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I recall hearing about Ronja on /. years ago, and they have deployed it for a wireless net.

These guys claims are simply fraudulent. This technology has been around for decades.

Ever seen one of those new fangled "remote control" things that terrorvisions have ?

The open source version is at http://ronja.twibright.com/ and I bet there is more than a striking similarity to the equipment in TFA.

Paper lasts for centuries

http://www.ollydbg.de/Paperbak/index.html

http://ronja.twibright.com/optar/

Or, several of them.

Archive format of the future:

http://ronja.twibright.com/optar/

I knew I had seen an led-based point-to-point networking system described somewhere, and after a few minutes on hackaday, here it is, straight from 2005. Best part is, the linked to Ronja project is open, free speech-wise (and free beer for the major league scrounger).

The devices I've seen (Ronja) spread the beam out quite a bit, making it a fairly wide cylinder rather than a line. Atmospheric attenuation and sunlight are issues, but a spider web probably wouldn't block enough of the beam to make a difference. I would assume that other FSO equipment employs a similar principle.

Ronja is pretty much on topic. http://ronja.twibright.com/

From their FAQ:

Material for one Ronja 10M Metropolis device costs 2000CZK and building the device takes 70 hours.

2000CZK; about $120. 70 hours though is even at minimum wage ($6.55) $500 or so. You need two of them, so really a minimum of $1,240 in costs. Then add markup, even here the devices are going to cost $2,500 just for the hardware to set up a link, add consultancy, site surveys and you're into the same ballpark as the existing commercial FSO providers.

What is off topic though, the fact that same bunch of people seem to have largely solved the problem of archiving data for 500 years. Possibly longer if vellum were used.

http://ronja.twibright.com/optar/

another tool along the same lines
http://ollydbg.de/Paperbak/index.html

Course, the first 100 pages of any archive would have to be the ascii source code of the application to read the data encoded on the last page.

Ronja is pretty much on topic. http://ronja.twibright.com/

From their FAQ:

Material for one Ronja 10M Metropolis device costs 2000CZK and building the device takes 70 hours.

2000CZK; about $120. 70 hours though is even at minimum wage ($6.55) $500 or so. You need two of them, so really a minimum of $1,240 in costs. Then add markup, even here the devices are going to cost $2,500 just for the hardware to set up a link, add consultancy, site surveys and you're into the same ballpark as the existing commercial FSO providers.

What is off topic though, the fact that same bunch of people seem to have largely solved the problem of archiving data for 500 years. Possibly longer if vellum were used.

http://ronja.twibright.com/optar/

another tool along the same lines
http://ollydbg.de/Paperbak/index.html

Course, the first 100 pages of any archive would have to be the ascii source code of the application to read the data encoded on the last page.

Maybe take a look at Twibright Optar . It allows you to encode data onto a printed page.

Like this?

Well, if you're willing to give up some whiz-bang features you can browse with Dillo or Links. The newer Links variants have a graphical mode for those who can't stand downloading the pictures to see them. Either browser should be much faster than full-size ones.

What you need is RONJA, a free space optics link, with the technology being under your control (open source).

At 1400 meters range with a basic setup, you could take a look at RONJA. Don't count on it during rain or snow, though. And you'll probably need to clean the spiders out of the tube hood every once in a while. :-)

If you have :-

1) Clear line of sight.
2) A soldering iron (and know how to use it *properly*)
3) Basic metalwork skills.
4) Spare time **LOTS**

http://ronja.twibright.com/

"Ronja is a free technology project for reliable optical data links with a current range of 1.4km and a communication speed of 10Mbps full duplex."

10 Megabit free space optical complete with designs & pcb layouts.

Can't get more DIY than this :-)

lynx and elinks @ Windows XP: No JavaScript support. :(

I don't know what versions you're using, but at least for elinks (and links), they both support javascript. Just has to be compiled in.

eix elinks
* www-client/elinks
          Available versions: 0.11.2 0.11.2-r1 0.11.3 {X bittorrent bzip2 debug finger ftp gopher gpm guile idn ipv6 javascript lua nls nntp perl ruby ssl unicode zlib}
          Homepage: http://elinks.or.cz/
          Description: Advanced and well-established text-mode web browser

eix ^links$
[I] www-client/links
          Available versions: (2) 2.1_pre26 2.1_pre28-r1
                {X directfb fbcon gpm javascript jpeg livecd png sdl ssl svga tiff unicode}
          Installed versions: 2.1_pre28-r1(2)(21:18:19 11/07/07)(javascript ssl tiff unicode -X -directfb -fbcon -gpm -jpeg -livecd -png -sdl -svga)
          Homepage: http://links.twibright.com/
          Description: links is a fast lightweight text and graphic web-browser

So while they do support javascript, they don't support iframes, and the test uses 3 of those.

