Subject: The real barriers From: loundy@earthlink.net (Mark Loundy) Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 14:08:12 -0800

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Donovan White [snip]:
> Most of the participants on this list seem to be in agreement on the high
> value of pushing content to users. Steve Outing's August 28 column,
> "Publishers Join the Web Browser Wars, for Better or Worse," touched on
> this somewhat tangentially.

Donovan,

Far from being merely an issue of "push" vs. "pull," the most significant
barrier between users and IPs is the computer itself, particularly with a
dial-up connection.

As long as users compare

        Going to where the computer is
        Turning it on
        Waiting for it to boot
        Starting the browser application
        Intiating the dial-up connection
        Initiating the dial-up connection again when the handshaking fails
        Waiting for the page to load

with

        Picking up the paper and reading it,

we will be holding a losing hand for anything beyond narrowly defined niche
products.

For now, we're still in rehearsal, waiting for the scenery and wardrobe to
arrive and waiting for the theater to be finished.

Mark Loundy
Cyberspace Consulting                http://home.earthlink.net/~loundy/
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Telecommunications Chair, NPPA             http://sunsite.unc.edu/nppa/
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