This New Internet Thing, Chapter 11

The Outing

I wrote a book. The publication date is May 29, 2024 (if you’d rather not deal with Amazon, your bookstore can also order it from the distributor Ingram Spark, or print-on-demand if they have the equipment). You can read it for free here, although it’ll be in serial form. My fond hope is that you’ll find it so compelling that you just buy the book instead of waiting 8 months to see what happens. There will be a chapter each week, 33 in all.

In Chapter 10, Len gets deeper into the online world, before everyone was on the Internet. He gets help from Cassie in trying Usenet, getting (almost) terminally frustrated at all the crap you had to go through back then, but Len is persistent.

Now he’s finally moved out to

Reading in serial form has a long and honorable history. My cover artist sent me this “Read Like a Victorian” website. Enjoy.

=================. The Outing ==============

It was summer 1992. Len’s garage sale was history, anything left over went to the dump, and he sold the house. The real estate market in Detroit was even worse than he thought, and he had to cut the price several times to move the thing. He said goodbye to Jamie and Harry, thankful he wasn’t going to have to go to Jamie’s US History class and tell the story of his brother Jack yet again.

The movers came and he got in his LeBaron and drove it to California in five days. That big boat of a car used a lot of gas, but it was built to be comfortable and it really was, even in blazing heat. He had some books on tape to listen to, and it really wasn’t bad at all.

He moved into Walt’s cabin up in the Sierras, and he and Walt were planning to build a separate house for him, with Janet’s help. When they weren’t there, which would be most of the time, he’d take care of the main house.

“Fishing every day” — that was Len’s retirement dream, along with “get out of Detroit.” Now it was real. He was also spending a lot of time online, so his evenings didn’t all revolve around sitting in front of the TV. He got a Labrador, whom he named Mickey, after the great Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich. Everyone assumed he must be named for Mickey Mouse, but at least occasionally, someone knew who Mickey Lolich was. Mickey took to riding in the boat immediately, so the two of them became inseparable. Sometimes when they were coming in, Mickey would jump off the boat and swim to shore. Everyone told him Labs liked to swim, so now he was seeing it.

Len wasn’t in Silicon Valley, but he was nearby, and his daughter was there. Whenever he got online and talked about investing, he realized he didn’t understand this computer business, and he wanted to. It was so different from the car business he’d spent his life in, where even the tiniest change in a taillight takes two years, and a 20-year veteran was still The New Guy. 

He didn’t have any technical training, and he was too old to start doing what Janet did. All he had was a lifetime in finance and accounting. But at the very least, he could learn how it worked so he could invest better. There had to be some major fortunes still to be made there. Maybe he could become richer than Janet! The threat of that would make her work a little harder, at least.

Janet must have been reading his mind. She got the idea to take Dad and all her friends out fishing on the ocean. She and Walt had initiated their romance on his fishing boat, so this had sentimental value for them, too. Len jumped at the chance to actually talk to some of these Valley people.

Len & Mickey, Cassie, Dan, Matt, and Bernie the Bernese Mountain Dog all met at 6:00 am at Pillar Point near Half Moon Bay one Sunday, just like that fateful trip three years ago.. Despite the early hour there were eight boats ahead of them for the launch ramp. While they waited, Matt said to Cassie, 

“So I hear you’re a big mucky-muck now! Congratulations. How is it?”

She made the “tiny” gesture with her fingers. “A small mucky-muck. Maybe just a ‘muck’. And it’s only in Testing. How’s GO?”

“It’s going,” he said, pointing down.

“Well, we’d love to have you back at 3Com!”

Finally it was their turn to launch. Janet knew the first mate’s duties by now. She ran through her checklist, hopped into the boat, and then signaled to Walt, who backed the boat into the water. Janet got the engine running in reverse, Walt backed a few feet farther and then when the boat was floating, he drove away and parked. He came back, she threw him the ropes, he pulled the boat over to the dock, and they all jumped in. Walt turned the boat around and they headed out to sea. Bernie and Mickey barked at the other boaters, then they retired to the cabin to lie down.

