Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!exodus!randolph
From: randolph@cognito.Eng.Sun.COM (Randolph Fritz)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Access to the electronic frontier: ISDN
Message-ID: <9928@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 16 Mar 91 01:39:58 GMT
References: <9508@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> <1991Mar12.065735.11507@vpnet.chi.il.us>
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Organization: St. Dismas Infirmary for the Incurably Informed
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Louis Giliberto points out that large organizations can afford
internal leased lines, that BBS's don't seem to need ISDN, and that
it's pretty business-oriented and that's not too useful.

Your point that large organizations can afford leased services is
exactly right -- the use of ISDN is in interconnecting smaller
organizations, individuals, and establishing temporary links between
large organizations (consider fax).  Because ISDN shares transmission
lines with regular telephone service, most of the cost of an ISDN
network has already been paid; the price comes in reach of (at least)
small businesses and, from tariffs I've seen, individual users as
well.  It's potentially quite cheap -- after an initial installation
fee, the rate is about twice the cost of a regular phone line and the
data transmission rate is over six times that of our fastest
(voice-band) modems, which would probably pay for itself after only a
few loads.

As for it being business-oriented -- that was also once true of the
plain old telephone and the plain old modem.  That works in our favor.
The technical improvements in pc's and modems have been driven largely
by business applications -- and we get to make use of the results.

As for what we could do with it -- ISDN would enable BBS's and
commercial services to offer the kinds of things currently only
available on the internet -- real-time conversations, animated
messages, audio.  Something closer to what we wish cyberspace were,
rather than what it currently is.  The broader range of media will, I
hope, draw in more users.  So I think it's very much worth working
for.

   nd t
 ou    ui
R Press  T  __Randolph Fritz  sun!cognito.eng!randolph || randolph@eng.sun.com
 ou    ui     Mountain View, California, North America, Earth
   nd t