🚀 go-pugleaf

Just a note regarding the Spring and the relationship to Real/Time
communications...

Real/Time Communications operates as an Internet service provider for
Austin, and soon several other Texas cities.  One of our policies
is to allow third parties to locate equipment at our site for the
purpose of producing on-line services for the Internet.  In return
for this consideration, some form of compensation is required to pay
for the expense of providing this service.  

In the case of the Spring, the compensation agreement negotiated with
Real/Time is one such that Spring users pay the same rates as Real/Time
users pay to use our facilities.  Because the owner of the Spring didn't
want to reinvent the wheel, we are allowing him to use our accounting 
system.  Because our new user registration system was designed for 
Real/Time users, and since all Spring users have entries in Real/Time's
accounting system, the new user sees Real/Time account creation screens.

Anyone and everyone is invited to use the Real/Time facilities to 
produce their own on-line service.  Not everyone is required to 
agree to the same terms as the Spring, rather terms that fit the
given situation will be negotiated.  Companies such as the Spring 
enjoy very low start-up costs, saving them many thousands of dollars
in up-front costs.  The Spring is not the only such service, there
are at least 4 others at this time, with more being negotiated.

With regard to "problems" with our DNS, and the issue of me answering 
my mail, I have a couple of comments.  First of all I don't recall
the specific problem Jim refers to, I do not believe I was told how 
to fix it by Jim.  I won't deny that there have been errors in the past,
with the hundreds of slip customers we have, our DNS is quite complex.

As for my not responding to Jim's mail, it would not suprise me if this
is totally true, I get hundreds of mail messages every day... at any one 
time I may have several megs of unread mail.  All users are instructed to
send email to "hosts@bga.com" where we have a team of people answering 
mail.  I hope to someday have my mail under control, but untill I do,
my assistants DO answer mail directed to "hosts".

I apologise to Jim for any misunderstandings he may have had with us, 
I have no doubt that he is qualified to have his opinions regarding
our service.  I would like to invite him to come down to the office and
tell me what we are doing wrong... I'll always welcome the help!

Oh, one more thing.  Real/Time Communications, as well as the other
Internet providers were all invited to sell their services at the
EFF boot at Robofest.  I regret that I did not take advantage of
the invitation, but I did donate two 6 month accounts for EFF to 
give away.  One of my users printed up some materials he pulled 
off-line so that we would be represented at the table, and for this 
I thank him!  I believe that if Paul represented the Spring at the
EFF table, he did so knowing that it was the correct thing to do.
I'm sure that Paul supports the efforts of the EFF as much as
any of the other service providers do.  Paul is active in the 
Ham Radio community, working with many other people there that 
are very interested in efforts such as the EFF and the Robot Group.

I thank the moderator for allowing me to clear the air on this subject.

George  

Email hosts@bga.com for responses or questions.