[9755] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: Sizing the Internet market
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (James Waldrop)
Wed Jan 19 15:54:47 1994
To: gleick@pipeline.com (James Gleick)
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 19 Jan 1994 15:30:20 EST."
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 1994 15:53:52 -0500
From: James Waldrop <jlw@cs.columbia.edu>
James Gleick wrote:
>Lloyd Brodsky asked:
>
>>3. To what extent is the legendarily difficult character-based
>> VT100 Internet interface you get with almost all dial-up accounts
>> a genuine bar to access? Put another way if, say, a Mosaic-style
>> GUI interface were operable over an ordinary dial-up account how
>> many more people would sign up that would not otherwise? I might
>> also ask, since a SLIP connection would permit the use of Mosaic,
>> if it would make a big difference why don't providers hand out
>> SLIP-preconfigured copies now?
>
>I can tell you (self-servingly--caveat emptor) that it makes an
>enormous difference. We have just begun offering a Windows
>interface, and it is absolutely clear that we are drawing a
>customer base for whom the interface is not just a bit of added
>value. Rather, it is the difference between using the Internet
>and not using it--period.
Hmm, just to throw a little kindling on this fire, I would venture
to say that price is more important than interface. Why? Because
a place like Netcom, with a low fix-priced scheme, seems to be much
more popular than the easier to use but more expensive Pipeline.
I want to make it clear that I'm only operating on hearsay, as I'm
not associated with Pipeline in the slightest, but I know that the
general impression among those who follow the NY Internet scene is
that Pipeline has been starting off slowly, mainly because of the
price.
I think this adds a fairly compelling twist to the discussion.
James Waldrop
jlw@cs.columbia.edu jlw@actlab.rtf.utexas.edu
sulam@well.sf.ca.us Hejsan! sulam@mindvox.phantom.com
Finger jlw@cs.columbia.edu for more information, including PGP public key.
