a healthy future as "windows onto the net". Not just
> } in providing connectivity, but in providing sorted,
> } collated and processed information.
>
> As we now see the growth in WAIS, WWW, gopher etc., the "thing" we
> have all come to understand as "Bulletin Board" is vanishing. BBS is
> metamorphosing into something else. The new paradigm is "navigation
> tools" and "information servers". This is not the old BBS, although
> the old definition may just be fine for what new technilogy is
> actually being used to facilitate service location and
> retrieval/request.
>
> My take is the old BBS stuff is dead. We're in a new age, let's
> flaunt it.
>
>
/psr
Well my take is that your take misses the fact that will probably
be *more* 'BBS's in the future than ever before. And will do things
that direct connection to the Internet cannot do, and will do it,
when needed, any old time. As I sent to Peter:
>
I not only agree with you, I can go much further. BBSs are not
only 'windows into the net' they are complete into themselves
and serve local populations in ways the net *never* will.
I could paraphrase the classic saying by the late Tip O'Neill
who said 'All politics is local' by wondering whether or
not 'All knowledge is local' - certainly 'community' is. And
a LOT of what is/was/and will go on online is local community
communications, local information, local storage.
And, contrary to what someone else said, that he can't see
'storage' being local, I think millions of Americans are
going to 'collect' information locally, and store it that
way. It will be *secondary* that it is accessible 'through
the net.' Which it can be, on BBSs too.
Matter of fact right now, in several places I am designing
and installing systems which are PRIMARILY local BBSs, with
software that is tailored right to the needs of that local,
dial up, or lan, or ?? community, including the language
(Spanish and English in one case). But IN ADDITION, that
'front end' is and will be fully 'on the Internet' - full time
high bandwidth, part time low bandwidth. And always always
affordable.
For now that local BBSs are powerful enough to do it all,
and do it cheap, and do it *without* a Data Processing Manager
I predict the next 10 years will be a golden time for 'BBSs'
The 2,000 power users and sysops of BBS's which met here in
Colorado Springs last August, double the number of the year
before, which will be followed by 4,000 next August in Atlanta
are doing incredible things to make the lowliest 'BBS'
BOTH a local, isolated, free standing, multi-tasking, multi-user
'BBS' AND a node on the Internet whenever desisrable.
Yep, in these cases what everyone here thinks is the BIG deal,
'The Internet' is simply just a small item on the BBS menu.
Dave Hughes
--
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