Any work around for this?

[The Big Glee Bopper]

Earlier I posted a request from a small library about dealing with Dynix 
vs local ISP. I received a couple of responses that dealing with Dynix 
and the net is a problem. The librarian has since sent me the note below:

****** note
It seems like we don't have a choice ... I talked with the guy from _local
isp provider_ (LISP) Networking.  LISP can supply our Internet
connection ... but Dynix has to supply the NetConnect software if we ever
want to have our catalog on the web.  So ... I guess we'll have to go with
Dynix and hope for the best. We're still getting LISP to provide the local
Internet connection. 
******

I'm wondering if others have worked around this problem since I'm sure 
what is being called the _Netconnect software_ is just a translation 
program from one system to another either z39.50 or something like it.

I'd also like to broaden the question and ask what have been folks'
experiences with the other providers such as Innovative, Sirus, etc. I'd
imagine that most opac providers realize that as the web expands the
significance of the _local_ collection has to diminish which means a
reduced number of opac providers with an increasing share of a declining
market - not a great boat to be rowing even in good weather. So, the opac
folks have to be thinking of them selves as continuing to do what they did
in the past, marc/opac/authority/accounting/ordering, but expanding it to
major web site management. After all, all an opac is is a specialized
database. Do libraries now pay for standard opac services, a local isp for
the web site, and again the opac provider for _new_ services to allow the
isp folks to connect to the opac, or do the opac folks fax a sheet of
specs so the library community can work with the local isp to do
the translations, ... or [ hold you breath on this one folks ] do the good
guys of the opac community create the translation utility and give it away
free ala Netscape/Microsoft [ browsers ] in an attempt be the good guy and
to hold and maybe increase market and share? [ web servers ]

Stay tuned. We all know that _all_ the opac folks are reading this 
message and thousands of librarian/info providers.

Thoughts?

--Thom