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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: can.general
Subject: Re: A Canadian Unix Network?
Message-ID: <8395@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 8-Aug-87 21:52:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.8395
Posted: Sat Aug  8 21:52:14 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Aug-87 21:52:14 EDT
References: <1987Aug4.235121.22896@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 25

> ... in long term we NEED something better.  Reading news is one
> thing Stuart, but wouldn't you rather have the capability of ftp'ing your 
> favourite programs or whatever instantaneously? ...

We need *both*, unless the latter capability can be had at cost equal to or
lower than the former.  Real-time communication certainly is useful, but one
thing that Usenet demonstrates is that non-real-time communication is good
enough for a lot of things.  There will be many sites that won't be able to
justify the extra price of fast real-time, if it does cost extra.  (Remember
that many sites' Official Budget for Usenet is ZERO.)

One reason why utzoo -- a zoology department! -- was the first Canadian
Usenet site [for all practical purposes]:  several other more-likely-sounding
sites were so mesmerized by the concept of real-time communication at high
speeds that they disdained non-real-time communication at phone-line rates.
They ended up joining Usenet later, when it had demonstrated its usefulness
and their hypothetical fast real-time links were still hypothetical.

It would be great to have a fast country-wide real-time network that anybody
(not just universities!) could get onto at trivial cost.  However, until that
millenium arrives, let us not neglect possibilities for lesser improvements
in network service.
-- 
Support sustained spaceflight: fight |  Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
the soi-disant "Planetary Society"!  | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henry