Free Internet services
Posted by
Mark Fraser
on 2001-11-06 10:22:28 UTC
The mailing list handlers at academic sites were wonderful in the days
of a few hundred thousand or a few million Internet users.
Many public-minded people have set up sites specifically to serve
special interest communities, with no profit motive at all.
As our population grows, the number of people in an interest group
AND their ability to participate, has exploded. A modest machine
on an ISDN link just won't hack it any more - many sites are looking
at 3,000 or 10,000 dollar a MONTH bills from hosting sites just to
handle the hits and traffic that WE, the public, generate.
For a while, banner ads would pay the bills, but WE don't click through
any more.
Now, I'll be happy to share whatever I can with people having similar
interests, but you won't catch me spending thousands a month out of
my own pocket to do it.
So, the "free" model has been overwhelmed by the costs of serving
what are now huge audiences.
I, too, paid Compu$erve lots of money in the old days.
I still pay my ISP for accounts, as do most people. Every part of
the Internet costs money to someone. In comparison with the
telco monopoly switched network, the costs are so close to zero that
we all look at it as free. Cisco doesn't give away routers.
Fiber optic makers don't give away cable. The people who bury it
charge for their services. Hosting facilities aren't built by
philanthropists.
We're in the "adjustment" period between the dream of dot com and
free everything and the reality of having to pay for everything that
is worthwhile. Won't have to pay much, mind you, unless the telcos
have their way and manage to take it ALL back. What we lack is
a way to pay our share, or if our share is already included in
our 19.95 a month, we lack means to get some of that to the
generous people who want to share their resources, and to the
entrepreneurs who want to earn a living, like Yahoo.
However, blowing away the archive holding the collective knowledge
of 1500 participants in this list, without warning, is a shitty
public relations move, and I hope to see yahoogroups holding
a prominent position at http://www.fu**edcompany.com, real soon.
/mark
of a few hundred thousand or a few million Internet users.
Many public-minded people have set up sites specifically to serve
special interest communities, with no profit motive at all.
As our population grows, the number of people in an interest group
AND their ability to participate, has exploded. A modest machine
on an ISDN link just won't hack it any more - many sites are looking
at 3,000 or 10,000 dollar a MONTH bills from hosting sites just to
handle the hits and traffic that WE, the public, generate.
For a while, banner ads would pay the bills, but WE don't click through
any more.
Now, I'll be happy to share whatever I can with people having similar
interests, but you won't catch me spending thousands a month out of
my own pocket to do it.
So, the "free" model has been overwhelmed by the costs of serving
what are now huge audiences.
I, too, paid Compu$erve lots of money in the old days.
I still pay my ISP for accounts, as do most people. Every part of
the Internet costs money to someone. In comparison with the
telco monopoly switched network, the costs are so close to zero that
we all look at it as free. Cisco doesn't give away routers.
Fiber optic makers don't give away cable. The people who bury it
charge for their services. Hosting facilities aren't built by
philanthropists.
We're in the "adjustment" period between the dream of dot com and
free everything and the reality of having to pay for everything that
is worthwhile. Won't have to pay much, mind you, unless the telcos
have their way and manage to take it ALL back. What we lack is
a way to pay our share, or if our share is already included in
our 19.95 a month, we lack means to get some of that to the
generous people who want to share their resources, and to the
entrepreneurs who want to earn a living, like Yahoo.
However, blowing away the archive holding the collective knowledge
of 1500 participants in this list, without warning, is a shitty
public relations move, and I hope to see yahoogroups holding
a prominent position at http://www.fu**edcompany.com, real soon.
/mark