Comments on: 1995 Newsweek Article Completely Wrong on Its Predictions About the Internet http://www.keytlaw.com/blog/2010/03/1995-predictions-about-the-internet/ a legal information resource Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:08:07 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Mike http://www.keytlaw.com/blog/2010/03/1995-predictions-about-the-internet/comment-page-1/#comment-7765 Mike Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:14:45 +0000 http://www.keytlaw.com/blog/?p=5136#comment-7765 What's so inaccurate about this prediction? Even computer software, DVDs and the like are still mostly sold from old-fashioned shops. Telecommuting is strictly a way by which the work you used to do at the office can now be done by someone in India. And despite the ads about people carrying Kindles to the beach, who wants a book which may last a year or ten, but which surely will become unreadable sooner or later, and which you're not allowed to hand off to anyone else, let alone a library? Clifford Stoll was pretty much on the money, because this isn't about the technology, but about the epic failure of cultural taboos and customs to allow or adapt to it. What’s so inaccurate about this prediction? Even computer software, DVDs and the like are still mostly sold from old-fashioned shops. Telecommuting is strictly a way by which the work you used to do at the office can now be done by someone in India. And despite the ads about people carrying Kindles to the beach, who wants a book which may last a year or ten, but which surely will become unreadable sooner or later, and which you’re not allowed to hand off to anyone else, let alone a library?

Clifford Stoll was pretty much on the money, because this isn’t about the technology, but about the epic failure of cultural taboos and customs to allow or adapt to it.

]]> By: Mark Pack http://www.keytlaw.com/blog/2010/03/1995-predictions-about-the-internet/comment-page-1/#comment-750 Mark Pack Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:21:51 +0000 http://www.keytlaw.com/blog/?p=5136#comment-750 Nice story about the BBS pundit. I can't quite match that, though I do remember the earnest debates on whether Gopher was the future or not. One thing that surprised me about Clifford Stoll's piece is the degree to which he said "the technology can't do X, therefore X won't happen", rather than "the technology can't do X, therefore the technology will change". That's a point I've expanded on over on my <a href="http://www.markpack.org.uk/why-was-clifford-stoll-so-wrong/" rel="nofollow">blog post</a> on the topic. Nice story about the BBS pundit. I can’t quite match that, though I do remember the earnest debates on whether Gopher was the future or not.

One thing that surprised me about Clifford Stoll’s piece is the degree to which he said “the technology can’t do X, therefore X won’t happen”, rather than “the technology can’t do X, therefore the technology will change”. That’s a point I’ve expanded on over on my blog post on the topic.

]]> By: The Internet will never catch on, Newsweek circa 1995 | Automatic Self Funding Internet Business http://www.keytlaw.com/blog/2010/03/1995-predictions-about-the-internet/comment-page-1/#comment-744 The Internet will never catch on, Newsweek circa 1995 | Automatic Self Funding Internet Business Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:01:51 +0000 http://www.keytlaw.com/blog/?p=5136#comment-744 [...] 1995 Newsweek Article Completely Wrong on Its Predictions About the Internet | KEYTLaw [...] [...] 1995 Newsweek Article Completely Wrong on Its Predictions About the Internet | KEYTLaw [...]

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