Australia's Great Linux-Based Satellite Network

Posted by timothy on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:23PM from the that's-not-a-network-that's-a-network dept.

yBshy4 writes "This article may interest the Slashdot folk. LinuxWorld Australia is reporting on Australia's largest satellite network, covering some 800,000 square kilometres, or most of the state of New South Wales, has gone live. The network consists of 75 Linux-based satellite routers that provide Wi-Fi (802.11b) connectivity to country towns that are unable to get DSL. The routers are engineered by Ursys and run Debian providing gateway services such as DNS and mail. According to the article, Ursys chose Debian 'because of its packaging support, which facilitates the ability to push updates to the routers remotely.' Ursys tried to use Windows but it was 'too unstable.' Hopefully this is an important step to providing better Internet access to regional areas across Australia. Anyone know of similar Internet access projects around the world?"

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Debian versus gentoo flamewar in by Anonymous Coward · 2004-03-30 19:26 · Score: -1, Redundant

5...4...3...2...
obligatory by Anonymous Coward · 2004-03-30 19:27 · Score: -1, Redundant

But does it run linux?
$3500/GB? by gid13 · 2004-03-30 19:29 · Score: 0, Redundant

Yeep. Seems a little pricey to me.
Smelly Linux Hippies by Anonymous Coward · 2004-03-30 19:45 · Score: -1, Redundant

Open source and GPL in general are an easy model to adopt when banding together to protest the unethical practices of Microsoft, but why give software away for free ALWAYS and FOREVER? Maybe you are a follower? Maybe you want to grow a long beard and be dirty? Does it REALLY make sense?