Chapter 8: Carl
In the end, reputation, reliability, reality – those will dominate the virtual world, as they rule the real.
Archives: Expert Predictions
Chapter 8: Carl
I reject the idea that anonymity itself is actually an overriding benefit to the users … Anonymity is not the good, privacy is. Confusing the two is ahistorical, kneejerk ideology that is going to look damn foolish in very short order, along with a lot of other wishful thinking about the Net.
Chapter 7: The Grotto
The era of public-access Internet has come to an end.
Chapter 8: Carl
A gift economy outside a small tribal setting doesn’t work, period. The idea that the Net was, is, or can be a gift economy is the real nonsense in this discussion.
Gerstner Says Network Computing is IBM’s Future
Network-centric computing, the ability to link computers of all types and sizes, will have a significant impact on business, education, and individual communication.
PC Weds TV? Expect a Long Engagement
You could combine a word processor with a food processor and eat your words, I suppose. But I think the idea of one standardized appliance is nonsense … The key to creating successful future technologies will lie in adding value to people’s two most valuable possessions – time and money. Meeting those two criteria will be crucial. Future technologies will give users more choices than ever before. That means that selectivity will become increasingly important.
Consumers Want Most from Both TV and PC
U.S. consumers want interactive services from both home PCs and TVs and are willing to pay from $5 to $30 per month for the privilege … “By the year 2000 the infrastructure problems we’re facing will be solved, and at that point we’ll have interactivity.”
Intranets Will Outstrip the Net
Growth potential for intranets will outpace the Internet in the future … Intranets will be easier to use overall, and companies will have an easier time quantifying the benefits and justifying their usage for internal communication and productivity enhancements … It’s unlikely that tens of millions of home users will jump online.
Soros Asks Congress to Ditch Exon Act
It needs to be established that the First Amendment and its protection of free expression apply fully to new communication technologies. Communication on the Internet should be no more subject to government censorship than the telephones and mails.
Check Printers Fear Online Banking
The nation’s largest check printers are reevaluating the way they do business because they predict that online banking is going to take off in the near future. About 60 billion checks are written annually in the United States and, according to check printer Deluxe Corporation, the numbers will decline in the next century. Company officials say they are in the process of closing plants and cutting staff to begin focusing on other ventures.