NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/austin/eff/212

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From: [e-mail] (Chris Petrilli)
Subject: Connect*Austin Proposal (long, ASCII)
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I appologies for the empty posting, a slip of the keyboard, no more I promise
:-)  Below you will find an ASCII version of the proposal.  There is some
things missing, and this version will not be kept up to date as well (unless
someone has a good Postscript -> ASCII converter), as it required nearly 30
minutes of formatting to make appropriate for presentation from the pure
ASCII text version that FrameMaker generated.

This is a copy of the proposal that Bob Izenberg and myself were discussing
at the Saturday (14th) meeting of the EFF-Austin group.

Chris

--- CUT HERE ---
Connect*Austin

Chris Petrilli
Bob Izenberg


A proposal for connecting
the Austin area for the future.

Connect*Austin is the name for a proposed solution to the growing
problems in Austin that are related to the lack of connectivity within
the city, while also addressing the greater problem of the changing
face of technology in the world and in the process bringing about the
realization of the information society. While many people have their
own personal projects that fit a certain niche of the population
within Austin, it is felt that the City is better served by a system
that tries to encompass both the technological wizards within
the town and also the computer-phobes who do not want to have
anything to do with computers more than they absolutely have to.
Connect*Austin is such a solution.

This report presents a proposed three stage solution to the problem of
connecting Austin and taking the City itself into the next century
with the infrastructure that will be necessary to maintain
competitiveness with the rest of the connected world. In
addition, it tries to introduce the reader to the history behind this
project, in addition to the ideology that it is based on.

    1.0    The Project Name

The name for the project is in fact a play on computer terminology,
where an asterisk (`*') is generally used to refer to all of,
all that relates to, or something else along a similar vein.
Taken in that context, the project name, Connect*Austin, can be taken
to mean Connect all of Austin, which is in fact the goal of
the project.

While the name of a project is, in general, not a very important facet
of the whole package, it should reflect the overall goal of the
project. The name Connect*Austin does just that, as the goal of the
project is to connect the entire city (and surrounding areas) in a
unified manner.

    2.0    Goals

The goals of this project are both varied and many, but can be broken
down into a select few. Within these goals are the direction that this
project intends to take if at all possible.

While not all goals will be reached initially, all should be given
equal effort and should eventually be realized. There will be many
steps to be taken before the full project can be realized and it will
require the efforts of a large number of people as well as the sup-
port of the people in the city itself.

Support for a project of this nature comes from the highest levels of
the government and industry. For example, President-elect Bill
Clinton, in his A Technology Policy for America: Six Broad Initiatives
dated September, 1992 states:

        A 21st century infrastructure program should consist of the
        following five elements:

            Funding the establishment of key networks and
                demonstration projects;
             ...
            Providing training for users of networks and
                databases.

The ideology of the project however, can be summarized in the words of
a single man, whose company has come to dominate computers and
communications around the world:

        "As the value of information rises progressively and the cost
        of information circulation falls, the economic equilibrium
        point will come down to a level where enormous quantities of
        information can flow. The so-called information society is
        nothing buy a society that has reached this point. The
        advances in C&C [Computers & Communications] technology ensure
        the coming of such a society, and we now stand in the
        transition period leading to the information society era." Dr.
        Koji Kobayashi, Chairman of NEC, and author of Computers &
        Communications.

    2.1    Connecting As Many People as Possible

In the past, most projects have limited their scope of coverage to be
a specific group of people in the area. Perhaps limiting just to a
certain group that uses a specific machine type (i.e IBM PC or
Macintosh), while ignoring the larger base of people that aren't
necessarily specific to a certain machine type.

The goal of this project is to remove as many barriers as is possible
that might normally be placed on the user, such as machine
requirements, money, etc. There are three main groups of people that
this project is trying to connect: local individuals, local school and
everyone else that is interested in Austin, but perhaps doesn't live
here.

    2.1.1    Individuals

In a society that is increasingly connected by computers and where
technology drives society rather than the other way around, it is
essential for every individual to understand and utilize computers
and communications to the best of their abilities. Until recently, the
individual was limited to a small subset of the communications
environment at home, and in many cases was forced to pay fees for
the time they used on the systems.

Connect*Austin tries to solve this problem by offering various levels
of service to every group that it is designed the help. While some
might want more features and less help, others might be interested in
more hand-holding with less of an emphasis on power and complexity.

    2.1.2    Local Schools

Until recently it has been prohibitively expensive to connect school
below the college level to any kind of real-time computer network.
Now, it is possible to connect highschools and other secondary
schools to various networks for a minimum of cost and effort. While
they might not have the more advanced networking that the colleges and
universities might be used to, they would be a step ahead of what is
currently the norm.

