Re: [9fans] File/cpu service provider

[Richard Uhtenwoldt <ru@ohio.river.org>]

I asked:

>>can a terminal use the
>>public internet to connect to a cpu server and
>>a file server?

Russ Cox writes:

>As long as you can get IL packets
>through, you're golden.

I admin my own Linux box, and I am capable of learning to admin my own
Plan 9 network, but I would rather become a Plan 9 user and perhaps even
a Plan 9 app programmer before learning to admin my own Plan 9
network. in fact learning to admin a Plan 9 network is rather low on my
list of things to achieve.  it took a long time to learn how to admin my
own Linux box well and I expect the learning curve for adminning a Plan
9 network is even longer because the install program is less mature than
eg Suse's Yast and because Plan 9 does not have package managers like
RPM and Debian's Apt or config managers like GNU Autoconf.

so, I am willing to pay someone with a well-adminstered Plan 9 network
connected to the internet (residential cable internet connection
probably does not suffice) $20 or 30/mo for Plan 9 cpu and file and
email services.  ie, you give me an account and email address on your
network and my Plan 9 terminal server at home connects to it over the
public internet.  the first use I put my account to might be to read the
mailing lists I subscribe to.

I might be willing to pay a one-time account-creation fee.

of course the network I would most like an account on is the one inside
Bell Labs <grin> but I figure there are rules against that.

I realize that in many ways Plan 9 is a less mature environment than
Linux is (eg, much fewer apps), and I am willing to put up with the
hardships that entails.

in particular, (though its underlying security architecture is more
sound) because Plan 9 has not been beaten on for ten years by thousands
of teenaged boys, it is probably more vulnerable than Unix/Linux to
breakins and DoS attacks when connected to the public internet,
resulting in outages.  that does not sour me as long as uptime is at
least, oh, 80%.

at first I envision myself using an almost-stateless Plan 9 terminal
like they do at Bell Labs, but over the years I would like to see things
evolve so that data I wish to keep from prying eyes is stored and code
that I run regularly is cached on my desktop (because disk drives are
still cheaper and more responsive than public internet bandwidth).

most "most-upstream" internet connectivity provider is currently Verio
but I would probably be able to switch to whichever one you use so as to
avoid annoying latency at the network access points.  (I know from my
experience telnetting over the public internet that latency is a bigger
issue than bandwidth.)  also, your server(s) probably needs to be in
North America.

one of my motives for pursuing this way of working with Plan 9 is my
belief in the eventual dominance of "one-click" software installation
and upgrading (cf, Sun's recent announcement of the Java Web Start spec
and the rise of the "application-service provider") and my desire
eventually to see Plan 9-based apps and services available via
"one-click".

I am in no particular rush to start using Plan 9 --my interest is long
term-- but if you think you might be able to be my "Plan 9 service provider"
months from now, please pipe up next few days.  (in a few days, I go
on vacation for a month.)

Richard Uhtenwoldt