Discussion of all things related to Public Domain

[tom poe <tompoe AT amihost.com>]

OK.  Here we go.  The remote connectivity issue is one with a whole lot
of low-tech solutions, and best we not get into discussing individual
scenarios like your example, otherwise, I bring back the donkey cart
example, one more time.  The article I presented earlier referred to
last year's setup, which relied on high tech at the server location, and
low-tech telephone hookup to the server from the villages.  What Tenet
is doing is exploring a range of options that developing nations can
use.  We could envision a lot of variations on that theme, none of which
are designed for anything but a starting point for developing nations. 
Without computers, there's no starting point, period.

Professor Yunus of Grameen was more than willing to fund the $700/per
village shipping costs for some 68,000 villages in Bangladesh in 2000. 
All that was needed was for one talented, networked sales guy to sell
marketing rights to fund the gathering of the computers and preparation
for shipping.  The timeframe for this project would enable an entire
country to be up on the Internet within three months to six months. That
would result in an "overnight" 200,000,000 market that didn't exist, to
exist.   There was no need for money up front from anyone in Bangladesh,
except Grameen, and they would arrange the shipping terms to suit
themselves.  Yes, you guessed it.  Noone came forward.  Here, we start
with the World Bank, include the Stockholm Challenge Award folks, and
the list goes on.

The World Bank has done diddly poop, Larry.  You know that.

Boy, I sure hope you're not implying that Internet2 is to be given to
the Public?!  The Public will pay and pay and pay to just access a token
tiny corner of it.  Gimme a break!

Open Studios explores the wonders of a vision that includes
participating in Internet2, and from Larry Lessig, on down, nothing but
silence.  The silence is meant to send a clear message . . . stay away!

Which raises the question, why wouldn't Internet2 want to discuss
options for bridging to the community level?  . . . Again, just send the
tax dollars, and shut up.

I'll let you have the comment about my lack of knowledge about what
others have done for me.  We'll focus on what others have done for the
developing nations, OK with you?
Tom
 

On Sun, 2004-08-08 at 09:01, Larry Press wrote:
> > The remote hookup is through telephone
> > lines (something like 20kbps?
> 
> The remote connectivity is via Tenet's Cordect wireless link -- the sort of
> backhaul I am advocating in that article.
> 
> > this ever-widening Digital Divide, and not one hoot is being uttered
> > about getting the computers over to those that would use them; which
> 
> Do you think you are the first one to advocate this?  Read some of my
> articles and many others from the early 1990s on.
> 
> > remark is directed squarely at the World Bank, I might mention.
> 
> The WB has funded many computers for labs, kiosks, schools, etc. in
> developing nations.
> 
> You need to learn more about what others have done.
> 
> 
> > It's a nice gravy train for the Academics,
> 
> Do you think we would be having this conversation or that the open-source
> software community or Tenet would exist if it were not for the Internet?  Do
> you think we would have the Internet if the American Taxpayer had not built
> CSNet and NSFNet?
> 
> Your enthusiasm is admirable, but your lack of knowledge of what others have
> done for you and others is not.