Re: UKNM: Free ISPs Vs. Paying ISPs (Don't Mention Dixons)

[Sajid Mohammed]

---Nick Suckley <

nick [dot] suckleyvirgin [dot] net

> wrote:

>

> You might be interested to know that as a digital terrestrial broadcaster

> ONDigital are only be able to provide a one way broadcast service - I think

> I'm right in saying that web access isn't possible.<snippity-snip>


I thought that half of the appeal of ON Digital was that Midland Bank

were partnering up to provide e-commerce services, with the upstream

data going over a good old fashioned phone via the gift of modem.

Remember, they used to call themselves British *Interactive*

Broadcasting...


They will be offering various services, but no web browser. Which is

criminal, as many companies like Spyglass and NCI offer lightweight

web browsers for set-top which are very happy running on top of lovely

microkernel OSes like OS/9 and GEOS. Cor blimey, guvnor, I love

embedded systems...


As one of the lucky few that still has memories of the early nineties,

I can recall Commodore & Microsoft's expensive 'Interactive TV'

adventures - I can see Sky/ON Digital similarly making a complete hash

of providing interactive services.We'll wait and see, but I can't help

thinking that they should be offering web as well.


Remember kids, history repeats first as tragedy (demise of Commodore),

then as farce (ON Digital).


C&W are planning an interactive DTV service, but will be offering web

too - having seen a sneaky preview of their service on Newsnight

recently, I'm hopeful that they will do a good job. This is probably a

completely leftfield idea, but I think that cable may end up being the

victors in the DTV battle.


Before you all choke with laughter, I qualify my response by saying

that I predicted France would win the World Cup well before the start

of the tournament. Then again, I also said that Linux was for geeks

and would never be taken seriously - which is why I have a big old

slice of humble pie for breakfast every morning.


As for Stefan, your sarky unhelpful reply merits no response, except:

are you Tom Loosemore in disguise?


Sajid Mohammed

Prophecy ON Demand

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