129 lines
6.0 KiB
Plaintext
129 lines
6.0 KiB
Plaintext
From gnu@toad.com Sun Apr 4 11:27:04 1993
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Received: from toad.com by fido.wps.com (5.67/1.34)
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id AA03739; Sun, 4 Apr 93 11:26:57 -0700
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Received: from localhost by toad.com id AA03562; Sun, 4 Apr 93 11:29:34 PDT
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Message-Id: <9304041829.AA03562@toad.com>
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To: tomj@fido.wps.com
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Subject: ["CRAWFORD": FIDOnet: planter of Internet "seeds"....]
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Date: Sun, 04 Apr 93 11:29:33 -0700
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From: gnu@toad.com
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Status: OR
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FYI
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------- Forwarded Message
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Message-Id: <137339@nysaes.cornell.edu>
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To: gnu@eff.org
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X-Also-To: dave@oldcolo.com, mkapor@eff.org, barlow@eff.org,
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sbb@well.sf.ca.us, edyson@mcimail.com, jberman@eff.org,
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fig@eff.org, farber@central.cis.upenn.edu
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From: "CRAWFORD" <J35@nysaes.cornell.edu>
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Subject: FIDOnet: planter of Internet "seeds"....
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Date: 03 Apr 93 11:45:35 EST
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> From: "Arthur R. McGee" <amcgee@NETCOM.COM>
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>
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> > As you seem to be well versed in FidoNet technology why don't you
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> > inform us as to what 'they just don't know' about FidoNet?
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>
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> I was referring to the fact that store-and-forward networking
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> systems are a VERY viable alternative to the PROMISES being made in
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> Washington. I agree with you that if given the choice, I would want
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> EVERYONE to have FULL Internet access just like me. Unfortunately,
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> everyone doesn't know the people I know or make the salary that I
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> do in order to be able to afford that sort of technology. What's
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> scary is that in relative comparison to the people on this list, I
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> would probably consider myself poor. That is only an assumption,
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> but the point I'm trying to make is that those "under" me are
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> really at a disadvantage.
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>
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Arthur, you may have "hit the nail on the head". While real-time access
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to the Internet for _all_ people is certainly the goal, the equity of
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access issue presents the biggest stumbling block at this
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point. We need to look very strongly at BOTH real-time AND
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store-and-forward technologies.
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Here's an example of what I mean.
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I work for a teacher center which serves 25 _rural_ public
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school districts in a 2,200 square mile area in the FInger
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Lakes Region of western New York. These include about 3,700
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educators and 40,000 kids. They are located in 14 different
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local calling areas served by five different phone companies
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in three different area codes. (What a nightmare!) None of
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them have local-call access to a major metropolitan area
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(Rochester) and there are no public universities in this area.
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They are mired in the "we are long distance to the rest of the
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civilized world" mindset. A very discouraging number of these
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schools don't even have a telephone in their libraries, let
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alone in their classrooms as a result.
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Even though the state is fumbling around with developing a
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statewide network, it's clear that it will be many, many, many
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years before the average kid or even teacher in the average
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classroom has any real, meanignful access to the network, and,
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presumably, the Internet. I doubt if the parents and taxpayers
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in the surrounding communities will ever be given the kind of
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access we'd really like to see everyone have. In any case, the
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overall cost to the taxpayer will be astronomical.
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However, 10 of my 25 schools now own and operate their own
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FIDO/K12net BBS which provide internationally circulated
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"newsgroups", email access to any of 20,000 FIDOnet BBS's
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worldwide as well as to/from the Internet and locally
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maintained file libraries which are "ftp-able" by sysops on
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other BBS's. An early incarnation of an "Archie" is even
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available. Furthermore, anyone can "telnet" to any other BBS
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by simply calling it with their modem. The students, teachers
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_and_their_communities_ now have access to an international
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cyber-community on a local phone call with no fees of any
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kind. (FIDO/K12net is "militantly free").
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These BBS's may not be full-blown Internet, but they're here
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now, they're dirt cheap, they're "grassroots" and they work!
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.....and the whole concept is _very_ replicable on a large
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scale. Our students, teachers and, just_as_importantly, parents
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and _taxpayers_ are getting a taste of what telecommunications
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is all about. They are learning how to "ride a bicycle". Soon
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they'll want a Harley.... This environment is a "foot in the
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door" for the Internet....
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FIDO/K12net BBS's are popping up in schools and communities
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all over the world because real-time Internet connections are
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not accessible or economically feasible for them. One of the
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main reasons for embracing FIDO/K12net is that the equipment,
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software, telephone, training and sysop expertise requirements
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are _very_ modest. One of my schools is actually running their
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BBS on one of the original IBM PC's built in 1982! (The
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"TRS-80 killer!) They found it in a closet. The cover was
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missing. But a student/teacher team found a hard drive and
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modem for it, installed the shareware BBS system software
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themselves and now their school and surrounding community are
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beginning to discover what the "global village" is all about!
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The sysops have also become the "in house" training and
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technical "gurus". They are learning "how to fish" rather than
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being "fed a fish for today" and now have their own home grown
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beginnings of a "Freenet" that is serving their local
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community beyond just the educational needs of it's kids.
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FIDO/K12net is a "planter of seeds"... The rural schools and
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communities with their own FIDO/K2net BBS start to develop
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the _interest_and_resolve_ that it will take to set up and
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fund a real-time Internet node such as a Cleveland FREEnet.
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I'd like to see the people in this list, the Congress and
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elsewhere recognize this role and begin to develop ways to
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help nurture these little FIDO/K12net "seedlings" to grow into
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fine, strong Internet Trees.
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=jack=
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Jack Crawford, Educ Tech. Spec. Internet: jack@rochgte.fidonet.org
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3501 County Road 20 FIDO/K12net: Jack Crawford 1:260/620
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Stanley, NY 14561 Voice phone: 716/526-6431
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K12net Council of Coordinators K12net founder
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------- End of Forwarded Message
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