 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group CPU (Club President's Update) Charles Wright charles@melbpc.org.au |
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As I write this, your committee is considering a major investment in our Internet service. What is proposed is that we treble the number of incoming lines, and provide an active hub to improve security.
It is clear that there is a demand for additional lines. Our initial planning was based on the expectation that we might get perhaps 700 subscribers. In fact, by the time you read this we will have more than twice that. In one week alone last month 300 new members signed up, following one of my fortnightly appearances (Tuesdays, 3pm) on the Doug Aiton show on 3LO. That indicates not just the reach of that show, whose host, I'm pleased to say, is now a member of our group, but also the level of community interest in the Internet.
The result is that the 16 lines we thought would be perfectly adequate in the initial stages just aren't enough. Many members have had to make several attempts to connect, and depending on the time of day, some have experienced substantial delays.
On the BBS, in our Internet newsgroups, and in general conversation with members, you'll find a number of opinions on how we ought to react to this.
Some suggest that we have to refuse any additional applications, on the basis of first-in, best-dressed. Others think we should reduce the 90 minutes per day allotted to each subscriber, or allocate some lines which allow only enough time to download mail and perhaps one or two newsgroups, and charge more for freer access. One or two say that far too much attention is being paid to the Internet, that we run the risk of becoming the Melbourne Internet User Group, and that we ought not to be catering for what they regard as a lot of
"johnny-come-latelies" whose sole interest is cheap access to the Internet. The Internet, they say, is going to lessen social interaction within the group.
Some of the more patient souls recommend that members ought to accept the fact that they're getting a bargain, and stop whingeing.
My own view, and I think it's pretty general among the committee, is that we should give as many members as possible the chance to use the Internet. It may be that we'll reach some practical limitations which will force us to close applications, but for the moment, we should keep the gates open. (Hint: If you feel you might want to join the Internet in the near future, it might be wise to reserve your place by applying now.) We should make it as cheap as possible - without risking the club's financial future. But the fact that a service is cheap doesn't necessarily have to mean that it's inferior.
I also believe that the Internet is central to our activities. In the near future I suspect it will overtake the magazine as our most valued asset. And far from lessening contact between members, the Internet is going to improve it. People are able to share information and insights through email and newsgroups and the other Internet services, in a way that simply hasn't been possible in the unwired world.
Electronic communications can provide an unbelievably strong sense of community. Telnet into a service like The Well, and you enter an online representation of a Paris salon, an Irish pub, or a San Francisco hairdressing salon. People exchange information and emotions, and establish relationships that are as deep as any you'll form in real-life.
Through our Internet link, we make it possible for our members to discover a world that offers far more than the World Wide Web - which is not to say that the Web isn't an increasingly fascinating phenomenon. Used effectively, particularly when you sniff out good
listservers, e-mail is still the single most valuable online resource. For some, IRC is a totally addictive experience. When linked with new voice programs like VocalTec's Internet Phone it can dramatically reduce long-distance phone bills. Telnet allows you to cross the world instantly, to places like The Well, or
ECHO-NYC, or the other communities that are being created online. When more of our members participate in these activities, they'll bring back to us ideas and energy that will enrich the club, as much as their own lives.
It would be extravagant, at the rates we're charging, to provide a service which meant that members never got a busy signal. But we could aim for a service where that happened only rarely.
To do that, and to allow for at least a little more growth, which seems prudent given the continuing strength of demand, we have to think immediately about installing another 33 lines and high-speed modems. That's inevitably going to place more pressure on bandwidth, so we may need to look at a 128 Kbps link, instead of the existing 64 Kbps. This is not a decision to be taken lightly. It represents an investment of $78,000 in hardware, not all of which can be funded from the revenue generated by our existing Internet connections - we've spent a lot of money getting this service to its
present level.
It also means that to keep faith with members, we've got to provide some paid technical support. While
Ash Nallawalla and Richard Solly have done an outstanding job, we're rapidly exceeding the boundaries of an all-volunteer operation.
That situation, incidentally, applies to more than just the Internet. I've had roughly half a dozen replies to my plea here and at two monthly meetings for more volunteers. You're rare and valuable commodities, and I extend my thanks to each of you. But it isn't enough.
It's becoming painfully obvious that the demands most of our members face in their working and family lives have lessened their enthusiasm, or their sheer availability for volunteer service. We have to face the fact that we're going to have to start paying
for more of the services members want, even if that means a small increase in
subscriptions. These days people expect a high level of service, and they're
prepared to pay for it. Relatively few people expect something for nothing. That
doesn't mean that we're going to price ourselves out of reach of lower-income
earners. We'll continue to provide the best value for money in the computer
world.
Fortunately the decisions we've taken in the past few years to invest in new
services and expand our membership base and revenue-earning possibilities have
paid off. We've rebuilt our assets, so the sort of expenditure we're looking at
for the Internet upgrade is well within our financial capabilities.
But we're going to be looking for a return on this investment within two years.
As this issue reaches you, some of the congestion on the Internet should already
have been relieved. We're installing 6 more lines with 14.4 Kbps modems as a
temporary measure, until the fast modems arrive. That should be up and running
by the time you read this. Within a month, assuming the committee has decided to
grasp the nettle, we should have the remaining lines and the fast modems in place. I have no doubt that the committee will do all it can to get you online. The question is, will you take advantage of the opportunity?
Reprinted from the June 1995 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