They all stood in the bow. Cassie said to Len, “So, Mr. Saunders, how are you doing on the Internet? I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“Len, Len. I’m starting to get the hang of it, finally. Thanks again for all your help, Cassie.”

They talked some more about what he’d discovered on his own, and Cassie threw a whole bunch of new terms and buzzwords at him, and he felt like he should write them all down, but he didn’t have a notebook.

Walt steered them out to where the pelicans were gathered, figuring that they always know where the fish are. He cut the engine, and everyone threw their lines out

Len and Matt stood next to each other at the rail. Len knew Matt had some kind of issue with Walt, and that was why his wife wasn’t here, but that old stuff didn’t interest him. He waited for Matt to speak. Finally,

“Mr. Saunders, how are you liking California so far?”

“Oh, it’s a pretty big change from Detroit, but I’m adjusting. Tell me about you! I don’t think we talked much at the wedding. So you used to work with Janet?”

“Yeah, but not anymore. Now I’m at this struggling startup, GO Corp.”

“Struggling, huh? What does GO do?”

Matt explained how they were building a handheld computer that you operated with a pen, and Microsoft and the big guys were stepping on them. Len had spent his career with the Number Three carmaker, Chrysler, so he could sympathize with that.

“So how did GO get started? Was it one of those VC funds? Did a rich guy stake them?” 

“A bunch of rich pricks!” laughed Matt. “Yeah.”

This rang a bell with Len. “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard about them.”

“‘Vulture capitalist’ is another term!”

“And what does Microsoft have to do with it? They don’t make those little tiny computers, do they?”

Matt looked tired. “They think no one should do anything with software, unless they control it.”

Len thought about that. “Doesn’t the government have a say in that? I mean, at Chrysler we couldn’t even get technical information from GM without official permission!”

Dan overheard. “Maybe the government could. If they were paying attention.”

“Well, those vulture capitalists didn’t get where they are by being nice guys. Anyway, will this gadget read your handwriting? That sounds impressive.”

Matt was sheepish. “I guess it would be if it really worked.”

“That’s tough. So what is GO doing about those big companies?”

Matt gestured at Dan, who was on his other side. “Well, we’re partnering with AT&T, for one thing. Dan here is trying to get me to jump ship and join him at Oracle!”

Dan called out, “No one makes money working with AT&T. Matt should know that by now!”

Len’s first instinct was to be shocked at this casual disrespect for Ma Bell.

“Really? Aren’t they going to own everything, eventually?”

“That’s what they want you to believe.”

“But you don’t?”

Dan said, “Let me ask you this: Cassie told me you’re on the Internet! What do you think about that?”

Len looked puzzled. “You mean those newsgroups? They’re kinda chaotic, but you can find some useful stuff once in a while. What’s that got to do with AT&T?”

“Exactly,” said Dan. “They think it’s just a toy for the pointy-headed guys. Janet and I both went to the IETF…”

Len raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“Sorry, the Internet Engineering Task Force. We both happened to go to their meeting last November, and AT&T was barely even there.”

“So?”

“So, their attitude is, this ‘Internet’ is all toy stuff, and everyone’s going to come around to their way of thinking, sooner or later.”

“But they’re not?”

Matt jumped in. “We’ve been hearing that forever, and it’s always five years away. Meanwhile, the world is going Internet.”

Len tried to absorb that.

“Well… I guess it does seem like that, doesn’t it? I gotta tell ya, I only ever hear ‘Internet, Internet.’ If the phone companies are going to do anything, they better get going.”

Dan said, “I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

Just then Matt’s rod tip started bobbing up and down. He had a fish on, and everyone reeled in to give him space. He fought the fish for five minutes or so, Len put the net down in the water, and Matt led the fish to it.

“Nice fish!” said Walt. He weighed it, and shook his head. “Too small, though,” unhooked it and eased it back into the water. Len was dumbfounded. 

“I’ve never caught anything that large in my life, and it’s too small?”

“Well, Dad, this is the Pacific Ocean. We have bigger fish here than back in Michigan!” Janet smiled. Len just shook his head and threw his line back in. Matt and Dan wandered over to the other side of the boat. Janet came over and put her arm around Len’s waist.

