The Internet and the Promise of Information

I enjoyed Craig Nova's commentary (October). He writes, ``I can smell the sweet perfume of (information) paradise.'' Alas, it's an illusion. There have been regular attempts to provide ``universal access to information.'' I remember when this was the rallying cry in the 1970s for those who wanted to build the ideal MIS, instant answers to all management's questions. In the 1980s, there were a number of ambitious ventures to furnish a universal front end to different database services. Currently, we have the Internet and the promise of information paradise. It's not likely to happen in the 1990s, because data is for the most part uninteresting. We want information--answers to questions that interest us. And that's the key to the difference between data and information: Information is data pr ovided as a response to particular questions. This question of shifting frames of reference was the reason no one delivered real MIS in the 1970s, and it will be the reason the perfume you think you smell will prove to be an illusion.

Bob Fabian,

rfabian@interlog.com

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

As with Craig Nova, I also recognized the Internet as a somewhat magical medium, like a purse that will produce a hundred gold pieces for every piece put in. After investigation, the reality seems more like a hefty garbage bag that needs to be carefully sifted through to find anything of value. The cliche ``garbage in, garbage out'' applies to the Internet. As the Internet gains popularity, there will be more and more worthless information, with the occasional bit of gold to tempt us further in. The Internet is a reflection of the people who contribute to it. I hope that those who use it will be careful about what they contribute, so the reflection won't scare us into imposing senseless rules and regula tions.

David Miller,

dzm@cvsd.cv.com

I was charmed by Craig Nova's October commentary. People are slowly beginning to realize that being computer-literate and being just literate are not inconsistent, and I thank you for helping to bring that about.

Andre Vellino,

vellino@bnr.ca

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada