On Nov 28, 2003 04:25pm, MIKE HESTER wrote to ED KOON:

EK>> AOL is a glorified BBS that offers email and web access, the
EK>> same thing i could do with a dial up line and wildcat navigator.

MH> So, AOL is a glorified BBS?  That makes the common BBS what?
MH> Cyberspace even more dumbed down?  The logic here is unfathomable.
MH> Maybe you could refer back to Mr. Cassell's earlier observation
MH> and try to follow the argument through to this point.  Perhaps
MH> you should first ask, "What's cyberspace?"

A true ISP will allow a ppp or slip connection to the net, once you are
socketed off you go whereever you wish. I know that may be ahead of your
understanding but AOL gives you a ppp connection to the net with a dynamic IP
each time you connect plus there pre packaged garbage like "you got
pictures"
the rest of us just attach em to an email. but the AOL'ers are too dumd to
figure it out.

MH> I'm not familiar with Wildcat Navigator.  Can it facilitate live
MH> concerts?  Does it deliver all of the web's graphics in the same
MH> number of colors and resolutions as AOL does in combination with
MH> Internet Explorer?  AOL does more than provide access to the Internet.
MH> It also gathers information and makes it available by menus that
MH> are navigated with a mouse.  Selections are made by clicking on
MH> a mouse button.  This represents work done by people operating
MH> behind the scenes of the "glorified BBS."  There are many such
MH> people with all manner of skills, talents and levels of education
MH> and experience.

The Wildcat navigator provides a ppp like connection to the net giving you a
16bit winsock connection through a dial up modem to surf the web or use ftp,
telnet, etc off the sysops net connection. There is also Wcppp that provides a
true 32bit winsock connection to the net through windows dial up networking.

If you get right down to it, any online service that offers propriatory content
besides net access is really just a bbs offering net access.

Ed

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