Hi guys,
How about the current cybercafe trend in your countries? Either
the commercial type, IIRC the first cybercafe was founded in the
UK? Or the non-for-profit type, i.e. our previously-discussed
community cybercafe model...
However cybercafe or public sub-ISP models might only makes sense
in countries where online time and perhaps also PC's are considered
as exclusive stuff. It might never exist if you could get fully-
functional SurvPCs and modem out of the dumpster, and only charged
few cents to stay online all day long <g>.
Here in Indonesia (please -- no political comments ;), we only
have one telco until 2010, which charged us by minutes. Combined
with ISP cost (charged by hours), we should pay for our online
time (converted) cca. US $0.8 to $1 per hour. Compared to our
average income rate, that's relatively expensive...
Combined with internet status as "the hype", this situation makes
commercial cybercafe as a thriving IT small bussines model: You
pay only for single online connection, and charged each users
about the same online cost per hours. The more terminals/users
online you have, the more profit you'll get. You'll even enjoy
free access, when you have at least one user online.
Common setup used here are WinNT Server-Win9x and Linux-Win9x;
Linux-Linux are just emerges. The LAN commonly using UTP NICs+
HUB, but some also utilizing BNC with terminators to save initial
costs (harder to troubleshoot, yes... ;). The server either using
IPmasq (Linux) or WinGate/WinProxy (NT server) plus a custom-made
billing software. The PC's commonly used are pre-P's (P-I), which
are already SurvPC's for most of you. No wonder why some foreign
customers commonly cursed them as slow dinosaurs <g>.
As safety precautions, these PC's (tower casings) are chained with
padlocks to the PC tables' shelfs, connectors are virtually out of
reach behind the tables -- a simple but effective way to prevent
"PClifting". Keyboards and mouses are off course still vulnerable,
but only to excessive use damages -- the only way to stole them
is by cutting their cables.
So what's the point? From time to time I read on this list that
some of you are those who possesed excellent computing knowledge
by self-taught and experience, but still, quite unlucky in the
real world, that barely able to afford a low-end internet
connection.
If you have some friends in your area that share the same
interest on internet access, you might able to overcome your
problem by implementing this cybercafe model. By sharing one
ISP account, each person in your local group will enjoy a
significant save in online time cost.
Who knows, if you're lucky, you might able to expand your
private cybercafe to a full-blown commercial one, and thus
solve your economical problems as well... Be creative though,
you might need to combine the cybercafe with a conventional
cafe or a donut shop in order to make it work in the real
world ;-)
PS- To some of you, the concept "cybercafe" here might
equivalent to public internet terminals in your local
libraries. The commercial ones might equivalent
to indor payphone booths -- except that the phones
are internet-connected PC's.
--Eko
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