No more text-based Internet?

[Madeleine Showalter]

I am looking for an Internet Service Provider in San Antonio which
offers a dial-up account with text-based e-mail.  This is for a user
with an IBM PC-XT (no windows).  If anyone knows of one, please let me
know.

I have been searching for several weeks, with no luck.  This experience
(as well as frequent customer demands for a web interface to our
catalog) has enlightened me.  I'm beginning to think that such
text-based Internet services have disappeared; in other words, all home
computer (or webtv) users are now accessing the Internet through a
graphical user interface.  If so, this has major implications for
library catalog access through telnet.  It will soon go the way of the
buggy whip.

I realize that many users (except webtv) can install telnet software to
work with their web browser.  However, increasing numbers of customers
seem to think that this is too much trouble, or don't understand it at
all.  In these customers' eyes, if our catalog is not on the web, the
Library doesn't exist, or at least is not serving their needs.
-- 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Madeleine Showalter		mshowalt at library.ci.austin.tx.us
Internet Administrator		telnet://apl.ci.austin.tx.us
Austin Public Library		http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library
	Opinions expressed are solely my own.