[1361] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
The Settling of the Internet
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David Tyckoson)
Thu Oct 1 17:49:45 1992
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 16:46:12 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: David Tyckoson <DT673%ALBNYVMS.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
It has been nearly three months since I sent my original
"What's Going On Here?" message to PACS-L, which dealt with the
migration from electronic to print format of some of my favorite
network publications. While I expected some responses to this
message, I did not expect the flood of material that came to me
both privately and over the network. I am finally clearing my
mailbox of old messages and would like to report to PACS-L on
this topic.
The vast majority of responses disagreed with me and
indicated that print is an appropriate, if not preferred,
publication medium. Many replies stressed the rights of authors
to receive royalty payments for print publications, the fact that
print gets wider distribution than electronic media, and that the
author has every right to select the publication format. One
particularly thoughtful response (sent on PACS-L by Czeslaw Jan
Grycz) discussed the role of electronic publication in the
scholarly communications process. Other responses moved into a
variety of related topics, including copyright, the cost of the
network, and even the global environment. It is clear that my
original message struck a nerve among many network users.
Some responses were predictable (the editors of PACS Review
were not pleased with my attack on the print version of their
publication), some were enlightening (Brendan Kehoe gave an
excellent review of the evolution of Zen and the Art of the
Internet), and some were surprising (I did not realize that Zen
had been written by an undergraduate student). Perhaps the most
surprising response of all was finding myself quoted in the
Chronicle of Higher Education, a fact which I became aware of
only when the Office of the President of my university called to
find out more about my "article" in the Chronicle!
After all of this discussion and publicity, what exactly is
going on here? The Internet is not dying, as my initial message
may have led some to believe, but is alive and very, very well.
In fact, network resources comprise the biggest growth area in
the information world at the moment. All of the training
sessions, publications, and new network position advertisements
clearly show that the Internet will be around for a long time to
come. It is not death that we must worry about, but rapid
growth.
Because of this growth, something DID happen to the Internet
last summer. The issues that I raised originally were not
indicators of the end of the network, but were signs of its
maturation. Whereas in the past the networks were the playthings
(and workthings) of a few network elite, they have grown to
encompass a much broader clientele. It is this volume of users
that has resulted in the changes. Last summer, the number of
network users passed the critical mass required to attract
interest from commercial publishers and the press. While this
attention will help the Internet to grow even further, it takes
something away from the communal aspects of the early users.
Like the telephone user who was required to move from a
party line to a private line when he/she realized who else could
be monitoring the calls, the presence of journalistic and
commercial entities on the networks may change the nature of the
information communicated over these networks. Information that
has been given away freely in the past may now require some type
of payment to a publisher. While the creators of information
deserve credit (both intellectual and monetary) for their work,
the formalization of this process will tend to discourage
"skywriting" as we have known it in the past. In addition,
authors who may formerly have spontaneously responded to other
messages may now be cautious in what they say and how they say
it. The numerous disclaimer statements at the end of author
signatures are already a step in this direction.
Last summer saw the passing of an era in networked
resources. Before the summer, the network was populated
primarily by pioneers, who explored its resources out of
enthusiasm, interest, and a sense of exploration. Now it is
being populated by settlers, who wish to mine the networks in
some sort of production mode. The early users (pioneers) were
able to explore and search in a somewhat unrestricted manner,
creating their own rules as they went along. Some did it for the
challenge, some in search of specific types of resources, and
others just for the fun of seeing what was out there.
The success of those pioneer efforts brought many more users
onto the networks. However, these new users did not usually have
the same motives for utilizing networked resources. Rather than
exploring the network wilderness, the new users (settlers) want
resources that they can use in their everyday lives. They also
want guides to these resources and rules for their use. The
commercial and journalistic presence in issues related to the
network is a clear indication that we have evolved into the
settler stage.
Unfortunately, the cultures of pioneers and settlers do not
always conform. Pioneers want freedom, while settlers want
order. While some pioneers stake out an area and become leading
settlers in an aspect of networked resources, others move on and
continue to explore new areas. The pioneers laid the groundwork
for the rest of us (I consider myself a very early settler) and
we owe them our gratitude for making us aware of the capabilities
of networked information. While we may lament the passing of the
good old days of freewheeling information flow, we have moved on
into an era in which more networked information will be available
to more people than ever.
Last summer saw the passing of the era of the wild, wild
Internet. It is now up to those of us who have settled these new
territories to develop rules, regulations, and guidebooks that
will make information available equitably for everyone. I have
faith that we, as information organizers, will be able to develop
a culture that preserves democratic access to information
resources. If not, we will have settled a land not worth
inhabiting.
David Tyckoson
Head, Reference Department
University Libraries
University at Albany - SUNY
(518) 442-3559
DT673@ALBNYVMS
I hereby grant reproduction rights to this material to the
Chronicle of Higher Education (or anyone else interested).