“How’s it going, Dad? How do you like this kind of fishing?”

He chuckled again. “It’s different, that’s for sure. I’m used to casting a lure out and reeling it back in!”

“Yeah, here you just wait for the fish to bite.”

“Hey, before you wander off, I wanted to ask you something.”

“OK.”

“Matt and Dan made me think this Internet thing might be big. What do you think?”

Janet smiled. “Sometimes it seems that way. Did Dan tell you we both went to the same conference about it last year?”

“Yeah, he did. How was that?”

“You mean how did we like it, or how did we both end up going?”

“Both, I guess.”

“Well, Dan went because Oracle is supporting all kinds of networking. I went because I wanted to see what was going on, and I needed the break. Dealing with stupid people all day long makes me tired.”

Len took that in for a minute or so. He thought back to the big execs at Chrysler and how he didn’t get along with them. But that wasn’t what he wanted to talk about right now.

“So you were impressed?”

“With the Internet? Well, they certainly seem serious. There were a lot of groups meeting on serious topics. They’re not all hippies in tie-dyes, if that’s what you were thinking.”

Len laughed. “I’m glad you said that. It does kinda seem that way sometimes from the outside.”

“Yeah, that’s what the top execs at 3Com think about it. Like it’ll all blow over.”

“A passing fad!”

“Or so they think. I’m going to go see how my hubby’s doing.” She wandered over to Walt.

Len thought about all this. On the misc.invest newsgroup that Cassie had helped him get on, no one ever talked about investing in the Internet, even though they were all using it. Same with the AOL investing forums. Or if someone did mention it, it was only asking if they could get to their broker or reach CompuServe over it. They were nearly all people who had Internet access through their work or school and just took it for granted. There were “technology stocks” or “computer stocks” but no “Internet stocks.” How do you invest in this? he wondered.

Dan overheard the conversation and came back.

“Yeah, Janet and I had a good time in Santa Fe. Did she tell you we met Mitch Kapor?”

“Who’s Mitch Kapor?”

“Oh, sorry. He’s the guy responsible for Lotus 1-2-3.”

Len knew what that was, since he used it every day.

“So who’s going to make money if Internet is the next big thing? Not those little doodads Matt is working on, I don’t think.”

“Hah! I think he’s figured that out for himself. Microsoft wants to own everything and they don’t care if they have to steal it from someone.”

“Is that right? Maybe I should just buy Microsoft stock.”

“Not a bad idea.”

“But you’re at Oracle, right?” 

Dan nodded.

“Their stock’s done pretty well lately, too.”

“You’ve noticed, huh?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m retired, so I have lots of time to follow these things.”

Dan felt like he should follow the stock market more than he did, since he understood it all pretty well. They talked about the online forums Len was on, the mathematical analyses he did on the data, and what stocks and mutual funds he liked right now. Both of them watched Wall Street Week religiously. 

They also talked for a long time about fishing in the Midwest. Dan had grown up fishing in northern Wisconsin, which was pretty similar to Len’s experiences in Michigan. Then they moved on to baseball, Dan being a Cubs fan and Len a Tigers fan. They both noted that the last time the Cubs were in a World Series, they played the Tigers.

Len thought, “This is what my son would be like, if I had a son.” He invited Dan to come up and visit and go fishing with him. Dan accepted at once.

Len got a bite. He knew enough to keep his rod tip up while he fought the fish, and Dan netted it for him. Janet and Walt congratulated him, Walt weighed it, and said, “Looks like a keeper! Good work, Dad!”

Dan got out his camera and aimed it. “OK, let’s get the three of you together, with the fish.” They put their arms around Len, who held up the fish, and Dan took the classic fishing picture. 

“I’ll mail this to you when I get it developed, Janet.” said Dan. “Along with whatever other photos we take today!”

Walt put the fish in the bucket. It was a good day already.

This was a hot spot. They all started catching fish, and Dan’s camera stayed busy, including in Len’s hands when Dan himself caught one.

As they were heading back to shore, Cassie joined Len at the rail.

“So, Mr. Saunders, good day?”

“A very good day, young lady! And for you?”

