Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!sgi!silvlis.com!jimb
From: jimb@silvlis.com (Jim Budler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Re: Compuserve - Is it worth it?
Message-ID: <1990Jun1.061939.5632@silvlis.com>
Date: 1 Jun 90 06:19:39 GMT
References: <52632.264F9A8F@cmhgate.FIDONET.ORG> <1990May15.173541.19718@portia.Stanford.EDU> <1990May18.205026.23560@athena.mit.edu> <1990May19.101736.13268@zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu> <1336@ziggy.EDU> <103@nrl-cmf.UUCP>
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Reply-To: jimb@silvlis.com (Jim Budler)
Organization: Silvar-Lisco,Inc. Sunnyvale Ca.
Lines: 31

In article <103@nrl-cmf.UUCP> phillips@cmsun.UUCP (Lee Phillips) writes:
>If you already have free access to net newsgroups, then Compuserve
>has little to offer you besides a monthly bill.  I tried it out for
>awhile because they gave me some free time, but I couldn't see the 
>point.  If you travel often, perhaps the online air schedules are 
>worth something, though.

Yes, but no.

Things Compuserve offers, which netnews does not:

	Permanent mail address. I am always reachable via
	72415.1200@compuserve.com, whatever the changes of job and
	netnews access.

	Archive. There are archives of mac (and other) programs on
	Compuserve dating back through pre-mac times. Yes sumacc offers
	this also, but sumacc is less than accessable to non-ftp
	sites.

	Time. I picked up Disinfectant 1.8 on Compuserve before it
	started to appear here. Of course, if you have ftp access
	it was available sooner, but that isn't netnews.

My point is that judicious use of Compuserve can provide a very complementary
information source to netnews.

jim
--
Jim Budler          jimb@silvlis.com       +1.408.991.6061
Silvar-Lisco, Inc. 703 E. Evelyn Ave. Sunnyvale, Ca. 94086