KROVETZ@cs.umass.EDU (11/22/88)
I can see two possibilities for bringing networks to the average consumer: cable tv, and the phone system (perhaps they will be merged in the future). In terms of cable tv, I know of one relevant experiment: Stargate. This is a system for transmitting USENET articles over the vertical blanking interval of WTBS (Ted Turner's Superstation). The vertical blanking interval is the black line you see if your picture starts to roll. If you adjusted the vertical hold, you could actually see the bits being transmitted! I remember that a decoder was developed at a cost of about $500, plus an annual subscription charge. The intent of the system was to lower the phone bills for sites that had a lot of traffic. I don't know if the system is still in use. As far as the phone system, we already have systems like Compuserve, Fidonet, and USENET (anyone want to speculate on what's going to happen to network traffic if the NeXT machine becomes as popular as MACs?). The major limitation on using the phone system is the currently low baud rate. With the introduction of ISDN, home lines will have 64KBaud transmission rates. Does anyone know when such services will be offered to the average consumer? How much are they expected to cost? One of the most interesting questions to me is how can issues of copyright be dealt with if the average consumer has a 64Kbaud network connection? -bob krovetz@cs.umass.edu or krovetz@umass.bitnet
sewilco@datapg.MN.ORG (Scot E. Wilcoxon) (11/25/88)
In article <8811211958.AA12050@crash.cs.umass.edu> KROVETZ@cs.umass.EDU writes: >I can see two possibilities for bringing networks to the >average consumer: cable tv, and the phone system (perhaps >they will be merged in the future). In terms of cable tv, >I know of one relevant experiment: Stargate. This is a I've had an X*PRESS modem for many months. It cost well under $100 US, connects to my city cable TV, and produces 9600 bps serial data. The data includes news, weather, sports, various feature articles, and stock market activity. Software for major PCs is available, but for other machines you have to code your own (perhaps also figuring out the format). I don't know exactly how the data is transmitted. My cable company does know about the service so they might have some support equipment. All I can see is an M/A COM label with a frequency, an empty accessory slot, a pulsing DATA light, and the data. -- Scot E. Wilcoxon sewilco@DataPg.MN.ORG {amdahl|hpda}!bungia!datapg!sewilco Data Progress UNIX masts & rigging +1 612-825-2607 I'm just reversing entropy while waiting for the Big Crunch.
leif@ambone.UUCP (Leif Andrew Rump) (11/28/88)
USA and a lot of European contries has ISDN networks installed on test basis and it works! The big deal with ISDN is that the telephone companies is able to use the existing telephone cables so ISDN could be the system of tomorrow (more or less litterely!) Leif Andrew Rump, Ambrasoft A/S, Roejelskaer 15, DK-2840 Holte (Denmark) UUCP: leif@ambone.dk, phone: +45 2424 111, touch phone: +45 422 817 + 313 BBS1: ABC BBS: +45 68 00 544, 3/12, 24h, 2:505/38 (ABC Sysop) BBS2: PC-Club BBS: +45 68 0270, 3/12/24, 24h, 2:505/54 (PC-Club Sysop) Please note the node-change: Ambone, Italian for a pulpit (The following interpretations emerged Am_bone, Ambrasoft A/S bone when Ambone was put down on paper and Amb_one, Ambrasoft A/S #one accepted - they are solely mine!!!!!) ...