🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <9htzv8p@rpi.edu> multics@acm.acm.rpi.edu (Multics) writes:
>I've heard several people talking about setting up a public access unix system 
>in the capital district.  I'd like to know if there's any interest out
>there.

I'm interested, might even pay for it.  Or help run it for free access. :-)

>What type of services would people want besides news and email?
>(ftp, telnet, irc, etc?)

Standard network services (ftp, telnet).  Other people will probably
want cc or gcc and associated tools and libs for compiling things.
I don't as I have a couple of home Unix systems.

>What do people think would be reasonable rates?
>(world.std.com is $20/month for 2hours/day)

Depends on how much profit you are interested in.  Add up monthly
charges (phone line charges, cost of a newsfeed, maybe pay for
sysadmin(s)) and amortize initial costs over a year or two (phone
connect charges, computer(s), modems, other stuff).  Divide by
expected number of users.  I have no idea what something like
this actually costs.  An Internet connection would probably be
one of the more expensive items.  You'll probably want to use
disk quotas and let people buy more disk.

If I were to run something like this by myself, I'd run it more
like a hobby thing, so I'd charge enough to come out $5000 ahead,
which I'd use to upgrade services (better/faster machines, modems,
more lines, etc).  If this cost $20/month for 2hours/day, that
would be fine with me.  If it only cost $10/month instead, I'd
like to know why there was a high profit margin.

Why not just charge what you need to and see how many people are
interested.
-- 
Brian Moore, mooreb@fac.com | "Buddha once sat before a wall, and when he
Unix System Administrator   | arose he was enlightened." / "You compare
First Albany Corporation    | yourself to Buddha?" / "No, only to the wall."
standard disclaimers apply  |                               - Circle of Iron