NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/news/misc/2072

Text File | 1992-12-22 | 11.1 KB | 191 lines

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Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!darwin.sura.net!jvnc.net!newsserver.technet.sg!iti.gov.sg!cheekai
From: [e-mail] (Chin Chee-Kai)
Subject: Why are Internet Resources free?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: alt.internet.services
Sender: [e-mail] (News Admin)
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Organization: National Computer Board, Singapore
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 13:45:14 GMT
Lines: 178

About three weeks back in early Dec 1992, I posted the following question:

>>>>>   Why Are Resources Free On The Internet?   <<<<<

I am pleased to have received many generous comments and ideas from
interested netters out there.  It's been very enlightening reading
your responses to the question.  Many thanks to the following people
(in order of date of receival):
        Edward Vielmetti        ([e-mail])
        Karleen S. Davis        ([e-mail])
        Chris Fedde             ([e-mail])
        David Datta             ([e-mail])
        Tom Fitzgerald          ([e-mail])
        S. Spencer Sun          ([e-mail])
        Jon Alperin             ([e-mail])
        Joshua Yeidel           ([e-mail])
        Paul E. Hoffman         ([e-mail])
        Paul Terray             ([e-mail])
        Klaus Dimmler           ([e-mail])
        Chris Siebenmann        ([e-mail])
        Stavros Macrakis        ([e-mail])
        Eric Hammond            ([e-mail])
        David T. Bath           ([e-mail])
        Ray Harwood             ([e-mail])

Below is the full text of my review paper on my posted question.  I am
leaving a copy of this posting in the gopher tunnel at ncb.gov.sg (port 70)
under "The Internet and Beyond/Why are Internet resources free?".
As our site does not support anonymous-ftp, I apologize to those who
cannot reach this document through such means.

Chin Chee-Kai
Dec 22, 1992
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           >>>>>  Why Are Resources Free On The Internet?  <<<<<
                              Chin Chee-Kai
                              IT Architect
                     National Computer Board, Singapore
                                Dec 1992

The Internet resources are, of course, never quite "free" in the sense of
absence of cost of investment, as was quickly pointed out by Chris Fedde
([e-mail]) from USWEST Marketing Resources, Klaus
Dimmler ([e-mail]), and Eric Hammond ([e-mail]).  The
machines, storage devices, network equipments, software, services, and
maintenance are all heavily or completely subsidized by national, state,
organization funds, and personal time or money.  However, many resources
are publicly accessible without charge, regardless of the expenses incurred
in setting up and maintaining the services.  Information and services are
offered in forms of anonymous-ftp, menu-driven telnet sessions, gopher
accesses, WAIS information searches, and archives of enormous suites of
softwares, library catalogs, documentations, books, technical reports, and
discussions. These represent only part of what the entire Internet has to
provide for free as long as one has full Internet accesses.  This paper
attempts to collate views on the phenomena of such free service provisions
to the Internet.  The resulting collection of views reflect that reasons for
providing free Internet services go beyond just administrative policies and
decisions, and extend to such social etiquette of doing good for the public.

The Internet has an origin from the universities and academic institutions
where most information is freely and publicly shared.  Paul E. Hoffman
([e-mail]) pointed out that because of this, majority of the
users who are either academics, recent graduates, or people who would love
to be back at college where information is by-and-large free are perfectly
at ease with providing information and services free-of-charge over the
Internet.  Some even think that restricting or charging for access to
frequently required information is unreasonable, intellectually stiffling,
and immoral.  This opinion is joined by Chris Siebenmann of University of
Toronto, Canada ([e-mail]).  On a slightly different
tone, Paul Terray from Canada ([e-mail]) thinks that the
universities are not run for commercial business and therefore think more
in terms of possibilities than money.  This could possibly explain why most
archiving sites for information, sharewares and freewares are found in
universities and academic institutions, where knowledge dissemination is
the chief activity.

