Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2000 09:56:02 -0800
From: John Oram <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Poll on buying Nettamer PPP socket (was - will someone remind me
John said on Sun, 12 Nov 2000 10:49 Nettamer list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"...The need for Lynxes depends on the DOS userbase obviously but from
what I've seen of recently designed websites most of them reflect the
fact that over 80% of web users now use IE4+ with 16bit color
monitors at 800x600 resolution. In this environment what chance will
alternatives have?..."
John:
I think the many millions of Linux and FreeBSD (GNU- derived UNIX) users
would laugh out loud that they were looked on as simply escapes from the
DOS/Windows world.
The vast majority I have met who really know their way around Linux
variants & FreeBSD variants have limited experiences with DOS and often
even less with MS-Windows. I deal with some very large companies that
only handle information in a .HTML format because they don't have any
MS-Windows based computers in their organizations. Thus sending them a
MS-Word document is returned and your told to use a .HTM format instead.
I also read several other discussion lists that are aimed at getting
computing into non-North American and non-European countries. MS-Windows
is not what these people are pushing. Nor is it what those folks in the
other places are looking to use. (MS-Windows is known as an expensive
proprietary solution that requires continual upgrading of software and
hardware to maintain parity. Which is why the Wintel-based companies are
a good bet to make an ongoing profit for their shareholders - which is
another discussion for another time.)
In North America very few people have to pay by the "message unit" [or
by the incremental parts of a minute] for local phone calls on their
home telephone service to a local ISP.
This is not true in a lot of other non-North American and non-European
countries.
In Europe an exception is obviously Heimo who is always "gripping" <BG>
about his phone bill costs from the Belgium phone company for local
calls to access his local ISP.
I remember when a BBS that was across town was a long distance phone
call - there still are long-distance toll charges to towns less than 25
miles from my office? This is why the FIDO net was invented. Which is
also why the internet is so powerful a concept. Your not stuck with
paying the full telephone tariff for reaching a server in a distant
location.
Thus I don't see the market focus for a DOS-based PPP socket as a direct
competitor for MS-Windows based browsers. Instead I think a DOS-based
PPP socket has a lot more application for the people who are using a
completely different hardware - software combination than we are in
North America and Europe.
For me, DOS-based hardware and software is still useful as both a hobby
and as an adjunct in my business. I would love to be able to use older
less expensive CPU designed hardware to accomplish specific tasks using
the internet as the transport system.
FYI - A lot can be done with older ideas. An example is one of my
European suppliers has the basics of TCP/IP running in less than 2325
bites on an 8-bit PIC processor. His $25 (USD) "computer" controls large
equipment over long distances using the internet. His "computer" is
simple in design parameters but meets his more limited control needs -
he doesn't need a human-interface .HTML browser - instead his control
functions are via a simpler telephone style keypad.
I have even suggested this developer build what we are talking about. He
said "bring money and I can easily re-write what I have to work with any
operating system - even a 1960-style 5-bit computer with front faceplate
mounted DIPP-switches" and a 300bps modem".
I see the main issue as getting enough interest from the present users
of Nettamer, and from DOS-based discussion groups like SURVPC, to show
David Colston he will have a ROI (return on investment) that justifies
his time to write a DOS-based PPP socket.
John Oram
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