Thank you for requesting information on the Pipeline, New York's new  Internet gateway.  Here are five basic pieces: 

* A brief introduction.
* Who and where we are.
* The Pipeline for Windows software.
* Our rates.
* A subscription form.

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We provide full access to everything the Internet has to offer: Mail,  News, and a cornucopia of resources ranging from on-line books to instant  storm forecasts to yesterday's Supreme Court opinions to library  catalogues to educational experiments to Coke machines to live, real-time  conversation with people anywhere in the world. 

You can connect to other systems and download files painlessly. We deliver  sports scores and a full feed of up-to-the-minute news from the United  Press International news wires. 

Our emphasis is on ease of use. We *know* that the Internet can be a  jungle. Traditional Internet links require you to master a new form of  computer-ese. We think you have better things to do. 

The heart of our service is a special Windows software package that we  have designed. The Pipeline software lets you browse mail and news online  or offline, as you prefer. It is both friendly and powerful-- requiring no  instruction manual, and allowing you to carry on activities in different  windows simultaneously. If you want to read news in one window, while  playing a game in a second and watching mail drop into your inbox in a  third, the Pipeline's software is what you are looking for. 

Our access numbers are local New York City numbers. However, the latest  version of our Windows software also supports remote logins.  That means  that users who happen to have Internet access elsewhere can connect with  the Pipeline remotely and use our graphical interface, with all the special Pipeline features, from their home site.

Those with Macintoshes or PC's not running Windows can also subscribe,  using their own communications software to connect with a standard array  of Internet tools. For the already addicted, we also offer a range of  advanced services including SLIP and ISDN. 

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Who and Where
-------------

The Pipeline's founder is James Gleick, author of "Chaos: Making a New  Science." He grew obsessed with the Information Age resources he  encountered on the Internet and at the same time grew frustrated by the  hurdles that seemed to exist for normal, interested, non-university,  non-Unix-speaking and generally non-U individuals like himself. 

Its administrator, chief programmer, and resident genius is Uday Ivatury,  a Bombay native who cut his teeth on (and survived) the world of IBM  mainframes. He has set himself a formidable challenge with the Pipeline: a  joining of the seemingly alien cultures of Unix work stations and DOS or  Apple personal computers.

Its technical director, Leland Woodbury, is an expert on interactive media  and user-interface issues. He was a member of the technical staff of Bell  Communications Research and recently completed a seven-year stint as  manager of the Dado Massively Parallel Computer Project at Columbia  University--before joining our less massively parallel project. 

The Pipeline itself lies--in geographical space--inside a powerful Sun  Microsystems computer system situated just off Wall Street in the heart of  New York's Telecommunications District (formerly Financial District). In  network space--cyberspace--it is at an Internet node known simply as  pipeline.com, roughly as near and as far (give or take a few milliseconds)  as any other place on the Internet. 

To speak with our staff, please call (212) 267-3636.  To write us: The Pipeline, 150 Broadway, Suite 1710, New York 10038.

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Pipeline for Windows
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The Pipeline for Windows software package is designed to set a new  standard for easy, friendly on-line communication. Yet it is also  extremely powerful, using the capabilities of Windows in ways that no  other on-line service has tried to do. 

*	Easy point-and-click interface
*	Open as many windows as you like: see mail arrive in one window, 
           browse an information service in another, view a weather map in
           a third ... 
*	Intelligent background processing of the data flow  *	Live weather forecasts, UPI news, sports scores, and much more  *	Read documents, display pictures, and find files from everywhere 
           on the global Internet
*	Instant help wherever you are

Main features
-------------

-- Mail. New mail automatically drops into the Inbox as it arrives (or when the user logs in). Users may create and manage other mail folders. There is a built-in address book.

-- News. A point-and-click news reader smooths the process of finding your  way through 4,000+ Usenet news groups. It is easily customizable.  While  on line, you may browse freely. Or, while off line, you may select threads  for quick retrieval and later reading. 

