Save money? Well no, not really, if we're talking about "real time"
technololgies. Enthusiasts for the new technologies (like the Western
Governors' University) consistently forget about the staggering
up-front costs for equipment, infrastructure, and software
licensing, not to mention the salaries of talented technical people
needed to pull it off.
The UI doesn't have the server or Internet link capacity to implement
a broadcast by streaming media to thousands (2,000 were in the Dome).
And, while the receiving software like RealAudio is free to the
end user, the originating software is licensed for hefty fees, based on
simultaneous users.
Not to mention the costs to the end user--Intenet fees, plus a
cutting-edge desktop computer.
We may eventually look upon the public gathering, or the
self-contained classroom as a bargain.
Ron Force rforce@belle.lib.uidaho.edu
Dean of Library Services (208)885-6534
University Of Idaho fax: (208) 885-6817
Moscow, ID 83844-2371
"As for the future, your task is not to forsee but to enable"
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery