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Does Faster Broadband Matter?
tsa writes "There is an interesting piece on Ars Technica discussing the implications of faster broadband services for the users, and for the internet as a whole. From the article: 'Most online activities, like standard websurfing, are not significantly sped up by high-bandwidth connections, and the few that are, such as downloading, are not typically time-sensitive anyway. Many service providers are starting to prioritize their own content at the expense of those from rivals. Many countries have started or are considering blocking Voice-over-IP (VOIP) traffic in order to protect the phone companies from competition.'" How does faster broadband actually impact your Net usage?
as someone who has 100mbit fiber to the home in Tokyo: Absofuckinglutely.
You lost me at the phrase "Internet blogger".
-William Brendel
True that. At the very least, we could have some of the most efficiently running spyware around. It could eventually get so good that it reports on the porn you saw tomorrow.
When I tell the ladies about my fat pipe, they want to come over to my place and stay up all night long.
Downloading movies.
It would take an entire day to download some patches and service packs over a modem. So instead of waiting a year to get a Microsoft security hole plugged, I would have to wait a year and a day. That just wouldn't be acceptable!
Just imagine if you replaced your current kitchen trashcan with one that is twice as large. You might think "I'll never need this large of a trashcan!", but how much you want to bet that a week later it's just as full as the old one, and you're saving time by only having to go to the curb half as often. Granted, the new trashbags cost more, and it gets smelly, and strange things start growing in the trashcan that you can't readily identify, but how is that really any different from an always-on broadband connection?