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Ricochet May Go Away; Metricom Files Chapter 11

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the big-step-backwards-for-the-wireless-net dept.

friday2k writes: "As seen on news.com Metricom finally files for chapter 11. This is too sad. Anyone know of good alternatives out there?" Nooooo! Don't do this to me! The story says, "the company intends to keep the wireless Internet service up and running for the time being," so perhaps all is not lost. Even though it's a little pricey at ~$70/month, and only works in a few cities, Metricom's Ricochet is absolutely the best wireless Internet service I've ever used. Their coverage maps have been accurate and they have always treated Linux users decently (unlike this sorry bunch). I hope a decent company buys Metricom, figures out a way to make money with the system, and bring it to the rest of the U.S., even the rest of the world. Meanwhile, all I can do is plaintively echo friday2k's question: Anyone know of good alternatives out there? (Even 19.2KBPS would be okay with me if the service is Linux-friendly and has good nationwide coverage.)

9 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Jerry Pournelle is going to be pissed. :) by Craig+Maloney · · Score: 3
    After posting an article on how they got Niven up and running with Ricochet (Article here ) now they'll have to find another solution.

    Bandwidth wants to be free! Really, it does. :)

  2. Re:"Linux-friendly" by Col.+Klink+(retired) · · Score: 3

    I've never tried to use Verizon's wireless stuff, but from the looks of the link, they give you the hardware and the Windows or Mac drivers. That's a bit more than just "what's your nameserver?"

    --

    -- Don't Tase me, bro!

  3. Using my ricochet right now! by burtonator · · Score: 5

    Well... yes. I am replying to this on my Ricochet right now. My services is actually through WorldCOM so I don't know what is going to happen.

    Not many people know this but the Ricochet can actually handle 256k. I have a patched Linux 2.4.5 kernel and run it over USB (serial can't handle > 128k) and I get 240 throughput often.

    It would be a REAL shame if this goes away.

    All this dotcom stuff is really going to set back technology. The stupid VC have invested in dump companies (Eazel) and inflated the economy and now smart/cool companies have to pay the price (Ricochet).

    ug.

    1. Re:Using my ricochet right now! by blair1q · · Score: 3

      Uh-oh, pipe-size wars...

      The actual number that appears in the connection setup is something like 410 kbps. When I first got Ricochet, I could get occasional ftp xfers (under Windows) of over 320 kbps. Since then, they've obviously fiddled some configs (which fixed some disastrous problems, so I'm not complaining) that have brought the nominal top end down to 150k. There might be a few 250k+ seconds here and there, but I don't check it much anymore.

      Someone almost certainly will be able to buy and bail this out. Those Rico & Chet commercials must've cost a bundle, but the Chapter can write that off. And there's still no viable competition for the market segment: 100kbps at 70mph.

      --Blair

  4. Nooooooooo! by Ryu2 · · Score: 4
    Believe it or not, Ricochet isn't just useful for mobile professionals. There are STILL "pockets", even in the Silicon Valley, with still no cable or DSL service.

    An example is southern Los Altos, California, near the Foothill Expressway/CA 280 intersection. Not exactly an undeveloped area!

    My Ricochet connection I have is not a convenience that I use when I just go travel -- it is MY PRIMARY BROADBAND CONNECTION.

    Besides Ricochet, the only other option is satellite, which is just as expensive, but with horrible latency problems to boot, making them almost useless for anything interactive like telnet/ssh.

    --
    There's 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
  5. The problem by Animats · · Score: 3
    From Metricom's latest 10-Q filing for the period 2000-12-31 to 2001-03-31 (3-months):
    • Service revenues $ 3,231,000
    • Cost of service revenues $42,341,000
    There is a problem here. Another round of financing won't help.
  6. Iridium all over again by cyberformer · · Score: 3

    Bankruptcy is common in the wireless world, and doesn't necessarilly mean the end of the company or their service. Iridium kept going for several months after bankruptcy, then came back a year later. Globalstar did even better, emerging from Chapter 11 without affecting service.

  7. Well, what did you expect from a wireless company? by Ayende+Rahien · · Score: 3

    To have any connection to the ground? :-)

    --
    Two witches watch two watches.

    --

    --
    Two witches watched two watches.
    Which witch watched which watch?
  8. From a Metricom Subscriber... by SexPig · · Score: 3
    I second what Roblimo states above. I'd even go further and state that they tend to understate their coverage availability.

    I was in Bethesda, MD last year and the service was top-notch although they did not claim coverage outside the DC area. When I stated this to a company rep they stated that they had wider coverage of Denver than advertised and that they didn't officially launch a coverage zone until it was thoroughly tested.

    Perhaps this may be why it did not catch on so fast? Everyone I know who had one loved it.

    --
    "...and generally behaved in a manner one can only describe as despicable." - February 27 2001, Michael Sims