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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site hou3c.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!hou3c!@RAND-UNIX.ARPA
From: lauren@vortex.uucp
Newsgroups: net.mail.headers
Subject: Re: $1/message
Message-ID: <8402190026.6184.1.VT2.2@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 19-Feb-84 03:26:02 EST
Article-I.D.: hou3c.305
Posted: Sun Feb 19 03:26:02 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 20-Feb-84 07:57:52 EST
Sender: ka@hou3c.UUCP (Kenneth Almquist)
Lines: 22
To: Geoff@SRI-CSL
In-Reply-To: Your message of 18 Feb 1984 17:05-PST

Well, I can put it another way, would you be willing to SEND a message
to header-people if you had to pay $1 for each person who would
be RECEIVING it?  This is even worse!  How likely would people
be to contribute their expertise on various subjects if they had to 
PAY to send that information to the people who would benefit?  Few of
our large mailing lists would survive under such a scheme.

Two specific points about MCI Mail:

1) Their technique of forcing you to use inane and time-consuming
   menus UNLESS you're willing to pay them money is pretty 
   low are far as I'm concerned.

2) I am convinced that their "free access" policy will not last.
   I'd be happy to give odds that somewhere not too far down the
   line, all "free" users will receive a notice telling them that
   if they want to keep their access, they will have to start paying
   a monthly fee and/or pay minimum amounts per month.  Clearly MCI
   has the right to do this, but the people who think the service
   is going to stay free forever are kidding themselves, I suspect.

--Lauren--