Your Internet Consultant - The FAQs of Life Online

2.13. What's a free-net?

In 1985, Case Western Reserve University began experimenting with offering free, open-access, community computer systems as a new communications and information medium. Called the Cleveland Free-Net, the service was to provide free online information access to the community. A cornerstone of the system was (and still is) "community computing," the idea that in cyberspace (as in any new city or town) everything is built by the citizens who inhabit it. The document "The Concept of Community Computing" (available on the Cleveland Free-Net) best describes the motivation behind the free-nets: 
Anyone in the community with access to a home, office, or school
computer and a modem can contact the system any time, 24 hours a day.
They simply dial a central phone number, make connection, and a series of
menus appears on the screen which allows them to select the information
or communication services they would like. All of it is free and all of
it
can easily be accomplished by a first-time user.

     The key to the economics of operating a community computer system is
the fact that the system is literally run by the community itself.
Everything that appears on one of these machines is there because there
are individuals or organizations in the community who are prepared to
contribute their time, effort, and expertise to place it there and operate
it
over time. This, of course, is in contrast to the commercial services
which have very high personnel and information-acquisition costs and
must pass those costs on to the consumer.

     Couple this volunteerism with the rapidly-dropping costs of
computing
power, the use of inexpensive transmission technology, and the fact that
the necessary software to operate these systems is available for low
cost--and public access computing becomes an economically-viable
entity.
Free-nets are notoriously easy to use, and most seem to provide adequate Internet access. Although I haven't tried all of them, I know that the Cleveland Free-Net offers Internet e-mail, a small selection of Usenet newsgroups, and the ability to Telnet to selected Internet systems and databases.

Here's what a session on the Cleveland Free-Net looks like: 

BSDI BSD/386 1.0 (kanga) (ttys8)


                         /\
 WELCOME TO THE... _|  |_
                     _|__  __|_
      __            |          |
    _|  |_          |   |  |   |
   |      |   /\    |   |  |   |
   |      |  |  |   |   |  |   |___
   |      | |   |   |   |  |   |   |
   |      |_|_  |   |   |  |   |   |
   |      |   | |   |   |  |   |   |
  _|      |   |_|_  |          |   |_
 |        |       |_|          |     |
|                                    |
|         CLEVELAND FREE-NET         |
|      COMMUNITY COMPUTER SYSTEM     |
|____________________________________|

          brought to you by

    Case Western Reserve University
  Community Telecomputing Laboratory


Are you:
        1. A registered user
        2. A visitor

Please enter 1 or 2: 2

Would you like to:
        1. Apply for an account
        2. Explore the system
        3. Exit the system

Please enter 1, 2 or 3: 2
Copyright 1992, Berkeley Software Design, Inc.
Copyright (c) 1980,1983,1986,1988,1990,1991 The Regents of the University
of California. All rights reserved.

BSDI BSD/386 1.0 Kernel #14: Mon Feb  7 11:26:10 EST 1994

Local time is: Fri Feb 18 13:46:50 EST 1994

<<< CLEVELAND FREE-NET DIRECTORY >>>

  1 The Administration Building
  2 The Post Office
  3 Public Square
  4 The Courthouse & Government Center
  5 The Arts Building
  6 Science and Technology Center
  7 The Medical Arts Building
  8 The Schoolhouse (Academy One)
  9 The Community Center & Recreation Area
 10 The Business and Industrial Park
 11 The Library
 12 University Circle
 13 The Teleport
 14 The Communications Center
 15 NPTN/USA TODAY HEADLINE NEWS
------------------------------------------------
h=Help, x=Exit Free-Net, "go help"=extended help

Your Choice ==> 15

   <<< NPTN & USA TODAY HEADLINE NEWS >>>

  1 The National Public Telecomputing Network
  2 USA TODAY HEADLINE NEWS
------------------------------------------------
h=Help, x=Exit Free-Net, "go help"=extended help

Your Choice ==> 2

<<< NPTN/USA TODAY HEADLINE NEWS >>>

  1 About the Electronic News Center

  2 Headline News Summary
  3 Weather
  4 Snapshots

  5 NEWS
  6 MONEY
  7 SPORTS
  8 LIFE
------------------------------------------------
h=Help, x=Exit Free-Net, "go help"=extended help

Your Choice ==> 2

First message is #515, last message is #525

 **   515. news Fri, Feb 4 1994
      516. news Mon, Feb 7 1994
      517. news Tue, Feb 8 1994
      518. news Wed, Feb 9 1994
      519. news Thu, Feb 10 1994
      520. news Fri, Feb 11 1994
      521. news Mon, Feb 14 1994
      522. news Tue, Feb 15 1994
      523. news Wed, Feb 16 1994
      524. news Thu, Feb 17 1994
      525. news Fri, Feb 18 1994

Enter Command: 525

Article #525 (525 is last):
Newsgroups: usa-today.news,americast.usa-today.news
From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com
Subject: news Fri, Feb 18 1994
Date: Fri Feb 18 05:16:08 1994

DECISIONLINE: News
USA TODAY Update
Feb. 18-20, 1994
Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network

TRADE DEFICIT HITS 5-YEAR HIGH:
   The U.S. merchandise trade deficit fell unexpectedly in
December but soared to $115.8 billion for all of 1993. A surge in
aircraft exports helped drive down the December deficit to $7.4
billion, from $9.7 billion in November, the Commerce Department
said Thursday. But 1993's trade gap was the largest since 1988, as
healthy U.S. economic growth boosted imports.

Table of Contents | Previous Section | Next Section