Channel TCP

Beta Journalism

There's a lively debate in the Feedbag over the merits of WebTV, with some readers actually writing in from their WebTV browsers, including Jordan Parnass: "I hate browsing from my desk, ergonomically positioned and prodded by sharp phosphors and firm lumbar supports. A mushy couch, cheap wireless keyboard, salty snacks and frosty beverage can now finally conspire to bring net surfing to that fuzzy zone of pleasure inhabited by indulgent pleasure reading and late night television..." Read on and join in the debate.
A few weeks ago, the federal government startled the consumer electronics world by revealing the grave danger posed by a new product called WebTV. The Feds classified this Internet browsing tool as a munition on the theory that its powerful 128-bit encryption system might interfere with their ability to fight high-tech international crime. Federal law prohibits export of data-scrambling technology above 40 bits without a special license. In other words, a user who takes WebTV on a trip overseas now can be prosecuted as an arms dealer.
I'm convinced that the Feds are on to something here. But they've missed the real threat. It's not law enforcement that's in jeopardy, but the future of the Internet. While WebTV's affordability and ease-of-use may bring the Net to the masses, the technological limitations of the product -- and the limiting vision of its promoters -- may mean the end of the Web as we know it.
First, a few facts. WebTV is a set-top box that offers basic Web and e-mail access over a television without the hassle or cost of a personal computer. The unit, which sells for about $330, is mostly a 33.6 Kbps modem; you navigate using a specially designed remote control (though there is also an optional wireless keyboard for about $80). Founded by three veterans from Apple, and now backed by such diverse heavyweights as Microsoft, Citicorp, and Times Mirror, the eponymous company unveiled WebTV last summer and licensed it to Sony and Philips. (They began selling the product in the U.S. in October.) WebTV Networks acts as the exclusive Internet service provider, at about $20 a month. Other similar low-cost TV browsers will be out soon, and industry analysts expect millions of these non-PC Internet "appliances" to be sold in the next few years, particularly to those who don't already own computers.
There are lots of things to love about WebTV. While the box is targeted more at grannies than techies, some impressive proprietary technologies lurk under the hood, most of them designed to heighten the experience of reading on a TV screen. In addition to being cheap, it's easy to use. Attaching it to your TV and phone line is no more complicated than hooking up a VCR. There's decent e-mail capability, a customized search engine, and pre-selected sites in various categories (Arts and Books, Sports, etc.). Unique bells and whistles include a smart card slot to facilitate online shopping; "Around Town," a service which provides information about your city or region; and a call waiting feature that tells you when there's an incoming call, lets you pause the unit to take the call, and then remembers where you were. The interface is aesthetically crisp and seductive. As you sign on, you hear a soothing urban groove (instead of screeching modem static) while watching a nocturnal view of a highway rolling toward a distant metropolis. The WebTV icon emerges accompanied by a celestial crescendo, and suddenly you're on WebTV's main strip. With all this buildup, you can't help but wonder: Is this the magic infobahn finally taking us to the Elysian fields of cyberspace?
Well, not exactly. Consider first the company's sales literature, which invites the consumer in with the phrase "All you need is a passion, a TV, and a comfy chair." This promise to make cyberspace more "comfortable" is, in fact, the main selling point: "Perhaps all it takes to enjoy everything the Internet has to offer is a more familiar setting. Since you already have a television, a cozy place to watch, and you already know how to use a remote, you're all set. So just kick back, relax . . . ." With Surfwatch software built in, WebTV also offers the possibility of a sanitized Web. Indeed, there's a distinct family-values tilt throughout the company pitch. For all the atomistic cyberjunkies out there, "having the Internet on your television means surfing the Net can be something the whole family can enjoy . . . ." (Sorry Dad, say goodbye to Bianca's Smut Shack.)