One of the primary goals of the Connect*Austin project is to connect
as many of the local area schools as possible. While real-time
connectivity might not be possible from the start, it is felt that the
goal of connecting schools together so they can share information
and resources is a good one and should be pursued with assistance from
the government wherever possible.

In this age of information and high-tech computers and communications,
it's essential that children growing up learning to use the new
technology in their everyday lives.

    2.1.3    Others Outside of Austin

There are many people around the country that have at some time lived
in the Austin metropolitan area, or have family and friends in the
area that would be interested in communicating with them, and keeping
up-to-date with the area itself. While it might not be possible to
connect everyone that has at one point lived in the area, the
resources should be provided (perhaps through Internet) to anyone who
is interested in the city.

    2.2    Lack of Fee For General Use

It is felt that when any financial barrier is removed from the project
that the number of people that are capable of participating will be
maximized. While it may not be possible for everything that the
project intends to provide to be done without charging, the basic and
most important services should be free an available to anyone that
wants them.  When a fee is imposed for the most basic of services,
rather than imposing a small charge for the larger services, many
people will be unable or unwilling to participate, and while in a
ideal world situation, this wouldn't exist, the world has
never been ideal from any perspective.

In later sections, where an overview of features and services is
provided, there will be a notation as to those that might have to have
a fee attached to them.

    2.3    Both/And Rather Than Either/Or

Nicholas Necroponte (director of the MIT Media Lab) once said that
"the only option in the future will be for computers to provide a
solution of both/and rather than their current either/or."  This is
the approach that Connect*Austin believes in and attempts to provide
in this proposal. What this means is that wherever possible, multiple
solutions to the problem should be provided rather than making a guess
as to what the majority would prefer. In the view of this project that
means providing for several classes of users:

        Computerphobe---this is someone that is generally afraid of
        computers and only uses them with deep dread and worry.

        This is the group that requires the most hand-holding and
        coaxing, and wants the most simple interface to a computer as
        possible. In fact they would prefer if the computer itself
        would just disappear.

        Novice/New User---this is someone who has just recently begun
        using computers (or just recently begun using personal
        computers more specifically). While they aren't afraid of
        computer per-say, they need all the assistance that they can
        get in becoming more proficient.

        This group needs a simple interface to start with, but many
        will eventually want something more powerful and versatile as
        they become more confident.

    Average User---this is the average computer user who is
        familiar with personal computers (PCs), but isn't very
        familiar with many of the more advanced computer systems and
        therefore would require assistance in utilizing some of the
        more advanced features.

        This group would contain people that wanted both a simple
        menu-driven interface, and those that want something more
        advanced and versatile.

    Advanced User---this group contains what most people the most
        advanced of computer users. For many the only consideration in
        design is that of power and versatility and not ease of use.
        Also, this group would be interested in features and services
        that perhaps would not appeal to many in the other groups.

Until recently, the only group that had it's needs addressed was
the last, while the others were left to flounder and find their own
solutions within the quagmire that represents much of technology.
Rather than limit the solution to fit those people who fit a single
group, it was decided that a solution (or solutions) should be found
that would satisfy the needs of as many people as possible, without
being inappropriate for any of them.

    2.4    Disseminate Information

One of the primary goals of this project is to provide a common
"clearing house" of information for the city of Austin, the
surrounding communities that are so inter-twined with the city, as
well as government information from both the State of Texas and the
federal government. Wherever possible, information of interest to any
part of the population should be available without restrictions.

While there might be some segment of the population that believes that
information should be restricted, the belief is in the old saying:

                       "Information is power."

In the past, many people have seen information as a "privilege" rather
than a right, something that can be held as power over another person
or group. This project seeks to make information more of an innate
right of every individual without respect to any societal groupings.
Only when everyone has equal access to information of public inter-
est will the concept on an "information society" become a
reality.

    2.5    Provide a Public Forum

One goal of any enterprise that seeks to connect people is to provide
a forum of some sort to the populous. In this project we seek to
provide an open forum to the public without any extraneous
limitations on discussion or debate.

While such things as libel and slander should not be allowed, the
simple fact that a topic is not generally acceptable shouldn t be
cause enough to deem it unacceptable for discussion under the
Connect*Austin umbrella. It is our view that the limitations should be
similar to those of a newspaper, where the only thing that is required
is that any statements not be libelous or slanderous.

For many years people have looked to computers to provide a forum for
topics that either are not appropriate for discussion on more
conventional media, or are of such a timely nature as to require
almost instantaneous speed of dissemination.  Connect*Austin seeks to
provide this, without undue restriction placed on the participants.
Rather than place restrictions on the discussion, we feel it is better
to allow discussions to progress and only deal with the exceptions,
rather than making a rule to limit the common discussion.

If there become problems with the nature of discussions on the system,
and if there might be something illegal about those discussions, then
Connect*Austin should take action, but not until then. Any actions
taken before that point could squash the freespeech and discussion
that this country was founded to protect.

