Internet appliance software and hardware reference design company Diba Inc says that contrary to popular belief, Microsoft Corp’s WebTV Networks Inc is just about as proprietary as its ever been, despite its recent OpenISP announcement. That announcement said it would enable WebTV subscribers to sign up with the ISP of their choice, although WebTV would still slap a $10 charge on top of whatever the ISP charge. Why do you think WebTV charges that extra $10? Because users end up back at the WebTV network itself via their local ISP. The only advantage is local access, says Diba. The WebTV box will not work connected only to an ISP, other than WebTV.
