PE> I reckon someone like RV Williams should run a BBS, similar
PE> to the way Ponts is setting up internet.  I can't see the thrill
PE> in using the Internet instead of a BBS to do your trading.

RS> Its never gunna happen. Going the internet route
RS> allows them to pass off all the support stuff. They aint
RS> gunna do the handholding for BBS callers themselves.

PE> I would, if each caller was giving me income.

You arent running a stockbroking operation tho. It really is a
hell of a lot easier to have those customers use the support their
internet service provider has, particular with the hopeless customers.

It really aint trivial at all providing a phone support
system to assist the customers to get their end working.

You want to try it, even say a quite simple system which allowed
the customer to type in his order details on his PC and have the
code you provide just do the equivalent of a crashmail to the
machine in the broking office for the order itself. Once you
have the vast variety of hardware and modems possible out in
the field in the customers hands, its not trivial at all.

Just imagine you had done that say 2 years ago, and you had managed
to get hordes of moderately technically competent customers decide
that thats a beaut way to do their share trading. You would be current
getting swamped with people who had it break as they add Win95 now.

PE> Especially if it's business you wouldn't otherwise have.

Yes, but you are talking about attracting new business. You
still get that new business if you say 'get an internet account
with Ozemail, send your orders to xxxx'. You still get the new
business and THEY get to wear the support calls, not you.

--- PQWK202