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Once upon a time, somebody asked innocently: "How many people make use of CUNET (the Caribbean University Network project), thousands or hundreds?".

Someone else, did not have the direct information but he spent years asking it and was directly interested in the figures. He offered his indirect estimation, well documented (data, facts and methods). Hundred he answered. A difference of one zero is not a detail, he added. And he commented the implications.

Those who had the direct information stayed silent.

Then the "scientifical debate" started: -"Outrageous statement! (ref Jamnet)" -"Perverted!"
-"You leaved your sense." said the representant of National SCIENCE Foundation, plus plenty of data on Jamnet and Honduras. ^^^^^^^ -"Redhucyt is the major network project in Latin America.", he added. -"Your mailer's network is bugged."
-More data on Jamnet from Costa Rica reached the party. -"Remember Peru 1991."
-"Egotic!"
-"You are playing games."
-"Fix your mailer."
-"We don't care."

Smoke. Smoke. Smoke. Nobody answers the question. Nobody cares to take the facts, figures and methods and assume or contradict with scientifical arguments.

Folks, with that much exposure to smoke, you are going to turn CUNET into a SMOKED NETWORK.

What is happening here? Have we reached the ultimate Internet TABOU? Are we part of a research community? Are we uncapable to discuss the issue as professionals?

1. have not computed the Jamnet user figures as Archie have not included the traffic data in the CUNET figures. So give me a break with Jamnet. Nothing to do with my CUNET user figures. 2-Redhucyt is the ONLY regional effort on networking in LA right now, Steve. No doubt it is the major. What that have to do with CUNET? 3-REDID's mailer is bugged? I am reading you. Are you reading me? Yes? Would the mouth be stammering does that disqualify the question? 4-Randy keeps definitively desinformed about the role of the REDALC group in Peru, 4 years ago. In what is that related to CUNET? 5-Have I a big ego or not? Who really cares? 6-Nobody cares to know? Some of you, from the outside, does not care to know what proportion of the research population is networked in the Caribbean. Fine. For you the Caribbean may be just a beach and his people turist agents. But the researcher or the person from the NGO who lives and works here, who fights for more regional integration does care. He/she wants to follow up the contacts within the region and to have his/her colleagues answers his/her mails. He/she also hopes to have a cheaper option than the commercial IP ones. May he? May she?

"It is simple.", says the CUNET project manager. Yes, Saul, it is as simple as typing the command USERS in WAFFLE. So do it. Have the users file exposed, and please, leave in the last column so we can read the "last time logged in" information. Daniel Pimienta
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