People who maintain certain services contribute their times with various
reasons.  Joshua Yeidel ([e-mail]) who services NetNews
by responding to postings at Washington State University does it with a
personal belief that "what goes around, comes around".  There are some who,
after benefiting from the use of the Internet, decide that they should in
turn provide their contributions to better the collection of Internet
services.  For instance, David T. Bath ([e-mail]), Senior
Technical Programmer of Global Technology Corporation in Australia,
provides free service of posting answers to questions and some program
codes so as to "balance the karma" --- in other words to take and to give.
There are also some who feel that it is being fair that they should also
provide some kind of services to the Internet public when they have been
enjoying the services provided by others.  David Datta from University of
Wisconsin - Parkside runs a music archive at ftp.uwp.edu, and is using his
(unpaid) personal time to maintain the site because it makes him feel good
about providing a service to the Internet public, and at the same time gives
him a means of learning the various human and machine aspects of keeping a
public domain archive alive and useful.

People who believe that no-cost (or low-cost) computing should be available
to one-and-all demonstrate it by providing exactly such kind of services.
An example pointed out by Karleen S. Davis ([e-mail])
is the Nyx free Internet site at nyx.cs.du.edu where Internet
accounts are allocated to applicants free-of-charge.  The 'Philosophy of
Nyx' column explains their proof-of-concept approach to the setup of Nyx.
Things are run on donated hardware, and personnel times involved in
maintaining the system are contributed by a number of those who hold the
Nyx spirit.  On the other hand, Tom Grundner's Freenet is perhaps a
notable largescale manifestation of free computing concept.  In this case,
Case Western Reserve University provided some seed resources (such as
hardware and Tom Grundner himself) to initiate a 'big bang' which
eventually grows by community effort to its current size.  The 'Concept'
section of Freenet says it all:

        "Everything ... is there because there are individuals or
        organizations in the community who are prepared to
        contribute their time, effort, and expertise to place it
        there and operate it over time.  This, of course, is in
        contrast to the commercial services which have very high
        personnel and information acquisition costs and must pass
        those costs on to the consumer."

On the commercial side, Edward Vielmetti ([e-mail]),
Vice President for research in Msen Inc., highlighted that the technology
to bill for network services is still immature.  His company has thus
decided to provide some services for free.  Tom Fitzgerald ([e-mail])
from Wang Labs likewise thinks that the cost of tracking authorized users
and billing for them for using certain services will end up more than
doubling the required investments in resources and personnel.  Both James
Deibele ([e-mail]) and Stavros Macrakis ([e-mail]) also
remarked that there has not been much in the Internet establishment to
support a rational chargeback scheme.  The lack of provably cost-effective
means of charging for network services has prompted certain vendors and
companies to offer some useful services for free.  Besides, Edward Vielmetti
added, free services might get his company's name sufficiently well-known
to sell things for money.  They also help in attracting contracts and
consulting for the company.  David T. Bath concurs that free services
enhance the reputation of his company, and place his company in a more
advantageous position than those who don't provide similar services.
This way of attracting business is also noted by Jon Alperin
([e-mail]) from Bellcore.

Furthermore, Jon Alperin feels that not all can afford or are interested
in bearing the overheads incurred in selling, supporting, maintaining and
protecting softwares.  This is particularly true for amateur and part-time
programmers, although they are not necessarily the only group of people
who may possibly bear these overheads.  He offers this as a possible reason
for the freewares and softwares found on most anonymous FTP sites.  On the
other hand, one's ego sometimes prompts one to offer something for free in
the hope of being praised or given encouraging feedbacks.  Eric Hammond
([e-mail]) likewise feels that the satisfaction of seeing others
run his software and services gives him further inspiration to provide public
domain services.

In conclusion, the reasons for the free-service phenomenon found on the
Internet appears to be related to the following (presented in no particular
order):
        (1).  The Internet's orgin is a non-profit network.
        (2).  Most academic nodes on the Internet has an obligation
              to disseminate knowledge.
        (3).  Smaller nodes owned by academic-related people (eg recent
              graduates) tend to continue the tradition of (2).
        (4).  "Balance the karma (or zen)" theory --- one should inject
              information and services into the net when one is using
              information and services provided by others.
        (5).  Doing something good for the network public.
        (6).  Proof of ideas that dictate free-computing and free
              information for everybody.
        (7).  Technology to charge for information services is still
              immature and large overheads are incurred if charging
              is imposed.
        (8).  Free services help in promoting commercial companies'
              reputation, and put them in a more competitive position
              than those who don't.
        (9).  Amateurs and part-timers cannot bear the costs involved
              in marketting, supporting, and maintaining their services
              (or programs).  So providing things for free or
              charge-by-trust become the alternatives.
        (10). Boost of ego and personal satisfaction to see others
              use one's services.
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