Hi, Alex :)

Sunday December 08 2002 05:29, Alex Shakhaylo wrote to Felipe T. Dorado:

 MV>>> The future of communication is in the InterNet

 FD>> In _an_ internet, yes.

 MV>>> but if that is also the future of FidoNet, I am not so sure
 MV>>> about.

 FD>> Nor am I.

 AS> I am. does it count ? 

You bet it does  :)

 AS> If you track nodelist for a year or two you'll see that the
 AS> number of
 AS> ip nodes increases and the number of POTS ones decreases. For me it is
 AS> clear sign about the fidonet future (if any).

Too simplistic a statistic, don't you think?  There are many factors involved.
Allow me to forget about the "if any"  };)
Fido is more than a mail network, it is a means of communicating. Just as
an internet or the phone, or radio, or newspapers are.

Ok, an inet is the future. Yes, it is. I said that above and that's what I
believe now and what I believed when I bought my first modem, precisely
because it _was_ the future.

Now, when will that future be present?  For how many countries and how many
people will it be present?    In two years?  Fine, I'll sign for that and
forget POTS.
But this Inet was already the future back in '96, and in some countries it
was the future as far back as '92 or even earlier. So, 10 years have gone
by and ... how many people do actually have an IP conection which can be
used for Fidonet also?  They're not as many as was forseen/promised, are
they?

So, until that future comes, and I repeat I think it will come, what's
wrong with using pots?  What's wrong with keeping the promotion of pots and
BBSs?
And if one is not for actually promoting them, at least leave them alone
and stop saying that they are dead. My 486 with NWDos is not dead, it
works.
Not only they are not dead but there are much more people on the planet who
would be greatful if they had Fido mail, or any kind of e-mail, than the
ones who consider pots obsolete because they've had IP for years.

About half of the people I know and consider friends do not even own a
computer, while I have 5 running boxes right here. Yes, they been saying
for years that they have to get up to date with those machines.
And a great portion of the other half use inet as they would use a fax or a
tv set and video ...
We are not a poor country, we have computers and cable all round us. What
about all the other countries which are worse off so far?  Would they not
benefit from Fido ... _through any kind of connection_?  Or do they have to
wait until an internet reaches them while their phonelines are only used
for expensive speaking?

The planet is larger than we think. Even though we've grown since we were little.

Felipe  :)

--- Fastecho 1.45/GED/Fd 2.12