This didnt quite make it to the mailing list, so I am forwarding it on behalf of Matthew Wright (mattyw@hotmail.com) Cheers Kylie
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- To: kylie@medusa
- Subject: Re: Minutes of the Melbourne Computerbank meeting
- From: Kylie Davies <beckster@warehouse.net>
- Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 11:09:29 +1100
- Sender: kylie@medusa.grunt.net
Matthew Wright here (mattyw@hotmail.com) I have tried to subscribe to the mailing list a few times and haven't had any success (the machine doesn't send me the confirmation message). Anyhow I've got a few points to raise with you all (just some ideas i'd like to throw about) The registration of the name can be done at the Office of fair trading??? in Flinders St down near the old casino. It costs $50. My brother is always down their registering business names. As for Internet access, i'd recommend offering say 3 best of breed cheap offers to clients. That way we don't force feed one isp down peoples throats. I personally wouldn't like to deal with Apana, as I've had bad dealings with members etc. I would however recommend Alphalink for dirt cheap access @ $100 flat rate a year for 8 hours total per day 3 hours at a time off peak and 2 hours during peak (6pm??-11pm???) I know of more than 20 people using alphalink (i'm a technician at a high school and i'm always recommending them to people) And of late everyone has reported how the quality of their service has gone up and up (My oldest brother , a surgeon has quit using telstra bigpond and now uses alphalink). This is my most important recommendation. My Fiance's family is from Kaniva Victoria. I have already done a computerbank kind of effort and set them up with two computers.(486's at this stage running W95) They have internet access with alphalink and dial in during the telcos evening $3 deals. Telstra offers $3 nation wide phonecalls from 7pm -12pm and Aapt offers them from 6pm-12pm. I would like to see if someone from alphalink is willing to offer a rural account at say $100 and only allow access between these times. THe advantage would be that rural people wouldn't use it every night (causing congestion on a limitted service with limitted resources) as that would not be affordable at $3 a connect. If I was connecting in with Telstra it would cost $42 dollars for 6 hours at $7 an hour (if you're not local to a POP) which heaps of country people aren't. Hows that for a deal? -- this is a great way to introduce MANY disadvantaged country people to the internet. ALso I have worked with Telstra for sponsorship in the past, and they're usually very unwilling unless you can guarantee them major exposure ie in the media. Telstra generally acts like a monopoly in this regard. Your best bet is contacting Terry Dawson who wrote the Net-3 howto's and maybe the drivers??? in linux. He works for telstra internet (wholesale internet) as a network guru or something like that. As for free isp connections, nothing is free. I won't continue on this thread. As for computers, i'd prefer to be giving people 486/16mb/500mb hard disk minimum. but if we can only get 386's thats what we will have to provide. I also think that training and finding the right person for a computer is a must. I'd hate to see all this hard work go wasted on someone who will use it as a doorstop. I don't agree in membership fees, and think that we should ask for voluntary contribution and recommend x amount ($10) and give no recognition of contributions (ie like the catholic church does when they pass the plate around asking for money, parishners are guilted into paying more cause all their fellow parishners are watching. -(not that i goto church or am catholic - just an example) Ok i've probably rubbed you all up the wrong way by now, sorry :) Have a think about my suggestions and get back to me mattyw@hotmail.com -- hope no one is offended Regards Matthew Wright mattyw@hotmail.com PS Kylie could you please have me added to the mailing list
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