Re: CS-234 Discussion

CS234 <cs234@lhmerino.dont-email.me> wrote:

This thread is intended for the students of CS-234: Technologies for democratic society
 
How does Usenet fit into the vision presented by Licklider and Taylor in
"The Computer as a Communication Device"?
 
Reflect on:
- Which aspects of their vision are realized through Usenet?
- What aspects have evolved differently from what they imagined?
 
Feel free to respond to comments made by your classmates as well.

 This is a repost, I had forgotten to modify the From: header.


Usenet represent much of what the authours envisioned for computers as communication tools, especially in how it allowed
people to connect and share, on a large scale.
It was a premise and showed the potential for decentralized networks where users could engage in discussions and share
ideas from all over the world.
However, it didn't fully live up to the vision they had. Indeed it struggled with isszes such as spam and absence of
moderation.
To conclude, Usenet inbodies some aspects of the vision Licklider and Taylor had, but it wasn't the interactive and
problem solving network they had hoped for.