"Wouldn’t it be nice if……" is the phrase that fuels the Internet and the technologies that drive it. The business model is quite simple too: provide lots of functionality, have many users, drive the cost down to zero and deliver it in three months. Do not be surprised if your favorite ISP or portal starts offering free file services (just like e-mail) by the end of the year.

I think of these as Internet floppies. It allows users to create, share, and manage virtual Internet file servers of 10-100mb (or larger), eliminating the need for virtual private networks, e-mail attachments, or remote access systems to traditional (and costly) file servers. A user simply signs up for an Internet floppy, and then decides who else can use it with them. This is very useful for families wanting to share digital photos; people working together on projects needing access to the same documents, or even sales people in the field who want to show the latest presentation on their customer’s local machine.

A clever webmaster can do this with some programming and FTP. There are many of us out here who do not have the time or inclination to even put up a simple web site. Setting up an Internet floppy is no more difficult than subscribing to an e-mail provider. All you need is a browser, and I think that includes about everyone.

I am a customer of www.myisp.com and get Internet access and e-mail for $20 a month. I’m also the secretary for "Save the Old Building" committee. Of course at the first meeting, everyone exchanged e-mail addresses and phone numbers. I really want a place where we all can update and access things like the meeting minutes, and useful articles. Putting together large e-mail distribution lists does not work because they get lost with all my other e-mail. I decide to create an Internet floppy:

1. I point my browser to www.myisp.com and click on "create Internet floppy".
2. It asks me for my e-mail address and other pertinent information.
3. I fill out the form and click on the submit button.
4. It creates the Internet floppy called www.myisp.com/ifloppy/brucefryer, and gives me a password.
5. I click on the URL and enter my name and password and then I create a folder called "Buildings".
6. I then click on "Edit Users" and enter all the e-mail addresses I wish to have access and click the submit button.
7. The system sends each user an e-mail with their id and password, and the URL to find the files.
8. I then click on "Add Files" and the files I wish to add from my machine.
9. Done.

Now suppose Deborah, on the committee, wishes to get one of the files:

1. She points her browser to www.myisp.com/ifloppy/brucefryer and bookmarks it for future reference.
2. It asks for her user name and password.
3. She fills in the information and clicks the submit button.
4. She now can view or download any of the files, or submit her own.
5. Done.

It’s that simple.

The entire server system is based upon existing standards, software, and hardware. The components are:

• A server or desktop connected to the Internet.
• Linux
• Web server software
• FTP server software
• Standard web pages for user access
• User management server side software

That’s it. The only thing that has not been written is the actual web page, and the user management software. By using open access software an ISV could charge $2 per subscriber for the software and support, make some money, and the ISP could cover their cost through ad injection. Prototyping this system would cost about 2 programmers, 2 pizza and 2 six packs of soda.

ISP’s and portals will use Internet floppies to increase their "stickiness" and customer satisfaction. Businesses will love it because they can get a turnkey field solution for about $2 per user versus the $50-$75 using a Novell, Microsoft, or Sun solution. End users will love it because it’s free and as easy as using their web browser. If nothing else, it’s very cheap and easy backup for their local disk drive’s critical files.