Is the domestication of cyberspace such a bad thing? Maybe not if it means easier use, cheaper access, and ultimately more folks coming online. But WebTV does this at a great cost -- namely, eviscerating many of the Internet's best qualities. Gone, for example, is the many-to-many interactivity that is the Net's hallmark. Users are meant to watch the Web just as passively as they watch television. None of this sit-upright-head-alert-fingers-poised stuff. Just recline in your Lazy Boy and gaze from eight feet away at Feed on your 31" Sony. Use the arrows on the remote to scroll down and jump to various links (how long before you click the TV button to check out Melrose?). You need not think, contribute, disseminate your views. In fact, you can't -- no creating a Web site or uploading content. The whole idea of "everyone's a publisher" is scrapped. And while you can bookmark pages, there's no way to download information to a disk or printer. Use of the Web for research or serious learning is severely hampered.
Now some may say that the interactivity of the Web -- particularly the ability to create and upload content -- is something that's only important to a bunch of geeks with too much time on their hands. Average Joe and Jane, they'll add, are too busy with their jobs, the kids, and repairing that leaky roof to spend their time creating a Java-enabled website. But this completely misses the point. Self-publishing is an elastic concept that encompasses everything from the most complex VRML design to the simple ability to upload a business schedule for colleagues or a photo of the new baby for far-flung family. The idea that Web interactivity is only needed for those who are going to create state-of-the-art sites is as myopic as the notion that Average Joe shouldn't have a camcorder because he's not about to make Citizen Kane. Sure, he may not need a Sparcstation, but don't deprive him of the most basic authoring tools -- and an opportunity to take advantage of what's really novel about the Net. Indeed, it's design choices like these, in the early stages of a new technology, that can radically alter the direction in which that technology develops.
Another example of this can be found in WebTV's seemingly benign decision to make its keyboard optional. One of the unexpected benefits of the Net has been a resurgence of text-based communication -- including a uniquely informal written discourse. But by including a remote, not a keyboard, as the standard controller for the unit, WebTV discourages writing. (There is an on-screen pop-up keyboard that you can peck at character by character, but who's going to do that?) The suggestion here is that typing is just a subsidiary part of online life, something the power-users like to do, while the rest of us mindlessly point and click. But anyone who has spent any time online knows that the keyboard is as essential to Web surfing as the record button is to the VCR. Making it optional ignores one of the technology's defining characteristics -- particularly since WebTV is also marketed as an e-mail solution.
Finally, WebTV challenges the standard claim that the Net is different from -- indeed, more democratic than -- other media because users pull material rather than having it pushed at them. While you can type in any URL, the place at which you do this is notably difficult to find, and again you're only going to use it if you buy the optional keyboard. More likely, users will follow the path of least resistance and, as intended, spend most of their time at the pre-selected sites of WebTV's content partners -- either the general options on the home page (like CNN and USA Today), or the category-by-category sites.
Even if Internet appliances never dominate the market, WebTV is a harbinger of trends that are increasingly prevalent in all types of online activity -- trends like content pushing. Commercial services such as America Online have always hawked their own material. Search engines give preferential treatment to sites that pay for top billing. Even browsers are being linked to certain content. Yes, you'll still have access to the whole Web, but increasingly the pages of individuals, nonprofits, and small commercial outlets will be lost in cyberspace. Without the brand recognition or the advertising budget to compete with the Disneys and Microsofts, they'll be about as prominent as the outcasts on public access cable or ham radio. Which isn't to say that the Net will be worthless. It will just be different -- and a lot more like television.
And is that so bad? Can't we simply applaud the fact that innovations like WebTV will bring many people online for the first time? And if they do come in droves, won't it mean that what they really crave is this kind of docile, family-oriented, no-brainer Net? Maybe. But we shouldn't hesitate to note the Faustian bargain that's taking place here -- not just for WebTVers, but perhaps for all who cherish the Net's interactivity and openness. As the WebTV sales pitch says, "It's everything you're into. And now there's nothing to it." Nothing to it, indeed.
(December 6, 1996)

