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Online Population now Half Billion

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the they-can't-all-fit-in-my-living-room dept.

mattvd writes "According to CNN, the number of people with Web access at home by the end of 2001 was 498 million." Not surprisingly, Asia is growing the fastest. It's amazing that in only 10 years or so, the net has exploded so far, so fast, and now touches 10% of the earths population.

4 of 269 comments (clear)

  1. 498 million seems like so much... by suso · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But 10% seems like so little. As John "Maddog" Hall says, that just means that 5 billion people haven't choosen their operating system yet.

  2. Half of Half a Billion by slipkid · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...And, in related news, half of the Online Population still believe that "the Internet" and "AOL" are synonymous (the same half, incidentally, who thought 'The Net' was a great film).

  3. am from india.... by univgeek · · Score: 5, Interesting
    And although systems are expensive, and most college students do not have computers/internet access from home, there are hundreds of internet cafes in each city. The rate for access is around 25c to 50c an hour. They also allow gaming, voice chat etc. Since the cost of local and international long distance is quite high in India (cross-subsidizing the rural areas) a lot of illegal (currently) voice chat takes place in the browsing cafes.


    Most students in the cities have email and access the net quite regularly, if only for gaming or chat through these cyber-cafes and not at home. Also gives privacy ;-)....


    And once the government legalises VoIP there is definitely going to be a huge boom in the use of the cyber-cafes.


    I am pretty sure that this must be the case in most developing economies. Of course like this article says it needs to become a productivity tool.

    --
    All bow to his Noodliness!! His Noodle Appendage has touched me!
  4. Re:Slashdot/Asia? by President+Chimp+Toe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Let's just hope there's no Slashdot-Asia planned for the near future. That would REALLY take the Slashdot effect to a new level....

    Erm, there is dude. Check it out, its japanese.

    When we get chinese slashdot, then we really start frigging worrying.