Ted and all, I have to agree with your and Srikanth's conclusion here.... Shapiro, Ted wrote: > What follows is an excerpt fyi of a message by Srikanth Narra on to the GA > Internet usage in India. It provides a bit of perspective.... > > Culturally (a side note - since you seem to be interested in non-west view > point - some background information to relate to). > > Unlike in West where internet is at fingertip reach 24 hours 365 days. For > quite a few of us in India its more like a movie going experence. Going to a > cafe and check email / download / browse, etc once a week or so. Or if > staying a small town - once a month head to the city and the internet cafe > to reply or browse. Have net connection to people thru emails - read over > phone / faxed or delivered. > > In my on state (Andhra Pradesh) the governement is now putting up internet > access at all major bus stations and rail stations for access to citizens - > as much to enable them pay utility bills and interact with govt. as for > browsing. > > To interact with some departments of the government online interaction is > the about to become permitted only way (cuts oppertunity for corruption or > chance of red tape). Add to that 24 official languages (with different > scripts and grammer) and different regional cultural interface. > > Most of programmers are expected to learn by heart the software manuals, > visualize and rehearse it in their heads a thousand times - before they even > lay fingers (or in some cases eyes) on the real systems on which they are to > program - because computer time is valuable. > > Typically in a school the kids submit programs on written on paper (much > like rest of homework) and teacher corrects in with ink. Couple of times in > a school year they get access to the machines to try and see the programs in > action. The kids pick the best one they wrote and go for it - in the tiny > time slot they have - mostly in teams of 2's or 3's. > > Its a whole new culturenet - not same as your internet. :) > > Third Take on ICANN (streaching it):- > > Steer disbelief at what's happening and proposed (ICANN don't seem to have > any idea how many in the world are watching them or any sense of how their > actions being recorded on net today will be viewed in history). Hope still > exists that the process can make a turn for the better and worth > participating. > > The more ICANN screws up the less they will invest in domain names endling > in .com / .net / .org and move to their own ccTLD. At some point this whole > thing will either end up in US court or the USG will have to intervene to > protect their citizens 401k plans. Regards, -- Jeffrey A. Williams Spokesman INEGroup (Over 95k members strong!) CEO/DIR. Internet Network Eng/SR. Java/CORBA Development Eng. Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC. E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contact Number: 972-447-1894 Address: 5 East Kirkwood Blvd. Grapevine Texas 75208