HotWired's Webmonkey, Jeffrey Veen, had this to say about the WebTV box: "The browser itself is sharp. Everything is rendered in a TV-ready font that's surprisingly readable. GIF animations work Ð as do tables, forms, and adjustable font sizes. But advanced features, including frames, plug-ins, Java, and JavaScript, aren't supported, so some sites will be inaccessible...." You can read more here.

The Surfwatch product -- a kind of V-chip for Web browsers -- is also available for the Mac and Windows 95. You can purchase a copy from Cyberian Outpost.

The WebTV technical specifications page lists some impressive features, as well as a dazzling array of "patent-pending" neologisms, like "MessageWatch," "LineShare," and our favorite, "PhosphoRam."

Virtual Communities are central to this vision of two-way interaction. You can see some of them at work at at Howard Rheingold's new site, Electric Minds (also a sponsor here at FEED.) Or you can stop by our FEED Dialog on Virtual Communities from last summer, featuring Howard, Mark Slouka, Stacy Horn, and William Mitchell.

Click here to post your responses in our Feedbag discussion area.

There's a lively debate in the Feedbag over the merits of WebTV, with some readers actually writing in from their WebTV browsers, including Jordan Parnass: "I hate browsing from my desk, ergonomically positioned and prodded by sharp phosphors and firm lumbar supports. A mushy couch, cheap wireless keyboard, salty snacks and frosty beverage can now finally conspire to bring net surfing to that fuzzy zone of pleasure inhabited by indulgent pleasure reading and late night television..." Read on and join in the debate.	A few weeks ago, the federal government startled the consumer electronics world by revealing the grave danger posed by a new product called WebTV. The Feds classified this Internet browsing tool as a munition on the theory that its powerful 128-bit encryption system might interfere with their ability to fight high-tech international crime. Federal law prohibits export of data-scrambling technology above 40 bits without a special license. In other words, a user who takes WebTV on a trip overseas now can be prosecuted as an arms dealer. I'm convinced that the Feds are on to something here. But they've missed the real threat. It's not law enforcement that's in jeopardy, but the future of the Internet. While WebTV's affordability and ease-of-use may bring the Net to the masses, the technological limitations of the product -- and the limiting vision of its promoters -- may mean the end of the Web as we know it. First, a few facts. WebTV is a set-top box that offers basic Web and e-mail access over a television without the hassle or cost of a personal computer. The unit, which sells for about $330, is mostly a 33.6 Kbps modem; you navigate using a specially designed remote control (though there is also an optional wireless keyboard for about $80). Founded by three veterans from Apple, and now backed by such diverse heavyweights as Microsoft, Citicorp, and Times Mirror, the eponymous company unveiled WebTV last summer and licensed it to Sony and Philips. (They began selling the product in the U.S. in October.) WebTV Networks acts as the exclusive Internet service provider, at about $20 a month. Other similar low-cost TV browsers will be out soon, and industry analysts expect millions of these non-PC Internet "appliances" to be sold in the next few years, particularly to those who don't already own computers. There are lots of things to love about WebTV. While the box is targeted more at grannies than techies, some impressive proprietary technologies lurk under the hood, most of them designed to heighten the experience of reading on a TV screen. In addition to being cheap, it's easy to use. Attaching it to your TV and phone line is no more complicated than hooking up a VCR. There's decent e-mail capability, a customized search engine, and pre-selected sites in various categories (Arts and Books, Sports, etc.). Unique bells and whistles include a smart card slot to facilitate online shopping; "Around Town," a service which provides information about your city or region; and a call waiting feature that tells you when there's an incoming call, lets you pause the unit to take the call, and then remembers where you were. The interface is aesthetically crisp and seductive. As you sign on, you hear a soothing urban groove (instead of screeching modem static) while watching a nocturnal view of a highway rolling toward a distant metropolis. The WebTV icon emerges accompanied by a celestial crescendo, and suddenly you're on WebTV's main strip. With all this buildup, you can't help but wonder: Is this the magic infobahn finally taking us to the Elysian fields of cyberspace? Well, not exactly. Consider first the company's sales literature, which invites the consumer in with the phrase "All you need is a passion, a TV, and a comfy chair." This promise to make cyberspace more "comfortable" is, in fact, the main selling point: "Perhaps all it takes to enjoy everything the Internet has to offer is a more familiar setting. Since you already have a television, a cozy place to watch, and you already know how to use a remote, you're all set. So just kick back, relax . . . ." With Surfwatch software built in, WebTV also offers the possibility of a sanitized Web. Indeed, there's a distinct family-values tilt throughout the company pitch. For all the atomistic cyberjunkies out there, "having the Internet on your television means surfing the Net can be something the whole family can enjoy . . . ." (Sorry Dad, say goodbye to Bianca's Smut Shack.) Is the domestication of cyberspace such a bad thing? Maybe not if it means easier use, cheaper access, and ultimately more folks coming online. But WebTV does this at a great cost -- namely, eviscerating many of the Internet's best qualities. Gone, for example, is the many-to-many