mjb writes:
>I for one would like to see the TRF price list available over the wire,
>either directly from TRF (I doubt they have the connectivity and software
>to do so) or as something available through WAIS or mosaic type programs,
>at the list a text file or two on the FTP site.
This would be cool, it would make searching for part numbers quick and easy.
It would also be a lot cheaper for TRF, since less paper price lists would be
sent out. Online tech support would be nice too. Many software companies are
doing this now. Internet commercialization is probably going to increase in
the near future. I've read government funding for Internet is going away in a
few years and with the amount of traffic on the net, they're saying somebody's
going to have to pay for it and it will probably end up being something like
Compuserve. As long as it doesn't get like Prodigy.
>Wow, I just had an idea that would be very dangerous to my finances. But
>wouldn't it be neat to have a graphical interface to the various catalogs,
>so you could fire up the program, click on the parts you need, see the price
>and availability status, then click on the "Order" button ...
This is happening now. There are several Mac based systems where you can
browse through the catalog and place your order. There are also quite a few
industrial companies with large catalogs on CD-ROM. CD-ROMS are cheaper to
produce and ship than say a 500 page catalog and it's very easy to search for
products. Hmmm, factory parts manuals on CD-ROM, click on the picture of the
part, get all the info and place your order...
Mike G.
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