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North American Network Operators Group Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index | Thread Index | Author Index | Historical Re: InfoWorld Column on Netcom-Cisco Ampersand Collapse
From: [email protected] (Bob Metcalfe) >By the way, Mr. Huegen, the well-known fact that the Internet offers no >service guarantees has not, as you've written, escaped me. This well-known >fact is one of those we are working to FIX. Who is "we"? I ask since you sign this "...your fan and loyal opposition" Has "we" explored the potential cost impact to the consumer of some arbitrary level of service obligation? Or is the assumption that this should all be accomplished, to any degree which one might fantasize about while sitting at their keyboard, while maintaining the same price? Just as a reality-check, in the US being able to communicate over the phone system to someone in Europe for around $30/hour off-peak is considered a very good price, to the Pacific rim about twice that, call it $50/hour. Personal internet service to anywhere in the world is considered somewhat expensive at $1/hour. >Also, tell us, what was the "original purpose" of the Internet? Not that >it matters much. To remain robust as a defense communications medium in the face of nuclear attack. But that presumed of course that the defense establishment was willing to spend billions of dollars of taxpayers' money and build an infrastructure according to those specifications. It's not some magical property of IP header packet formats. The original purpose of Velcro was to hold space suits closed, but purchasing a yard of Velcro at your local Woolworth's hardly gets you a seat on the next space shuttle launch. I say this with great regret, Mr Metcalfe, but the more I read from you both on the net (such as here) and in your column the less I think of you. I hope you don't take that entirely wrong, but you're being exceedingly silly and for some reason have chosen to cast your formerly sterling reputation, as someone who understands things, to the wind. Sad. It's certainly not a matter of "loyal opposition", that would be an easy rationalization. We argue on the net constantly, nothing unusual. It's that what you represent as criticisms and observations strike me as, I dunno, the cheapest sort of shallow demagoguery I guess. Why not just reduce your columns to "IT SHOULD ALL BE HALF-PRICE AND TWICE AS GOOD!" and save yourself and your readers a lot of time? -- -Barry Shein Software Tool & Die | [email protected] | http://www.std.com Purveyors to the Trade | Voice: 617-739-0202 | Login: 617-739-WRLD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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