    3.0    Computers & Communications in Austin

Over the past decade in Austin, many Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) have
sprung up on the fertile ground provided by the abundance of local
high-technology companies in addition to the academic environment
provided by the local higher education establishment, most
especially The University of Texas at Austin.

    3.1    The Technology Infrastructure

Austin is unique in its combination of computers and communications
both in its diversity and completeness. Within the Austin
metropolitan area---including roughly half a million people---the City
contains large percentage of the dominant research and production
infrastructure for technology in the United States. Perhaps no other
one location in the United States contains such a wide range of
computer and technology companies.  For example:

    Microelectronics & Computer Consortium
        This is the first and perhaps is still the premier computer
        research organization outside the academic environment. MCC as
        it is commonly called is chartered to advance the
        state-of-the-art in both hardware and software technology.

    Sematech
        Sematech is the United States semiconductor industries answer
        to the competition from Japan. The non-profit corporation is
        charted to advance the technology in the actual production of
        semiconductor parts and claims as its members every major
        semiconductor company in the US.

    IC2
        While many people are unaware of the work at this small
        think tank, its members are some of the most
        prestigious computer people in the US and its charter nd goal
        is parallel to this project, that of making the city of
        Austin, a technopolis.

In addition to these organizations that are designed to advance the
state-of-the-art in computers and communications, there are several
smaller organizations that have done their part to both connect Austin
and bring technology to the populous.

    Electronic Frontier Foundation, Austin
        As the first local chapter of the national EFF organization,
        this group ha tried to bring both technological awareness and
        advancement to what William Gibson first termed cyberspace.

    Capital Area Central Texas Unix Society (CACTUS)
        As the only local user's group dedicated to supporting all
        forms of Unix, CACTUS has tried to the best of its abilities
        to bring computer communications to the largest number of
        people possible.

    3.2    The BBS Effect

In this time period and among this multitude of individual efforts, a
single theme began to surface that seemed to be present no matter who
the idea belonged to and no matter what form the implementation took.
The theme was quite simple: to connect everyone in the city together.

Now instead of everyone having to know each other, they all only need
have a computer, a modem and the common knowledge of the remote system
(the BBS). Because of the removed barriers, people who might never
have had the opportunity to meet and get to know one another did, and
many even built lasting friendships.

Over the years some problems became apparent, most of them stemming
from several factors. When the number of simultaneous sessions is
limited, the pace at which a conversation, discussion or debate can
progress is dramatically reduced, causing many people to seek other,
more conventional medium for the expression of their ideas and their
communications.

In an attempt to try and reverse this trend, several people tried to
start multi-user systems, all of which started out or
eventually became pay. While in many cases, many of the problems
associated with the previous generation of systems were solved, a new
set of problems were introduced. The primary problem introduced was
that of expense, where the user was now required to pay to use the
system, and therefor had to make some judgement as to its worth. In
many cases this was done before the user even had an idea of what the
system could provide, much less working experience to decide its true
value to him/her.

While in many cases, this financial barrier to membership in
the new systems was reasonable (something on the order of a few
dollars per month), it presented a choice that most people were
unwilling to make. Not only were they unsure of the worth of the sys-
tem, but in many cases they could obtain 95% of the services and value
in the system from some other source for free, in which case, the
option of paying was deemed unreasonable. In addition, in some
cases, the people using the system couldn't justify (or possibly
afford) the fee being charged, and hence it was impossible for them to
continue. As a result, many members of the community were and still
are excluded by the more conventional approach to larger systems
(i.e. fees and charges).

In addition to the financial barrier provided, there is another
barrier that is both obvious, but generally overlooked. There is a
large percentage of the population that doesn't own their own
computer, but yet perhaps uses one at work, or simply has an interest
in computers that is unsatiated because of either their financial
situation or other circumstances. Any system that wishes to connect
the largest number of people must place the fewest number of
requirements on the end user as a "base entrance requirement," and
should also provide for access to people who do not have their own
systems.

    4.0    The Proposal

This section contains the text of the proposal itself, including
various ideas of what constitutes "fair use" for the system.
While the text of this document is not immutable, it is felt that the
idealogy embodied should not be modified by later revision.

While an attempt was made to be as thorough as is possible in
presenting the proposal, it is the unfortunate fact that there will
undoubtedly be points left undiscussed. For this reason, please take
this as a guide to the ideas and principles rather than a "menu of
items."

    4.1    Stages

The proposal itself would be nearly impossible to implement in a
single stage---from nothing to everything---therefore the proposal
is designed to be implemented in 3 stages over a period of time.

The stages are as follows:

    Basic services

    Austin metropolitan IP network (AMNET)

    Internet connection

The rest of this section will be dedicated to describing the stages in
more detail.

