Discussing the Public Library of Science, I not-so-fondly recalled the “efficient” days when CompuServe, AOL and the rest inflicted minute-by-minute charges on plebes without Net access–and did what they could to prolong customers’ time online. That was eons ago in the States, but not, alas, in the U.K., as Dan Jackson reminds us:
It occurred to me to wonder if you knew that the situation in the UK was in fact exactly that (i.e. Internet access charged by the minute) right up until the year 2000, which was when flat rate dialup Internet access finally became available over here. Broadband did not emerge until 2001!
Hey, I knew the U.K. was behind the States in the above regards, but I hadn’t any ideas it was that far behind. Oh, well. That’s what too much of the wrong kind of regulation will do to you. Same concept applies to the DMCA. Methinks it’s actually a creation of our enemies to slow down America’s progress in encryption and the like. Ditto for the U.K.
(Pig cartoon via ArtToday.)