Where is your volunteerism?? Why should you expect the government, a company, or anyone else to provide you with wifi service when you can roll out your own??

You are not consumers. You can be producers if you want. Just knock your neighbour's door and ask whether they would like to start a new wifi community network project with you. Connect your home wifis together, and if you find a lot of people to join in then you will have created your own network. Then buy a business plan fixed broadband service or a dedicated line (paid either by the community as a whole or by one richer member who can pay for it) and connect it to your wireless and your network will be connected to the Internet as well.

That simple. Yes, I know, the technology (WiFi) is not perfect and you can't transmit with too much power, but if everyone has a roof and the signal is sufficient from roof to roof, then you don't need anything else. The major difficulty is actually a social one (your neighbors may not understand what volunteerism is), but you should try to educate your neighbors and persuade them why they should join in.

Look what people from my city are doing: AWMN and also look at the photos and some other networks in existence worldwide.

The cage is open guys. You have unlicensed bands that you can use without a permit from FCC or other agency. You even can have RONJA if you like the optical way. You also have telephone lines, modems, and BBS software. Why you don't use all this technology to create free networks? Are you really trained to act only as consumers, expecting that for everything you need you should buy it from someone else? If you aren't happy with what is available, build your own!

No, he probably meant what he said

sol ~ # eix links

* www-client/links
          Available versions: 2.1_pre26:2 2.1_pre28-r1:2
          Installed: none
          Homepage: http://links.twibright.com/
          Description: links is a fast lightweight text and graphic web-browser

Found 5 matches.
sol ~ # eix lynx
* www-client/lynx
          Available versions: 2.8.6-r1 2.8.6-r2
          Installed: 2.8.6-r1
          Homepage: http://lynx.browser.org/
          Description: An excellent console-based web browser with ssl support

sol ~ #

"Ronja is a free technology project for reliable optical data links with a current range of 1.4km and a communication speed of 10Mbps full duplex."

http://ronja.twibright.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RONJA

Basically, you should be able to get to the top of a hill or another vantage point where satellite reception is possible by using this or other methods.

Or a high-speed wireless to a "neighbour" (who may be some distance away) that does have broadband. Pringle's cans are pretty magic.

Not sure about the Pringle's cans, but how about an optical DIY 10 Mbps link to the nearest neighbor?

Or you can build your own neutral Internet from free optical data links: http://ronja.twibright.com/

Links iweb browser is not bloated and can display both in graphics and text mode. http://links.twibright.com/

Ronja

The schematics for electronics and mechanical design are available, including in enditable source form.

I wrote a GPL game in assembler for ZX Spectrum, heavily inspired by Jet Set Willy. It's called Jet Set Willy X: http://ronja.twibright.com/jswx.php

Who doesn't have a Spectrum or an emulator can at least see a screenshot video.

I have anti-patented my two algorithms - Hyperluma 2 and Luminaplex http://ronja.twibright.com/hyperluma.php - which, when implemented, mean better television, better DVDs, better porn videos for everyone. They are actually improvements over a method that solved the same problem with worse quality and was patented.

So in this case I donated an anti-patent and not a patent, and not to some enterpreneur, but to the public :)

• Minimo (MPL)
• Links (GPL)
• Lynx

I have built Ronja Optical Datalink (FSO) according the instructions on the homepage (ronja.twibright.com). It's amazing to build a wireless network device on your own.

Here ya' go:

http://links.twibright.com/

(But links2 doesn't seem to work with searchmash.com in either graphical or text modes, even though it does have some javascript support.)

While not laser-based, it is one of the best homebrew FSO systems I have seen:

Ronja - Twibright Labs

I remember seeing a very cheap device like this that hooked up to AUI some time ago. Not sure if this is the same project or not, but Ronja is a plan for a device that they claim costs $68 in parts (must be used stuff, but I haven't even looked at the spec yet) and does 10Mbps full-duplex over 1.4km.

The material costs are very low, about 100 USD. The operation is immune to interference and quite reliable - interrupted only by dense fog.

Won't help here, but very interesting, and very low-cost. Plus, it's about a kajillion times harder to intercept than wireless - you have to be DIRECTLY in the path of the laser, split a piece of it off with a beam splitter, and then shoot out the beam from the other side.