    4.1.1    Stage 1---Basic Services

The first stage of the project is designed to implement the
infrastructure necessary to continue the project on through
completion. The emphasis is on design and planning for the future
rather than a "quick and dirty" implementation that provides
many services, but is unable to expand as necessitated by future
developments.

At this stage the system is not actually on Internet, but instead has
a link to a machine on Internet where it gets mail and news. The
services provided to Austin consist of those listed below.

    Electronic Mail between users on the system and anyone else
        around the world that can be reached via a combination of
        Internet and/or UUCP.

    UseNet

    UUCP links to anyone who wants them, including name service
        for a full domain name (austin.org perhaps).

Connections to people around Austin will be provided by various
methods, including:

    Dial-up BBS-style accounts

    Dial-up shell access

    UUCP links

The links would be provided by a bank of modems at a central location
attached to either one large computer or several smaller networked
machines. It was decided that as many modems as possible should be
V.32 or higher (V.32bis preferable) as that is becoming the standard
for modems in this day and age. At the very minimum, there should be
high-speed modems for the UUCP links.

For those with shell accounts (i.e. direct access to the underlying
Unix operating system), the following capabilities should be
provided:

        Editing

    Document Formatting

    Program Development

    UseNet

    E-mail

While this situation might not provide everyone with everything that
they might want, it is a strong starting point for eventually moving
into more advanced areas. In addition, the system, even at this point,
provides more connections to the outside world (via Internet links)
than are normally available.

    4.1.2    Stage 2---Austin Metropolitan IP Network (AMNET)

To further connect the Austin area and provide even more services to
the area, it was decided that the Austin metropolitan area should be
linked using the IP (Internet Protocol) set of protocols. The
protocols were chosen for several reasons:

    Technical Merit---They are widely considered the most well
        though out suite of protocols without the baggage of more
        "official" systems, such as OSI.

    Low Cost---Both the standards themselves and many programs
        which implement them are available for no cost. The KA9Q
        package (written by Phil Karn) provides IP connectivity for
        many different hardware platforms, and is available for free.

    Popularity---The IP suite of protocols is one of the most
        common in the world, and while there might be more hosts
        running proprietary protocols (such as AppleTalk or Novell's
        IPX), there is no other open protocol that is more widely used
        anywhere in the world.

The initial concept is to produce create AMNET in the manner pictured
in Figure 1 on page 18.

FIGURE 1.    Initial AMNET Topology

                  [Figure removed in ASCII version]

The network is designed to connect as many people as possible within
the city of Austin using the IP protocol suite, and provide a common
link to the outside world that will "gateway" services such as
mail and news to Internet. The links themselves would be composed of
either SLIP (Serial Line IP) or PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol)
connections to a terminal server (from cisco, etc.) or Dial-up network
box (Telebit NetBlazer) using V.32 (9600bps without compression) as a
minimum acceptable connection speed.

The network would be topologically the same as one actually connected
to Internet, and the administration aspects would be as close as
possible to Internet so as to facilitate the eventual transition to a
real connection to Internet. Services provided by the AMNET NOC
(Network Operations Center):

    Name Service---This includes both primary and secondary name
        entries. In addition it would also provide for MX (Mail
        Forwarding) records so that mail sent to a system gets
        forwarded to the correct machine.

    Remote Mail Retrieval---Several protocols area available today
        including POP (Post Office Protocol, RFC1225), IMAP
        (Interactive Mail Access Protocol, RFC1203) and PCMAIL
        (RFC1056). This will allow people to not be required to store
        all their e-mail on their machines and just "pick-up" what
        they need from the AMNET machines.

    UseNet---Using NNTP (Network News Transfer Protocol, RFC977)
        to allow people to either interactively read news using the
        AMNET machines as their "news server" or also allow people
        gain a feed containing the exact groups they want to read
        themselves.

This is but a small number of the services that AMNET would provide to
people who were participants in the metropolitan network.

It is felt that by networking the Austin metropolitan area first,
before adding in the entire world (through Internet) that people will
be more responsible and ready for the resources that will be available
once the final stage is completed.

    4.1.3    Stage 3---Internet Connectivity

The final stage of building the network is to actually connect AMNET
to the rest of the world. This will preferably be done by linking
AMNET as a network to either one of the mid-level networks (Sesquinet,
THEnet) or to one of the backbone networks (NSFnet, PSInet, Alternet).
By the time AMNET is prepared to go onto Internet itself, it is quite
likely that the foundations of the NREN (National Research and
Education Network) will have been laid, and this would create an
excellent infrastructure to use.

