It all started with the Bavarian Department of Science  *)
(Bayerisches Wissenschaftsministerium) being very generous
and granting me two sabbatical semesters
to complete the CD-ROM version
of my dictionaries
(SS 92 and WS 92/93) < *)

In 1997 I approached the Department
and offered to give away 
2000 or 3000 dictionary CD-ROMs
(at the comparative value of
anything between
DM 200,000 and DM 1,200,000)

There was a meeting at the Department
on November 13th 1997
with the result
that giving away the CD-ROMs
via the Department
was not convenient
and that it
might be more appreciable
to use the facilities
of the Internet.

With the Technical University Munich
(TU Muenchen)
being pathfinder and pioneer
as provider of an Online Dictionary
I contacted Stephan Haslbeck
and Peter Kai Wimmer at the TU
and offered to provide them
with the business vocabulary  *)

As a "business dictionary">
LEO was top of the Internet
in next to no time,
with the number
of daily visitors
ever growing to  *)

40,000 visitors a day
in January 1999

200,000 visitors a day
in January 2000

300,000 visitors a day
in June 2000

and  403,000 visitors a day
on Sept 12th 2000 

-----------------------------





Students and staff
of German Universities,
learners and professionals
from all over the world
availing themselves of what is 
available 
at the server
of a German University,
http:/dict.leo.org
at TU München


There is a "virtual realm"


in the seeming nowhere


getting 


more real 


and gaining in life


by every second





Part of this "virtual realm"


is the "UNIVERSITY of the IT AGE"


something


that is so very virtual


-...-...-...



soon


it is going to be


more real


than the established old ALMA MATER





Farewell old ALMA MATER





Fare well Virtual University




------------------------------------------------



To cut it short:


LEO and its services


appear to be very good


and the "State of the Art"




With human knowledge doubling 


at increasing speed





with the Internet doubling


faster even faster





let's hope for the best


not but "hope"


let's enjoy it


and bring in "free" 


and "at no cost"


our services





Students and staff at the TU München
are surprising us
with their services