Re: The un-BBS

[sdw@meaddata.com (Stephen Williams)]

...
> > Most systems/people on the Internet are not subsidized.  This is well known.
> > The critical mass of users has obviated the need for it.
> 
> The subsidies are as follows:
> 
> - universities that provide "free" access to students, faculty,
> researchers, etc. (all those ".edu" accounts)
> 
> - corporations that provide similar access to some or all of their
> employees
> 
> - government labs, offices, etc.
> 
> The number of Internet users who are going through commercial services
> like Netcom, Panix, Portal, etc., or through services like CompuServe
> and Prodigy, is currently a small fraction of the overall total. This
> will grow, but for the present discussion, most Internet users are not
> paying their own bills for their usage of the Net (let alone paying to
> ship NetNews around the world).

Unusual use of the word 'subsidized'...  Most of the above I would
just call indirectly funded.  I don't think you'd say that corporate
employees get subsidized pencils just because it's an expense item for
the corp. and they buy in bulk.

I guess what you meant was 'institutionally supported'.  'Subsidized'
normally means gov. grants to me.  (Yes, a fraction of the above
examples get gov. grants specifically for Internet expense, but not
most.)

Thanks for the clarification.
sdw
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