US/ND-2: Re: Why the Internet?
Re: Why the Internet?
Link Shadley (lshadley@seasurf.com)
Fri, 06 Sep 1996 04:08:06 +0000
Bob Carlitz wrote:
>
>
> The key to an understanding of why the Internet is such an important
> resource for schools and libraries is SCALABILITY. The Internet has
> a structure which allows it to accommodate increasing numbers of users
> at a given site or at multiple sites in a region without a wholesale
> re-engineering of the system and without costs which grow in strict
> proportion to the number of users.
>
This is an important point. We have schools in Oregon where teachers
and students have held bake sales, bought some wire and a modem from
Radio Shack, came into school afterhours (and dodged the electrical
inspector) to string telco lines to thier classroom so they could have
some connectivity. We also have schools which have planned large LAN
and WAN systems, gone successfully to the voters for a technology levy
and are now installing very large, high bandwidth systems. Most
schools, however, are somewhere in between.
However Universal Service and access is defined - I hope we place no
limitations or impose system standards on schools which would impair
their creativity in utilizing this new resource.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* In Balance, Link Shadley *
* LANCE - Ecotrust - Clatsop Community College *
* (503) 325-9657 lshadley@orednet.org *
* lshadley@seasurf.com *
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