On Sat, 22 Jan 1994, Guy Hermann wrote:
 
[stuff on AOL costs versus Internet costs deleted]
 
> 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.
> It may be "commercial," but it works for me.
> Guy Hermann   | Mystic Seaport Museum | Gentle breah of yours my sails
> [log in to unmask]   |  Mystic, Conn., USA   | Must fill or else my project fails
 
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