‘I caught one, so yeah. Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot!”

“I’m thinking of adopting a child!”

Len was speechless. Almost.

“You? But you’re not married!”

“Well, duh. I know several single women who’ve adopted kids on their own. We can do it now.”

Len really didn’t know what to say.

“I guess times are changing, huh?” She nodded. “Well, good luck to you, because you’ll need it.”

“Thanks. By the way, don’t tell Janet.”

“My lips are sealed. But you said you had a question. Now I’m dying to hear it.”

“Would you be the godfather?”

This was way too much for a 67-year-old man. He pictured himself as Marlon Brando in a tux with a cat on his lap.

“Are you going to ask me to have someone beaten up someday if I say yes?”

Cassie doubled over laughing.

“No, no. Good idea, though. Let me think of someone.”

Len laughed, too. “In that case, I’d be honored. Do you have it all lined up yet?”

“No, but I’ve been getting certified as a potential parent, which takes a long time. Lots of one on one meetings with a social worker, a visit to your home, etc. Then when that finishes, I can do what they call a ‘fost-adopt.’ You foster the child for a while with the intention that you’ll adopt her if she works out.”

“Wow. I had no idea about all this stuff.”

They were approaching shore, so they had to cut the discussion short. Len just said, “Well, I’m eager to hear how this turns out. Let me know when you need me!”

Janet overheard the tail end of this, but she didn’t want to ask Dad what it was about.

On their way home in the car, Len asked Walt,

“So I gather you and Matt have some history?”

Walt looked uncomfortable for a second, but overcame it. “You could say that. Just business. We resolved it.” He clearly didn’t want to elaborate.

“Well, anyway, he’s in this startup that he and Dan don’t think is going anywhere. What do you think, Janet?”

“About GO? Well, you don’t mess with Microsoft if you want to survive.”

“I guess that’s what they did, huh?”

“Bill Gates thought they were inventing a replacement for Windows. Uh-oh!”

Len laughed. “Yeah, they seem to be the big bullies, right?”

“For sure.” They didn’t talk about Matt anymore.

Len had one more question. “So this Internet thing: is Microsoft going to end up owning that, too?”

“Well, so far they’re ignoring it.”

“But…?” Len prodded.

Janet took a deep break. This was going to be a long explanation. 

“Usually with something new, they wait for someone else to prove the concept first. Then they swoop in and announce they’re supporting it, but now it’s going to be much better! Meaning, they have their own additions, which of course they control.”

Len had never heard this before. This was the kind of thing he came to California to figure out.

“So, how does that work? Why does anyone care what additions they make?”

“They include it all in Windows, and suddenly the customers are all using it, and no one else can sell it anymore.”

“That sounds pretty shady to me. Doesn’t the government get on them for that?”

She looked annoyed. “You would think. So far they haven’t.”

Len thought about all that. Finally, he said,

“Well, I guess it’s no different than car add-ons that become standard equipment after a while, huh?”

“Except there are several car companies.” she said. “Microsoft kinda has a stranglehold.”

“But there’s Apple!”

“Yeah, there’s Apple. They’re not real competition, though. More of a niche.”

“An expensive niche!” he said. “Have you looked at the prices for a Macintosh?”

“Dad, I sign purchase orders for those all the time. So, yeah. I know what they cost.”

“My daughter!” thought Len. “Always thinks she’s way ahead of me. I still know a few things she doesn’t, though.”

Len drove back up to the cabin that night, let Mickey out in the yard to do his business, and got on the computer again. He looked on his various forums on AOL to see if anyone had anything to say about GO Corp. There were a few postings, mostly about how Microsoft was eating their lunch, which was what Janet had told him.

=================================================

There! That wasn’t so bad, was it? There’s a companion “Notes” doc where I detail what really happened back then, who helped me with it, and answer any other questions you might have.

Yes, there’s no free lunch: you can read this for free, but going deeper into the history will cost you a modest $5 a month. The Paid section will also include all the chapters, whereas they age out of the Free section after a few months. If you like what you read, buy the book.

There will usually be a Notes post on each chapter, where you read the real story if there is one.