The goals of the NREN are stated in the House-Senate compromise
version of S. 272 The High-Performance Computing Act, passed the House
on November 20, 1991, the Senate on November 22, 1991, and signed by
the President on December 9, 1991.  Below are some excerpts from
"Section 3. Purpose":

        The purpose of this Act is to help ensure the continued
        leadership of the United States in high-performance computing
        and its applications by---

        (1) expanding Federal support for research, development,
        and application of high-performance computing in order to---

        (A) establish a high-capacity and high-speed National Research
        and Education Network;

        (B) expand the number of researchers, educators, and students
        with training in high-performance computing and access to
        high-performance computing resources;

        (C) promote the further development of an information
        infrastructure of data bases, services, access mechanisms, and
        research facilities available for use through the Network;

        (D) stimulate research on software technology;

        (E) promote the more rapid development and wider distribution
        of computer software tools and applications software;

        (H) invest in basic research and education, and promote the
        inclusion of high-performance computing into educational
        institutions at all levels; and

        (I) promote greater collaboration among government, Federal
        laboratories, industry, high-performance computing centers,
        and universities;

It is felt that Connect*Austin falls under many of the concepts that
this act and therefore might be able to benefit from both the NREN and
also from governmental support directly.

    4.2    Non-profit Status

It is felt that the only way to guarantee that the project will stay
relatively "free" of financial encumbrances is to charter the project
as a non-profit corporation. This will provide several advantages:

    Provide for protection from tampering by people who might wish
        to profit from the project.

    Provide protection for the project itself from anyone who
        might be disgruntled by an occurrence that they may not agree
        with. This is the legal protection of the corporation being
        treated as an individual.

    Provide continuity to the project that will exceed the efforts
        of the people involved in its creation

While there will be more paperwork involved by giving the project
non-profit standing, it is felt that the hassle is far outweighed by
the gains that come from it.

    4.3    Funding of the Project

The first and most important aspect of the project is to decide how it
will be funded since it will consume a substantial amount of time and
money, both of which must be dealt with if the project is to be
successful. There are several approaches that can be taken to paying
for the project:

    Donations

    Usage fees

It is felt however, that a combination of the two is the best
approach, since while the former may be idealistically the
preferential solution, it is doubtful that it will be achievable in
the immediate future.

The primary source of funding still should be donations from both the
government (such as the National Science Foundation), corporations and
individual citizens. For the residual expenses, instead of charging
everyone a general use fee, it is desirable that people should pay a
small some of money toward the most expensive services (those which
cost the project directly to provide) that they use. Those services
that have a fee attached to them will be denoted in the sections
following by a dollar sign (`$').

    4.4    Location and Connection

The next problems that require solutions are those of physical
connectivity and proximity.

    4.4.1    Location

Once the funding has been obtained it will be necessary to find a
suitable location to house both the equipment and the people that are
associated with the project. There are several requirements:

    Physical security

    Proper electrical service

    Stability of presence

The last one is perhaps unclear at first read. What it means is that
the location should be something that is as permanent as is possible.
This means that homes and small businesses would have to be
excluded. While they might provide the other two requirements, it is
undesirable to hinge a project of this importance on something that is
beyond the control of the project. A small business or individual
would be subject to more strenuous financial considerations than a
larger business.

    4.4.2    Connectivity

There is also the consideration of connectivity, which means what
services will it be connected to. In the case of this project that
primarily means eventually the Internet. Initially however, the
connection would be limited to UUCP which is more batch related than
real-time. There are several service providers in the Austin area that
could provide the connection:

    Sesquinet (Internet)

    PSInet (Internet)

In the end, the decision of which network to connect to could also be
decided by where the project is located. It would be desirable for the
project to be located on a site that already has Internet connections,
to prevent having to pay for leased lines. The major connections in
Austin are: UT, IBM, MCC, Dell Computer and the Texas Education
Agency.

For UUCP links, the following sources area available, though this is
by far not a complete list:

    The University of Texas at Austin (UUCP)

    Microelectronics and Computers Consortium


    4.5    Equipment Requirements

The requirements on the equipment that will be used for this project
are very demanding and there is only a limited amount of equipment
around that is capable of providing the combination of performance and
reliability that are a necessity when pursuing a project like this.
The most basic requirement is that the machine run an operating system
that is related to Unix, preferably one that is flavored as that of
the Berkeley Standard Distribution 4.3 (BSD4.3).

While it would be possibly to use another operating system, it would
however complicate the issue of software and usability immensely, so
it is felt that Unix should be required. There are several companies
that have either their headquarters here in Austin or have major
installations here that provide such equipment. They are:

    IBM AWD (Advanced Workstations Division)
        IBM produces the RS/6000 line of machines which represent some
        of the fastest and most reliable machines on the market. They
        have a dedication to community efforts as well that should
        help in acquiring their support.