-- Gopher. For exploring the Internet, Pipeline features a superset of  Gopher. Documents appear in their own windows for reading, editing, or  printing. Pictures display automatically and can be panned and zoomed as  well as saved and printed. Users can easily customize menu items and icons  with their favorite Internet resources. 

-- Telnet sessions. Anything that can be done from a standard terminal can  be done in a window in Pipeline: that means connecting directly to any  place on the Internet. If the user wishes, it's easy to change fonts,  colors, or the terminal emulation. 

-- Database searching and file finding. The Pipeline software comes with  its own implementations of Archie, FTP, and WAIS, with simple  user-friendly dialogs to shield users from the technical complexities. 

Pink Slip (tm)
--------------

A technical note for Internet experts: The software is unique in its ability to transparently multitask many different windows  (sessions, in effect). We have implemented our own proprietary  packet-transfer protocol--called Pink Slip--to intelligently manage  multiple data streams over an ordinary modem connection. 

For the user, the process is transparent: he or she never sees or knows  about Pink Slip. But it is always working behind the scenes. When the user  is downloading a large file, for example, Pink Slip automatically adjusts  the speed of the transfer--the priority given to individual  packets--depending on what else the user is doing. If the user is reading  or replying to mail or News, the background transfer is fast. If new mail  arrives, or the user opens a new window and begins playing a game, those  data streams take priority and push the file transfer into the background. 

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Rates
-----

We provide our customers with a basic account, time on line, and--for Microsoft Windows users--the Pipeline's special software. There are no setup or other "extra" charges. Our standard rates are:

** The basic account: $12 per month.
** Connect time: $2 per hour.
** Pipeline for Windows: $90, but as an introductory offer:

        Any user who subscribes for three months or more will
        receive the Pipeline for Windows software free of charge.

For a limited time, we are offering the following special subscription plans for residential users: 

** The TIW (Toe in the Water) Plan: $15 monthly, including 5 free hours. Pipeline for Windows users will find all the tools they need to keep their  connect time low. The software will quickly get waiting mail and Usenet  news. Then the user can read it and reply at leisure before going back on  line. 

** The 20/20 Plan: $20 monthly, including 20 free hours. With this much time, few users will ever hear the clock ticking. But for those devoted few, there is still ...

** The IIMO (Internet Is My Oyster) Plan: $35 for unlimited time. If  you're the kind of user who just stays on line, paying the telephone  company a mere dime for a call that never ends, watching your mail and  news drop into their folders, chatting in real time with friends in Sweden  and Singapore, playing addictive Internet games ... well, you'll be  killing us, financially speaking. But we have to admit, you're our kind of  user. 

Customers may receive a 12-month subscription under any of these plans by  paying for 10 months in advance, and they also receive the Pipeline for  Windows software free of charge.  Subscribers may nevertheless cancel at  any time and receive a refund for their remaining time. 

Special Connection Plans
------------------------

*SLIP and PPP connections: $20/month and $2/hour.

*ISDN (64kbps) connections: $20/month and $4/hour.

*Corporate and group accounts: for rates and special services we provide these accounts, inquire at (212) 267-3636.

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Order form
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You may send checks and subscription forms to: The Pipeline, 150 Broadway,  Suite 1710, New York 10038. 

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Name       ________________________        Subscription Plan

Address    ________________________    [ ] Toe-in-the-Water ($15)

           ________________________    [ ] 20/20 ($20)

           ________________________    [ ] Internet Oyster ($35)

Phone (H)  ________________________      

Phone (O)  ________________________    [ ] One year (for price of 10 months)


[ ] I want the Pipeline for Windows software. (I'm either subscribing for  at least three months or enclosing $90.) I want a [ ] 3.5-inch disk (there  is a $4 shipping and handling charge.)

I am paying for ____ months.  I understand that I may cancel at any time and receive a refund for my remaining subscription.

[ ] I enclose a check.
[ ] I authorize you to charge my American Express card,  
    #_______________________ exp. __/__

A Pipeline account representative will call to confirm and help select a  user name and password. 

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