-- [ From: amp * EMC.Ver #2.3 ] -- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- From: Timothy C. May \ Internet: (tcmay@got.net) TM> I'm skeptical of the "Diskless Internet Box = Telephone" analogy. TM> Folks I know who are not computer-savvy, or who have other things TM> they'd rather be doing, are not likely, as I see it, to buy boxes TM> that still require them to type messages to other people but that TM> don't allow them to download and save the interesting stuff they TM> find. TM> The telephone appealed to those who truly wanted to "just keep TM> talking"...that was the beauty of it. Most people don't know how to TM> touch-type, and typing by hunting-and-pecking is painful and unnatural TM> for most people. i guess it kinda depends upon the epoch in which you grow up. when telephones were first introduced, it didn't seem as natural to people as it does for us today. i've got a copy of the encyclopedia britanica published in 1903 that has some _facinating_ stuff on telecommunications. (i'm in the process of scanning it in. anyone who is interested in it can email me an i'll send it to you when i'm done. 1903=no copyright) i've seen people's typing skills improve remarkedly just through sheer repetition. i think that hunt-and-peck falls to look-and-peck if you find yourself typing to any serious degree rather quickly. TM> A couple of years ago "the computer for the rest of us" was said to be TM> a pen-based Newton-type machine, now it is said to be a diskless, TM> memory-limited "Eunuchs" machine. unless memory becomes _real cheap_ real fast, diskless workstations won't do. i don't see why it would be so hard for those pushing these machines to add enough disk to make it usable and still stay cheap. otoh, i don't think the internet is enough of a pull for people to want machines like this even if they did have local storage. i figure most people want computers to do something more for them than send e-mail. hell, i can send e-mail with a modem and dumb terminal. (been there-done that). i think the thing that will kill this idea will be the simple fact that people expect a computer to do more than what those pushing this 'technology' think they do. TM> I see a greater chance that home game machines, such as the 3DO and Sony TM> PlayStation machines will get Web browsers done for them than I do that TM> people will buy machines that are so limited. good call. i think people will soon be expecting more out of those game machinges than they currently do. i know i sure as hell would given the price. why can't current came machines support telecommunications? the modem i'm using to send this message is running on a dsp chip. i remember playing falcon-at via modem several years ago. it was a hoot even at the bauds available then. at 14.4 or better it would be a real hoot. TM> The only relevance of this whole topic to Cypherpunks TM> is....is....minimal. same here. however, what is happening in the computer business does have _some_ relevance to crypto as we have to see where the market is heading. amp <0003701548@mcimail.com> (since 10/31/88) <alan.pugh@internetmci.com> PGP Key = 57957C9D PGP FP = FA 02 84 7D 82 57 78 E4 E2 1C 7B 88 62 A6 F9 F7 November 29, 1995 18:18 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQEVAwUBMLzqZ4dTfgZXlXydAQFxQgf9HY6aE53ZURtH10XrHlRggYrwK88WXtxf GmF1Vq8Gs7kwf3E71e8hDKCMJ6BDMTded2oYZjx1gmBMImxSczTX721IzbXttAKx H5Nm/hMAV85DdJhxexENY5Do9naf68YAklcloVr3UdTHI+KMeIbTKQdWp//s89Rx E02ohxyHIS/ckDRo89AMzVZWYv9dpP1Ua9VKAWM0uARtCITTDfM3ZvxRE7P7FYky xpnSHP2dobWWNIOl/4CUFmbYoOgi0nkWrEslisKJ67H/oL+8rkdts3qaKqIa/feV gqplKYmDB97diEjjuQCbqYUqGuwnSudrcpUnV4E9DkVOFALgdRC/aA== =9xHp -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----