Links 2.1pre22. does braille, text and graphics modes, alots of configuration, much better downloadmanager, can do graphics in framebuffer or svgalib as well. Much smaller, much faster, alot of languages, auto size single pictures *hint, hint*...

http://ronja.twibright.com/

There are open designs for wireless networks out there, things like http://ronja.twibright.com/
So start building a wireless grid and prepare to negotiate with an uplink provider.

1. Give that high-powered desktop with dual LCD panels to someone who isn't going to waste CPU cycles and gigabytes of RAM running only a web browser, email, and some ssh sessions. Perhaps a developer?!?!

2. Get yourself an old Pentium 400Mhz box, don't bother installing X-Windows, Gnome, nor even KDE. Replace your 2 LCD panels with one VGA 19" or 20" monitor that you've probably got just collecting dust somewhere.

3. Run Pine (novice) or Mutt(pro) for email, ssh, vim or emacs, and Links2 (with Javascript & Graphics) http://links.twibright.com/

4. Use GNU Screen to manage the 3 applications you need to run with unlimited windows including the ability to name and split your screens. Get someone to put screen on those remote boxes if it's not already there so you can keep your session running on the server when you disconnect. This way you can just exit out of screen and logout of your console then return and login again and restore the screen sessions. Heck you could even dial into work and resume all your sessions from home too!

5. Figure out what scripting languages you have available on all those boxes you monitor via ssh and then write scripts in that language.

6. Run your console in high res FrameBuffer mode and use a nicer font, gives you more room to split GNU Screen.

There, productivity problem solved. Also approach your boss and ask for a raise for the amount of money you just saved the company. i.e. they bought an over priced, over powered machine for someone who really doesn't need it.

This is what happens when you ask stupid questions on Slashdot and then brag about how great your workstation is. Well buddy, got news for ya many of us have better workstations!

I've got one of these babies sitting on my desk:

- http://www.sun.com/desktop/workstation/sunblade250 0/images/I1_hw_ppworksblade2500_mon_img_lg.jpg

Which is about to be replaced by this:

- http://www.apple.com/powermac/dualcore.html (Quad CPU's Baby!)
      - 76.6 Gigaflops / 16 GB's of RAM
      - Dual 23" Displays http://www.apple.com/displays/
- Down the hall will be a few of these http://www.apple.com/xserve/workgroupcluster/

To top it all off, my team will be able to compile XCode 2.2 apps utilizing all the workstations and even a few G5 XServes (non clustered) in the server room. That alone will cut down our compile time considerably!

Yeah, Yeah, I could build a quad Athlon monster that will be cheaper but I am not paid to build boxes, my company buys them for me.

Well, then let's use free space optical wireless mesh networks. Practically no interference, no broad antenna beams etc.

There are very cheap, homebrew solutions.

I'm proposing this for YEARS now, sadly finding anyone who is willing to build such a thing (even in a city) is a complicated *social* effort :|

Sounds like an sophisticated version of RONJA. (Though of course, the system you describe is much more sophisticated.)

The question is this: What browser are you going to use on those 386s and 486s. I really wish that there was a browser which could run these antiques with enough basic HTML and javascript to handle modern web sites such as hotmail, Yahoo, myspace, etc. Links 2 comes close, but while I can log in to Myspace with Links 2, I can't read my messages there.

Since you have greenhouses, evidently, unobstructed line-of-sight should not be a problem. I'd say, some short-range networks connected by FSO links, as per http://ronja.twibright.com/

For many community nodes, CZFree network in Prague (and other czech cities) uses an optical light, but no laser(!) device called Ronja. Garage design by professionals, becomes a marketable technology after several years of experiments. Range of the two way direct visibility link is measured in kilometers, band is about 10M.

Here some links:

Home page
Some 64 existing deployments of the device
An example of installation in dense city area

For many community nodes, CZFree network in Prague (and other czech cities) uses an optical light, but no laser(!) device called Ronja. Garage design by professionals, becomes a marketable technology after several years of experiments. Range of the two way direct visibility link is measured in kilometers, band is about 10M.

Here some links:

Home page
Some 64 existing deployments of the device
An example of installation in dense city area

For many community nodes, CZFree network in Prague (and other czech cities) uses an optical light, but no laser(!) device called Ronja. Garage design by professionals, becomes a marketable technology after several years of experiments. Range of the two way direct visibility link is measured in kilometers, band is about 10M.

Here some links:

Home page
Some 64 existing deployments of the device
An example of installation in dense city area

Ronja. The GPL'd Free Space Optical link with the $100 price tag

You might want to take a look at the Ronja project.

It's not off the shelf, but what about setting up a local area mesh using Ronja as the interconnect and some free/open source meshing software?