Marc Andreesen, taken from Wired Magazine Welcome to the Internet, where commercial enterprise and academics butt heads. Children can play games or learn history without leaving their seats. Adults can learn about the latest consumer deals and research the effects of thermo-nuclear engineering on small rabbits, all within the same hour.
Entrepreneurs can promote their products while analyzing the global markets.
The Internet is the first interactive medium to be used for a wide range of tasks by groups representing a broad cross-section of our society. The various perspectives from which users view the web determine the way each will use the medium. There are essentially two poles which demonstrate the variety of ways the net is being used. On one side of the spectrum is the commercial application in the truest form - blatant marketing and advertising sites intent on selling products and services. On the opposite side of the spectrum are the forums and on-line conferences laden with rich academic debate and exciting research updates.