    Dell Computer Corporation
        Dell is headquartered here in Austin and produces a line of PC
        based on the Intel 80x86 architecture, most specifically the
        80386 and 80486. While not the most appropriate machines on
        the market, Dell has also shown a dedication both to Austin
        and to Internet.

    CompuAdd Corporation
        CompuAdd is one of the largest PC clone manufacturers and also
        manufactures Sun SparcStation clones that compete favorably in
        both price and performance with the original machines.

    Sun Microsystems
        Sun is the manufacturer of the most popular line of
        workstations in the world, with almost 50% of the market
        share. They have a relatively large site here in Austin, and
        might be interested in showcasing their newest line of
        computers, the SparcStation 10.

    Tandem Computers
        Tandem's main development site is here in Austin and they are
        the #1 maker of what is termed "fault-tolerant" computer
        systems (systems which can survive major failures of
        components). They might be interested also in showcasing their
        newest NONSTOP system.

    Motorola
        Motorola is best known as a semiconductor company, and they
        have their most advanced plant in the world here in Austin
        (MOS-11 in Oak Hill), but they also produce machines based on
        their 88K RISC architecture that are designed as servers.

    Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI)
        SGI is the maker of the high-end graphics machines responsible
        for the creation of many special effects scenes in movies.
        They also have a line of servers (IRIS 4D) that could be used
        for the central computer in this project.

While this list no doubt leaves out a large number of companies in the
Austin area that could be approached for equipment, it is simply a
starting point for determining what equipment is necessary.

It is felt that while many lower performance computers could be used
to provide the necessary power for this project, the problems stemming
from this in both administration and physical considerations suggest
that a single central computer would be much more appropriate, with
some of the services off-loaded onto smaller machines where possible.

    4.6    Access Methods

One of the most important considerations, and also one that is usually
left until last is the consideration of how the system should be
accessed. It is felt, in accordance with Necroponte's attitude that
there should be several methods allowed, so as not to exclude
needlessly members of society that might wish to contribute.

There are 3 primary methods by which access should be granted to
people who wish to participate:

    Dial-up
        This would be provided by a bank of modems that people could
        call from home/work and use to access the system itself.

    Internet
        Since the machines are on Internet already, it should be
        possible for anyone who already has Internet access to connect
        to the machines using the standard "remote login" facilities
        provided by the network. This broadens the user base to
        include not only people in Austin and Central Texas, but also
        the rest of the world.

    Walk-in
        This is a unique approach which may or may not be possible
        from the beginning in that it is the idea to provide a public
        terminal facility by which people who do not have computers
        (or modems) or who cannot afford them at the current time can
        participate in the project. This facility should be situated
        along a bus-route and also as close to down-town as is
        possible.

In addition, for people who are using the dial-up system there are
several other methods that can be used that provide an interface to
the system that is different than what would be presented to a
"normal user," who is simply using the system to gain
information and not necessarily taking advantage of more advanced
techniques.

    Menu interface
        This is the standard BBS-style interface that presents the use
        a menu of choices to pick from and guides them through the
        system providing a comfortable interface to the more
        powerful features. This approach however, generally limits the
        overall power that can be presented to the user.

    Shell access
        This would provide the more advanced user with a full Unix
        shell that he/she could use as they wish. While the interface
        might not be the most "user-friendly" in many people's
        eyes, this would provide capabilities that would be missing in
        the normal menu interface.

    UUCP links
        UUCP is Unix-to-Unix Copy, and represents the way in which
        many small computers (including non-Unix machines)
        communicate to exchange files, mail and other information.
        While not as full-featured as some of the other techniques, it
        presents a low-cost (hardware wise) entry into networking
        machines together.

    SLIP/PPP ($)
        These are protocols that allow someone to place a small
        personal computer on Internet using a subset of the full
        protocol suite. These should be provided (and administered)
        for those people who want the maximum amount of power and the
        least amount of "hand holding."

        Because of the amount of effort and expenditure of resources
        that are involved in supporting additional machines on
        Internet, a small fee would have to be charged to provide this
        resource. The fee however, should not be so great as to
        preclude most people who would be seriously interested in this
        service.

    4.7    Resources

When it comes right down to the heart of the issue, what people want
are resources to utilize as they see fit. The issue of how those are
presented is in many cases secondary.  If you don't have what people
need, then they aren't going to participate. This section presents a
list of some of the more important resources that Connect*Austin
should provide.

    4.7.1    Electronic Mail

In the 1990s, electronic mail (e-mail) has become the mainstay of
corporate and academic America. It is estimated that Internet alone
carries millions of e-mail messages every year. E-mail allows two
people to communicate privately about any topic they choose. E-mail is
not absolutely secure, which is why something called encryption is
often used to protect the information even further.

It is felt that Connect*Austin should work to ensure privacy for it's
participants by automatically encrypting e-mail between any two
users without even prompting the user.  While mail such as this might
not leave the system, it will be secure from all but the most well
equipped curious eyes.

    4.7.2    UseNet

UseNet (User's Network) is a network of tens of thousands of machines
around the world that exchange what is called "news" in many
diverse and interesting groups. At this point in time there are
thousands newsgroups on topics as diverse as politics and huge-number
theory. The network centers on computer topics, but also delves into
such areas as sociology, economics, politics, music and sports. Table1
on page12 contains information that should give an idea as to the
scope and size of UseNet's coverage.

TABLE 1.    UseNet Statistics

Statistic

Current
Standing

Total number of groups including all regional hierarchies

> 4,222

Number of articles passing through uunet in a 2 week period of time

274,951@491.9Mb

Estimated number of active sites

23,606

Estimated number of readers

500,000

Estimated number of active contributors

67,133

Connect*Austin should provide every group that is widely available
without limit or censorship to its patrons. While there might be a
small handful of groups that would be restricted to those over 18
years of age, there should otherwise be no limit onto what information
and discussions people may engage in. It is not for this project to
decide what is appropriate and what isn't.

    4.7.3    ClariNet ($)

While ClariNet is built on top of the same system as UseNet is, it is
a for-profit system that provides both the AP (Associated Press) and
UPI (United Press International) newswires in almost real time
grouped into hundreds of categories. In addition to world/ nation
news, the service provides news of a more local and regional nature.

ClariNet is however a commercial service, and charges its users fees
for the access to the information. It is felt that Connect*Austin
should relay the cost if necessary on to the end user that wishes to
use the system.

There is a question as to how we would be permitted to charge based on
the structure that ClariNet requires for payment. This however, at
worst would amount to a small sum of money. The actual details
however, could be worked out later. The cost of the service breaks
down as shown in Table2.

TABLE 2.    ClariNet Cost Based on Usage

Number of Users

Educational Price

Less than 5,000

$175/month

5,000 -20,000

$350/month

20,000 and over

$580/month

    4.7.4    Internet

Internet is the world's largest meta-network of computer systems.
Internet connects many countries around the world, and links
educational organizations with both government offices and
commercial groups. For an idea of how big Internet really is, look at
Table3.

TABLE 3.    Internet Statistics as of October 1992

Number of machines

1,136,000

Number of organizations

18,100

Number of countries represented

> 45

Percent increase in network size over 3 month period

14.5%

Internet also provides the ability to access many resources that would
otherwise be difficult or impossible to use. Below is a short list
of some of the more important and useful services that can be accessed
through the use of Internet.

    Gopher
        This is a system that is designed to make the retrieval of
        files and information over Internet easier to use for the
        common user. It is a menu-driven system that guides the user
        through topics until they find the information they are
        looking for.

    Wide Area Information Service (WAIS)
        This project is the creation of Thinking Machines in
        Cambridge, M.A., and is designed to provide the user with a
        distributed database of information around the world that can
        be searched for information that they are interested in.
        Topics range from the Bible to recipes and technical
        information on computers.

    Archie
        This is a database of files that are available on public
        archive sites around Internet. Through the use of the Archie
        service, a user can find the exact program that they are
        looking for. It is estimated that there is over 250Gb
        (gigabytes) of information and programs stored on public
        archive sites around the world.

        World Wide Web
        This is a world-wide hypertext system designed and being
        implemented by some mebers of CERN in Switzerland.  It is much
        more advanced than any other system, but is also more complex
        and "bulky."

    Weather Service
        Run by the meteorology department at the University of
        Michigan, Ann Arbor, this service provides hourly access to
        weather information around the world. It also provides access
        to weather maps, hurricane information, earthquake infor-
        mation as well as volcano information.

    Remote Access
        Through the use of this service provided by Internet, a user
        could look in library catalogs around the world, with the
        University of Texas and Texas A&M being but two small parts of
        it.

    4.7.5    Political Information

Politics in this country have becoming increasingly dependent on the
availability of information to make an informed decision on candidates
for both local and national offices. Connect*Austin could provide an
immeasurable service by providing both information on candidates
running for office as well as information on those already in office
and those that have been involved in the past.

The primary topics that should be covered are:

    Congressional Memories Project
        This project attempts to document the voting practice of all
        the Congressional members. Without information on exactly how
        your representative is voting, it is hard to gauge how well
        he/she is representing you.

    Campaign Information
        In this year of presidential election, it has become
        increasingly apparent that simply watching television or
        reading the newspaper will not be enough to make an informed
        decision.

Connect*Austin should attempt to provide a forum in which candidates
for any office can express their opinions (without advertising). It
should not however become yet another form of "campaigning," and
should instead be an extension of the debate format if possible.