interactivity that is the Net's hallmark. Users are meant to watch the Web just as passively as they watch television. None of this sit-upright-head-alert-fingers-poised stuff. Just recline in your Lazy Boy and gaze from eight feet away at Feed on your 31" Sony. Use the arrows on the remote to scroll down and jump to various links (how long before you click the TV button to check out Melrose?). You need not think, contribute, disseminate your views. In fact, you can't -- no creating a Web site or uploading content. The whole idea of "everyone's a publisher" is scrapped. And while you can bookmark pages, there's no way to download information to a disk or printer. Use of the Web for research or serious learning is severely hampered. Now some may say that the interactivity of the Web -- particularly the ability to create and upload content -- is something that's only important to a bunch of geeks with too much time on their hands. Average Joe and Jane, they'll add, are too busy with their jobs, the kids, and repairing that leaky roof to spend their time creating a Java-enabled website. But this completely misses the point. Self-publishing is an elastic concept that encompasses everything from the most complex VRML design to the simple ability to upload a business schedule for colleagues or a photo of the new baby for far-flung family. The idea that Web interactivity is only needed for those who are going to create state-of-the-art sites is as myopic as the notion that Average Joe shouldn't have a camcorder because he's not about to make Citizen Kane. Sure, he may not need a Sparcstation, but don't deprive him of the most basic authoring tools -- and an opportunity to take advantage of what's really novel about the Net. Indeed, it's design choices like these, in the early stages of a new technology, that can radically alter the direction in which that technology develops. Another example of this can be found in WebTV's seemingly benign decision to make its keyboard optional. One of the unexpected benefits of the Net has been a resurgence of text-based communication -- including a uniquely informal written discourse. But by including a remote, not a keyboard, as the standard controller for the unit, WebTV discourages writing. (There is an on-screen pop-up keyboard that you can peck at character by character, but who's going to do that?) The suggestion here is that typing is just a subsidiary part of online life, something the power-users like to do, while the rest of us mindlessly point and click. But anyone who has spent any time online knows that the keyboard is as essential to Web surfing as the record button is to the VCR. Making it optional ignores one of the technology's defining characteristics -- particularly since WebTV is also marketed as an e-mail solution. Finally, WebTV challenges the standard claim that the Net is different from -- indeed, more democratic than -- other media because users pull material rather than having it pushed at them. While you can type in any URL, the place at which you do this is notably difficult to find, and again you're only going to use it if you buy the optional keyboard. More likely, users will follow the path of least resistance and, as intended, spend most of their time at the pre-selected sites of WebTV's content partners -- either the general options on the home page (like CNN and USA Today), or the category-by-category sites. Even if Internet appliances never dominate the market, WebTV is a harbinger of trends that are increasingly prevalent in all types of online activity -- trends like content pushing. Commercial services such as America Online have always hawked their own material. Search engines give preferential treatment to sites that pay for top billing. Even browsers are being linked to certain content. Yes, you'll still have access to the whole Web, but increasingly the pages of individuals, nonprofits, and small commercial outlets will be lost in cyberspace. Without the brand recognition or the advertising budget to compete with the Disneys and Microsofts, they'll be about as prominent as the outcasts on public access cable or ham radio. Which isn't to say that the Net will be worthless. It will just be different -- and a lot more like television. And is that so bad? Can't we simply applaud the fact that innovations like WebTV will bring many people online for the first time? And if they do come in droves, won't it mean that what they really crave is this kind of docile, family-oriented, no-brainer Net? Maybe. But we shouldn't hesitate to note the Faustian bargain that's taking place here -- not just for WebTVers, but perhaps for all who cherish the Net's interactivity and openness. As the WebTV sales pitch says, "It's everything you're into. And now there's nothing to it." Nothing to it, indeed. (December 6, 1996)

HotWired's Webmonkey, Jeffrey Veen, had this to say about the WebTV box: "The browser itself is sharp. Everything is rendered in a TV-ready font that's surprisingly readable. GIF animations work Ð as do tables, forms, and adjustable font sizes. But advanced features, including frames, plug-ins, Java, and JavaScript, aren't supported, so some sites will be inaccessible...." You can read more here.
The Surfwatch product -- a kind of V-chip for Web browsers -- is also available for the Mac and Windows 95. You can purchase a copy from Cyberian Outpost.
The WebTV technical specifications page lists some impressive features, as well as a dazzling array of "patent-pending" neologisms, like "MessageWatch," "LineShare," and our favorite, "PhosphoRam."
Virtual Communities are central to this vision of two-way interaction. You can see some of them at work at at Howard Rheingold's new site, Electric Minds (also a sponsor here at FEED.) Or you can stop by our FEED Dialog on Virtual Communities from last summer, featuring Howard, Mark Slouka, Stacy Horn, and William Mitchell.