From: duwors@csi.uottawa.ca (Robert J. Du Wors)
Subject: Re: Earning a living in the country
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, University of Ottawa
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 21:35:10 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.180115.1325@bmerh85.bnr.ca> lenny@x400gate.bnr.ca writes:
>Actually, I think management is more receptive to the concept of
>telecommuting than many have implied, however the big roadblock is lack
>of a physical medium.  The current public network simply can not support
>home terminals running window based applications and/or video
>links - both of which are required in order to make this concept really
>take off.

Hmm...this is really an architectural question.  Client front ends can
reduce network traffic dramatically.  Window development really needs to
be done locally with the full support of bus speeds.  (Although NCD may
challenge this assumption).  Cheap hardware suitable for home use is readily
available in any strip mall or major shopping centre.

This question can be re-cast as one that examines the implications for
good distributed software configuation management. 

The fundamental issue is one of technical and process management.  Somethings
that MBA school really doesn't like to teach, because it is beyond their
domain of competence.

>
>Even today's most advanced digital public networks (which only exist
>in small pockets of most first world nations, if at all) can currently
>only guarantee 2400 baud service... and as most of us know, even 9600

No longer true.  I have a new V.32bis/V.42 modem that even the local telco
rarely knocks back below 9600, and usually run at 14.4K raw plus compression
to the better BBS (love those .gif xfers, but that's another story).  Price:
$386 CDN with fax software.

>baud is agonizing slow.  Plus, the costs of supporting such connections
>in today's network is astronomical (in my situation, 45 kms one way, an
>8 hour phone call to my employer's data service during business hours is

Time sharing is dead.  Burst connections and data exchanges cover 95% of
most software development needs.  Again integration is a question.

>over $100 CDN!).  What is needed is a broadband capability of the entire

And we know who is to blame for third world telephone rates in Canada...

>public network, this will give realistic connectivity and greatly reduce
>the costs involved, but is also a long way down the road.
>
>Telecommuting is a great concept... but as someone living in a country
>with one of the most advanced public telecommunication networks *and*

Technically maybe, financially, certainly not.  Now that we won't be able
to afford to fly anywhere, I suspect the one monopoly will feed even more 
vigorously than ever on the same populous as the other...  :-(.

>as one who is employed by one of the leaders in the industry, I don't
>think it's going to be achievable in any practical format for at least
>another 10 years.   :( 
>
>However, I sincerely hope this concept of telecommuting is not being
>missed by those telcos who are currently pushing the public network
>envelope (e.g. with fiber optics) and looking for new services to bring
>to the market - it certainly is one value added service *this*
>subscriber (and hopefully my employer) would line up to buy! 

They once tried to pedal this as ISDN...'nough said.

Rob D.
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc