That ISP usually being AOL – Ok, just kidding (sorta)
Carl, USEnet is sort of like a bunch of message boards in a text format. There’s a lot more to it than that, but for as much as you care about, that’s what it is. 31,000 message boards for everything you can imagine as long as you’re mainly imagining sex.
That said, I like USEnet and used to be on it all the time in college (my shell account didn’t let me get on the WWW 'cept via Lynx) though now with the WWW, my USEnet use has greatly tapered off.
“I guess one person can make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
Whenever anybody ever asked me, I always advised against WebTV. I have to base that on assumptions since I’ve never actually had any WebTV experience. First, I don’t think PCs are that hard to use. That’s not based on my own ability, but from the many people I’ve tutored who were Neanderthals in terms of being technologically current. And if ease of use really is the main reason to buy, what happens when you’ve tackled the learning curve & you’re ready for an actual PC? The WebTV box becomes another artifact, sitting on top of your betamax VCR & closed caption decoder. The main advantage (from the posts above) seems to be the cost factor. I’m not sure what costs are involved- is the $25 a subscription to service? The hardware runs between $100-$250.
Moreover, don’t you have to have a fairly big screen tv to see text? Sitting at a comfy distance from my 27", I would say that either it’s too small or I need to move my sofa closer to read my email. And what happens when you’re engrossed in a heated exchange in The Pit® and your sweetheart comes in & wants to watch Hee-Haw?
Since I got several reasonably nice PCs (average quality: Gateway P5-133) from Ubid & ebay, at an average cost of $165, I don’t even think cost is a real factor. Hand-me-downs at rock bottom prices are plentiful; there are so many people buying the latest & greatest machine & then they put an ad in the paper to get rid of their P233 (which they consider to be junk now that they’ve bought a PIII500, or whatever).
Perhaps there are special personal situations & circumstances where WebTV might be a good idea, but in general I’d still advise against it.
I am a systems analyst and I spend my whole day around computers. If I had to go home and play on the internet with a computer I’d go nuts.
I like the big TV screen. I can play games like Taipai (I can’t spell it), minesweeper, solitare etc. just fine.
It is so easy to go onto IRC and no one has known I had WebTV unless I told them and IRC got old after a month.
WebTV’s two biggest drawbacks are lack of java and shockwave. And if I ever get something I can’t read due to java I just forward it on to work.
But it makes using HTML so easy. You can set up a web page using WebTV or other free sites.
Like I said if I wasn’t on a computer all day (including the internet - I am the internet admin as well) I would most likely get a computer. But sitting on my bed surfing the web with a 27" screen while watching TV in the corner is good enuff.
I bought webtv the very first week it was offered for sale to the public… I went to several stores and NO salesman could tell me anything about it… it was that new. I could not afford a computer because I worked a minimum wage job and went to college. Webtv was WONDERFUL! I had complete access to the internet and ALL usenet. I used the webtv for about 2 years then I moved in with a woman several states away that I met on a chat!! I left my webtv behind and used her computer. Thats been 2 years now. I like the computer better… and no… it is not that much harder. BTW yes Webtv uses Java now… in the early days it did not however. If you can not afford a computer OR have NO other need for a computer… WEBTV is Awesome! If I had no other use for a computer other then internet… I would just get webtv.
“Boy, wouldja get a load of the cloaca on that one”? -Cecil Adams, october 8 1999