In message  <[log in to unmask]>
[log in to unmask] writes:
> On Sat, 22 Jan 1994, Guy Hermann wrote:
>
> > Its nice to think that the Internet is the place to be, but if you want to
> > reach THE PUBLIC, America Online is a much better choice in the short run.
>
> Yes - if THE PUBLIC you refer to is thought of as people in the States -
> more than 40% of the Internet-nodes are now outside US (ref. Quarterman's
> 'A guide to Internet Connectivity') and it is not as easy or inexpensive
> for people in, say Europe or Australia to use AOL. I believe that museums
> that want to go on-line would benefit more from connecting up with the world
> (of Internet) in the long run instead of focusing on fancy 'local' BBS'es.
>
> Kim Baumann Larsen, College of Architecture - SICSA, University of Houston
>
Just to show that what Kim Larsen says is true, I am writing as a European
to say that data stored on local systems such as AOL will be quite
inaccessible to us unless they provide full Internet connections, and
presumably they will not do this as it would undermine their economic basis.
 
It would not be worth our while to subscribe to separate systems for separate
files of data - the great beauty of Internet is that we can pick up
information from a specialist source for a "one-off" need, which would not
justify the hassle and delay of setting up a subscription, quite apart from
the cost.
 
Incidentally my private SLIP/PPP full Internet connection via a commercial
provider in the UK (Demon) costs 10 pounds (say $15) per month, with no
time charges except for the cost of a local phone call.
 
I write from the perspective of, until the end of this month, Head of
Library and Information Services at the Science Museum, London (though
these opinions are my own).
 
--
Leonard Will
Information Management Consultant           Tel: +44 81 366 7386
27 Calshot Way, ENFIELD, Middlesex          Email: [log in to unmask]
EN2 7BQ, United Kingdom