    Supreme Court Opinions: Project Hermes
        In the past it has been difficult for normal US citizens to
        gain access to the decisions of the Supreme Court. This
        project is trying to provide easy and up to the minute access
        to Supreme Court documents so that people can decide for them-
        selves what the court is saying without having to depend on
        someone else to condense it for them.

    General Accounting Office Information
        In this age of climbing national debt, many people are curious
        as to where the money is going, and whether it is being spent
        wisely. The General Accounting Office (GAO) is responsible for
        maintaining budget information for the government and this
        information should be available directly to the citizen in an
        easy format.

    Historical Documents
        Throughout history, many documents have shaped the course of
        this nation and the world itself. In addition to the Magna
        Carta and the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, there are
        many other works written by famous and not so famous people
        that could be of use to someone who is interest in where the
        world has come from and where it is going to.

    4.7.6    City Information

The City of Austin and its surrounding neighbors are full of
interesting and exciting activities as well as a large number of
untapped resources. Connect*Austin should strive to make it easy for
the individual to find out what is going on and what is available
around the city.

This section lists some of the resources and areas that Connect*Austin
could provide information on.

    Capital Metro
        By providing a quick way to look up bus routes and information
        about service, Connect*Austin could help encourage more people
        to use the Metro bus system in Austin and reduce the pollution
        of the atmosphere.

    Robert Mueller Airport
        A great service to the community would be provided by
        publishing information on flights that are going in to and out
        of the airport. Also, information should be provided as to
        whether the flights are on time or late, in addition to any
        general information on the airport itself (closings,
        emergencies, etc.).

    Convention Center
        With the construction of the new Austin Convention Center,
        Austin will be hosting more and more regional and national
        conventions which others in the city might be interested in
        participating in. Connect*Austin could help by listing con-
        vention information and contact information

    Clubs
        Austin is a city that revolves around music and clubs. With
        literally hundreds of clubs there is no way that any one
        person can keep up with the bands playing and the shows going
        on.

    Movie Theatres
        Austin is fortunate to have one of the finest movie theatre
        bases in the nation (with more THX theatres than any other
        city in the US), however it can sometimes be difficult to
        find out what movies are playing where. Connect*Austin could
        help by providing a forum to discuss movies and review them by
        individuals rather than newspapers.

    Public Access TV
        The city has gained national attention and respect for its
        diverse public access TV system. The primary problem is that
        is very difficult, if nearly impossible for a person to find
        out exactly what is going to be on which channel on a specific
        night. In addition, Connect*Austin could provide a forum for
        discussion of shows that already exist as well as shows that
        are in the production stages and simply those that are being
        thought about.

    Austin Symphony & Austin Lyric Opera
        With two of the finest groups in the nation, it would be
        helpful for people to find out information about upcoming
        performances as well as perhaps communicating with the
        people that run both organizations so that a 2-way
        communication could be set up to help the organizations tailor
        their programs for the community.

In addition to these ideas there are several others that go beyond
what is conventionally considered for projects of this nature. They
are designed to broaden the base of information available to the
participants in the project to include items besides the standard text
that normal is so prevalent.

    Computer Images of Artist's Work
        With computer graphics reaching a all time high in quality,
        quantity and affordability, it seems that it is time to take
        art into the computer age. It should be possible or an
        artist to submit a photograph of his/her work and have it made
        available in a computer-compatible format on the system so
        that others may look at it. This service should be made
        available for little or no cost to the artist him/herself.

    Samples of Local Music Artists
        It should also be possible for local musicians to send in
        tapes to be "sampled" and made available on the system for
        others to listen to and encourage participa tion in the music
        scene. A relatively low-resolution format should be used so as
        not to encourage people to only depend on the format.

While this list is far from complete, it gives the reader an idea of
the diverse nature of a system such as this, and the unique position
that it is in to provide the participant a diverse collection of tools
and resources.

    5.0    Conclusion

This document provides but a small glimpse at the possibilities of a
system such as that suggested by the Connect*Austin project. There
will no doubt be ideas thought up along the way that nobody at this
point could have predicted. That however is the magic of an idea such
as this. You give the people the ability to help control the system
and you'll provide them with even more incentive to participate and
give more to the project.

As time moves on, more ideas and more resources will come to pass and
the system should be designed so as to expand with the ideas without
creating a burden on its participants and contributors.

    6.0    The Authors

This document wasn't written by a computer, nor did it write itself.
It was instead the work of two individuals in the Austin area, who
are listed below, along with how to contact them. The document itself
was created using Emacs and the Framemaker page layout package on the
NeXT computer.

    Chris Petrilli
        The University of Texas---Petroleum Engineering Department
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]

    Bob Izenberg
        Motorola Corporation---RISC Products Sector
        [e-mail]
        [e-mail]

--
| Chris Petrilli
| [e-mail], [e-mail]
| All opinions are my own, if they even belong to anyone.