An OS of some sort is always needed. What Google is doing though is making the thin-client, thick-server model viable again.
If Google keep going the way they're going, especially if they release a GBrowser "virtual machine" to fix a few issues, Sun's vision of Network Computers will have arrived.
Of course, Macromedia Central follows the same concept, and could get there as well; but it needs a lot better content first.
Of course, all books should be available for sale in electronic format right now. The only problem is piracy. But at least the book pirates would be fairly centralised (at printers and not in home).
If Americans wanted good, unbiased broadcast news, they'd all subscribe to PBS and NPR affiliates. Or even watch public access TV.
The thing is, most people who have a clue about the media prefer text to get info. This is partially because text is cheap and so the unpopular truthtellers use it to stay in business, but also because it's the easist to skim, re-read and archive.
If we are to get many-to-many broadcast media, then I see it growing from the existing many-to-many text media./. Radio is here now if you use an RDF text-to-speach reader. At the moment it's only easy to do headlines, but you could do whole threads or the messages with high scores if you really wanted to.
You could do something similar with other boards and newsgroups.
But for it to really take off, text-to-speach software has to improve, or someone has to pay for someone to read it.
Slashdot Mirror
An OS of some sort is always needed. What Google is doing though is making the thin-client, thick-server model viable again.
If Google keep going the way they're going, especially if they release a GBrowser "virtual machine" to fix a few issues, Sun's vision of Network Computers will have arrived.
Of course, Macromedia Central follows the same concept, and could get there as well; but it needs a lot better content first.
Try this: http://www.learner.org/. It's what you're looking for without the bittorrenting.
The BBC is planning to launch something much bigger for UK residents in the near future.
Cool. You do that. And watch the rest of the world (and American anti-proprietry types) start their own network.
If you want the American control of the net to remain, just keep things the way they are.
Is there some element of cross-subsidy going on?
Which legislation do you have in mind?
Perhaps Slashdot should automatically try to cache a site once a message gets a certain number of responses.
Try Australia. Here sport is the most important thing at many schools. They don't force you to learn things in class, but they force you to do sport.
People that are good at sport are sent to state and national Institutes of Sport. They get in the news, and are heros.
As a result, Australia rules the world in many sports, and does best per captia for many others.
But try to achieve in other fields and there isn't nearly the same amount of support in schools or the community.
IMHO Sir Les is Barry Humphries' funniest character. The group of people Dame Edna was based on died a long time ago.
So the fact all new TVs are multistandard means nothing then?
Or is that all TVs in Oz are imported?
(And old PAL TVs can display NTSC fine in B&W if you play with the sync...)
Of course, all books should be available for sale in electronic format right now. The only problem is piracy. But at least the book pirates would be fairly centralised (at printers and not in home).
Don't forget GTA is just Quarantine... :)
www.indymedia.org 's audio section is closer still
http://radio.oneworld.net/ is a fairly similar concept, and has been going for a while.
If Americans wanted good, unbiased broadcast news, they'd all subscribe to PBS and NPR affiliates. Or even watch public access TV.
/. Radio is here now if you use an RDF text-to-speach reader. At the moment it's only easy to do headlines, but you could do whole threads or the messages with high scores if you really wanted to.
The thing is, most people who have a clue about the media prefer text to get info. This is partially because text is cheap and so the unpopular truthtellers use it to stay in business, but also because it's the easist to skim, re-read and archive.
If we are to get many-to-many broadcast media, then I see it growing from the existing many-to-many text media.
You could do something similar with other boards and newsgroups.
But for it to really take off, text-to-speach software has to improve, or someone has to pay for someone to read it.