[Hidden-tech] Time to Use the FORUMS!

[Robert Heller]

At Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:18:03 -0800 (PST) Tish Grier <tishgrier at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> 
> Robert Heller <heller at deepsoft.com> wrote:
>    
>   I have a (slow & unreliable) dial-up interface, so a graphics &
> formatting heavy forum is a total pain to deal with (way to slow).  I
>    
>   Access to higher speed connections--which give us access to a whole host of new developments on the Internet--is a *huge* issue out here...
>    

>   Perhaps rather than worrying about the forums we should use the
> organization to start a grassroots effort to compel companies like
> Verizon to give access to broadband/high speed internet connections.
> (I'm very aware of Verizon's strangle-hold on broadband in Mass--and
> how it's influenced the State House on the matter.  Lack of access to
> high-speed connections is a serious problem that has a serious and
> direct impact on economic development out here...)

No amount of 'grassroots effort to compel ... Verizon' is going to be
effective.  Verizon has a protected monopoly.  The only time a
grassroots effort was ever effective at compelling a large corp was
with things like boycotts, which can only work if the people in the
grassroots effort were able / willing to get the goods or services from
some other source for only a small increase in cost -- that is they
'voted' with their wallets -- ie the big corp only changed its tune
when the supply of dead presidents 'dried up'.  This is simply not
possible with Verizon. We ALL need (land-line) phone service and
Verizon is the *only* game in town when it comes to land-line phone
service.  Period.  And even if one gave up land-line phone service and
went to 100% cell phone service, cell service is spotty in many parts
of the Pioneer Valley and cellar internet service is even harder to
find.

>    
>   Not that having higher-speed access would get some of us to use the
> forums.  personally, I just don't like them and don't have time to
> check them.  I spend most of my time fielding emails, reading stuff in
> rss or from my google alerts and writing, so popping over to a forum
> isn't something that I have all that much time for.  Email's much, much
> easier for me--I can just delete what I don't want to read.

Right.  Web-based forums just don't work for many of us -- access speed
is only one of *many* factors that work against many people using the forums.

>    
>   Tish G.
>    
> 
>  
> ---------------------------------
> It's here! Your new message!
> Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar.
> 
>                                                                

-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software        -- Linux Installation and Administration
http://www.deepsoft.com/  -- Web Hosting, with CGI and Database
heller at deepsoft.com       -- Contract Programming: C/C++, Tcl/Tk