Microcomputers have been around for over 20 years. E-mail has become an integral part of corporate life. Real electronic commerce - and jobs - are right around the corner. If you haven't got a computer or a network connection, however, you lose. Building public network access ain't cheap: It's a task that has entangled both the Austin Free-Net and the Metropolitan Austin Information Network in awkward fête in the free-access game. Though recent developments are promising, Austin lags far behind many other cities' efforts to prevent the formation of an information underclass by deploying public terminals throughout libraries and schools.
