As long as people are exchanging SLIP recipes, I would like to point
out that SLIP software is bundled with OS/2 Warp (more conventionally
known as OS/2 3.0.)  The package (in the "Bonus Pack" on a separate
CD in the same box) contains a "virtual TCP/IP" driver, "dialer"
software to access your SLIP provider, and a nice collection of
Internet client software.  The WWW client, "Web Explorer", is not
included but can be fetched by FTP or as an automated update
via the SLIP connection.
 
IBM has a default provider named Advantis, which can provide local
access from many US and foreign cities.  If you prefer another
provider you can configure the software to contact them instead of
Advantis.
 
Granted that you would not want to change operating systems just
to get SLIP software, but if you are considering moving to OS/2
anyway this is a quick and easy way to get started.  From what I
have seen of the product I would recommend it, especially after
they get the residual bugs squashed.  (At the moment, the
IBM and Advantis techs are dashing around maddly with virtual
flyswatters, but they have been most helpful in chasing down my
particular collection of electronic entomology.  Cross fingers,
knock wood... if the software patch (to deal with an obsolete UART)
works, I may be able to resubscribe to MUSEUM-L from [log in to unmask]
this weekend.)
 
Since I feel guilty about sending this off without *any* museum-
related content, I'll just remark on the "interactive vs. directed"
thread that has started recently.  I'm not sure I really like the
new sort of museum exhibits that "tell a story" -- you start at one
end, visit all the exhibits in order, and emerge from the exit with
a clearer and deeper understanding of whatever-it-was the exhibit
was about.  I guess my unease boils down to: if the subject was
best presented in a linear fashion, why is it in a museum exhibit
instead of in a linear medium such as a book, or better, a movie?
My favorite museum exhibits (with a few notable exceptions, such
as the magnificent "Field to Factory" in the NMAH) have been the
random-access type where you wander from place to place, making
your own sense of it all.
 
The obvious objection to this sort of exhibit is that many people
make *no* sense of it, or only carry their own prejudices in and
out.  It takes a certain amount of literacy (in both the subject
matter and in museums in general) to "read" an exhibit.  If we
have important points to make, it is tempting to design the thing
in such a way that nobody can miss them.  (The previous sentence
is to be read with a certain amount of irony, and a consideration
of the institution from which I am writing.)
 
To summarize with an anecdote:  some years ago I had pinned
a big drawing of mine, showing seals morphing into Native American
women, over my workspace in the Invertebrate Zoology department.
Our snail specialist, who is also a talented poet, examined the
piece for some time in silence.  "That would make a good poem,"
he said.  Then he paused, thought a minute and added, "But if
it was something you could say as a poem, you would have written one."
 
Are museum exhibits simultaneous and randomly-accessible, like
drawings, or linear, like poetry?  I'm sure there are as many
opinions on this list as there are subscribers.
 
Barbara Weitbrecht
National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
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and possibly [log in to unmask] if the UART holds up