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From: jms@mrsvax.mis.arizona.edu (The IRS gets 28% of this message---and everything else I own)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: compuserve
Message-ID: <22MAY91152850@mrsvax.mis.arizona.edu>
Date: 22 May 91 20:28:50 GMT
References: <1991May16.211344.16328@informatik.uni-erlangen.de> 
 <1991May17.131622.16043@oar.net> <1991May21.165458.7441@sci34hub.sci.com> <.QHBBXB@xds13.ferranti.com>
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In article <.QHBBXB@xds13.ferranti.com>, peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes...
>In article <1991May21.165458.7441@sci34hub.sci.com> gary@sci34hub.sci.com (Gary Heston) writes:
> 
>I'm sure it'd look like this:
> 
>	% telnet compuserve.com
>	Trying...
>	Connected to compuserve.com.
>	Escape character is '^]'.
>	Host: CIS
>	Username: 70216,1076
>	Password:
> 

Actually, this service is already available.  All you have to do is find
one of the sites which has both a CompuServe link and an Internet link
that is willing to handle your traffic.  When I log onto CompuServe, I
sure don't use no slow dialin line.  

> 
>> If CIS could see money in telnet/ftp connections, it'd already be done.
> 
>They have their eyes closed.

CompuServe is very technically adept, and has a number of very good
people working for it.  However, it runs as an extremely low-overhead
organization.  The question is not whether they "see money" in such a
connection; there have been individuals calling for such a connection for
at least 9 years.  The question is where the project falls in a long list
of projects, all designed to satisfy customer requests.  It is clear from
their current directions that CompuServe is ready to offer such a connection;
the current impediments are almost certainly political, legal, and procedural
rather than technical.

In any case, such aspersions in this forum do nothing to improve the situation; 
a well-worded letter requesting such a capability sent to the appropriate
vice president (probably Sandy Trevor) certainly would be a more useful
use of all our time.

jms

Joel M Snyder, 627 E Speedway, 85705  Phone: 602.626.8680 FAX: 602.795.0900
The Mosaic Group, Dep't of MIS, the University of Arizona, Tucson
BITNET: jms@arizona  Internet: jms@arizona.edu  SPAN: 47541::telcom::jms   
"Communication without purpose is artistic masturbation." - Rod Steiger