Lets suppose that someone launches a proprietary version of the Interent, called MSN or AOL for the sake of example. It will have to be paid for. The free Internet will remain free. It cannot be taken away from us. And even if the new proprietary version were subsidised for a few years and thus got the majority of people used to it, when the price gets passed on, people will return to the free Internet.
That's why I think Cringely is a little wrong on this score. I remember in the mid-90s the English football clubs tried to charge for access to the "official team web sites." It failed because the fans own sites were free, more passionate and better informed because they weren't filtered by Pr/marketing types. Anyone chucking a few billion into replacing the free Internet will have to have a very convincing case as to how they can get their money back. I can't see what that case would be. -- Patrick "sig free and joyful"" Kirk GSM: +44 7876 560 646 ICQ: 42219699
