re: Internet and Alfa

["Jorge Mazlumian" <jmazl@domain.elided>]

vladds writes:
<<Internet is acually not that moch of "inter"national at all.I think tha=
t
if
one would take the time they would find out that say, 80% of the worldwid=
e
internet backbone hardware is located in US.What you have in the rest is
only
some narrow band access grouped around universities or one major provider
(that charges an arm and a leg for access , probably).At best, some have
access from their jobs.>>
Andrew responded:
<<This is rather an isolationist viewpoint (dare i say arrogant even...).
AOL in the
UK is unlimited, costing =A310 a month flat.  There are twice as many
subscribers to
FREE services - the biggest being freeserve.  Almost all providers have
local rate
dial up from anywhere in the country. Something like 25% of homes have
access, I
think, and the rate is growing very rapidly.

Some other countries in Europe have bigger internet penetration - top is
Sweden I
think.>>
<<snip>>
<<The US is not the only first world country...>>
****************************************************************
Just for *accuracy* I want to throw my 2 cents.  Issue August 99 of Natio=
nal
(read USA) Geographic Magazine map insert shows the following numbers for
internet hosts, in 1998:
USA             25,578,000
Canada          1,624,000
Japan             1,384,000
UK                  1,340,000
Germany         1,227,000
Australia             787,000
Finland               555,000
Netherlands       542,000
France               462,000
Taiwan              364,000
Italy                   327,000
Norway             316,000
Sweden            311,000
Spain                245,000
Switzerland       202,000
South Korea     196,000
New Zealand    178,000
Brazil                 170,000
Belgium             163,000
South Africa      162,000
Russia               154,000
Austria               150,000
Hong Kong        135,000
Poland                 99,000
Denmark             95,000

Of course per capita numbers would be dramatically different, but this
illustrates the current state of affairs. (accuracy left to the editors o=
f
Nat. Geographic Mag)
The digest's *official* language is English, which excludes a very, very
large number of alfisti around the world, then there is the large group o=
f
digesters that browse and read but never post, then the group that are
connected but are not digest members, and finally the group that are not
connected to internet.  Sorry for the length, but I thought it would
interest some people.
Jorge
California, not silly-cone valley.  (My banana homeland doesn't even show=
 in
the list)
Local phone call free. Net access $19,95/mo flat rate.

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