Slashdot Mirror
World's Fastest Internet Cafe
Thyrus writes "An internet cafe offering connections 50 times faster than typical broadband services has opened in Cornwall. Computers at Goonhilly satellite station, on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, are connected to BT's global internet protocol network. That means users can download data at speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps). It is thought to be the first time such high speeds have been seen at a UK internet cafe. The service will be free to visitors."
First, I am glad they said in the UK, because 100mbit cyber cafes aren't special everywhere.
Also, I notice they have had to tip toe around what it can be used for:
Adrian Hosford of BT said: "It would be possible to use the cafe's computers to download in less than 15 minutes a file the equivalent size of the DVD version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, with its 19,000 illustrations, 629 audio and video clips and 100,000 articles.
It seems like they are trying almost too hard to explain how quick it is, afterall, I never rate my downloads in terms of how many "dvd copies of a paper encyclopedia with illustrations and video clips" I just say its shit-hot.
We need it in terms we can understand like how many TPG/s can we view?
will google earth run smoothly without appearing to break up or pixelate no matter where I zoom or rotate to?
can I wipe out my friends in CS:S by having a l33t connection?
Another article I was reading earlier about this mentions why the special people were chosen to open it:
The new internet café will be officially declared open by Helston Community College pupils Chloe Smith and James Evans, both aged 17, who have demonstrated outstanding acumen in the field of information technology.
from here.
(Yes, sisco appear to be hyping this more than the BBC, but then again they supplied some of the high tech equipment.
liqbase
The world's biggest Adult Theater is opening up next door. Coincidence?
+5, Truth
Emphasis mine.
100Mbps connections are not that uncommon. Besides, it's the overall download speed that counts, and that is often determined downstream from you local connection. The bandwidth bottleneck is rarely (if ever) your local connection speed.
Ok, you have this blazingly fast connection at the internet cafe...
What server, gaming or otherwise, will be able to transfer information that fast back?
I do have to say that this connection would be perfect for the final destination for the "relaying" internet connection in the $100 MIT laptop.
Joe
In other news, if they notice a suspicious looking network cable snaking out to the curb and in through a barely opened car window, it might mean that this former St. Petersburg, Florida resident has moved to the UK, and is, apparently, still not a coffee drinker.
So...it is free for guests, what if I want to move in? Would I have to pay for it :o)
----- I have bad karma for a reason! -----
the 61 dishes were there already.
Its a massive communications centre.
the cafe is just a tiny part of it which they have hooked into the direct net feed.
Like having the microwave at springfield nuclear power plant linked directly to the reactor core.
liqbase
bistromathics is the answer. Finally, they understand ...
Remember, if you don't pay your tab, you might have to wash the dishes...
+5, Truth
Damn, "at a UK internet cafe" was supposed to be in italics. Oh well.
What's the purpose? Reading emails really quickly? I mean what kind of activity (other than nefarious) does one really need that requires that speed, when sipping coffee?
But how much does a cup of coffee cost??
are you kidding me?
there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
I first heard of Goonhilly from a hardly-noticed story I once read. Not being a European, I had to look it up at the time to see what the hell it was.
No real relevance, I just like the name Goonhilly.
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Why would you need a connection that fast in an internet cafe? Users will be checking mail and news, not downloading "Cornish gone Wild" Vol 3.
Well, hey, tentacle hentai doesn't download itself...
Who cares? I can barely tell the difference between my old 4 megabit connection and my current 10 megabit connection. Servers can't even typically send it that fast. It only comes in handy when I'm doing multiple downloads at the same time.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
well... 60.75 apparently
Collector's Edition
"Visitors" or "customers"? There is a distinct difference, mainly the latter pays money to the business for some coffee and gets the internet perks along with it.
I've been there not so long ago. All the PCs are iMacs (there are about 15 in total). The base units are locked away in a 'pod' display type thing so there is no access to USB ports or floppy discs or anything like that. Whatever you download you can't take with you. Also it's fairly heavily censored using a websense based proxy so don't think for a second you'll be downloading hundreds of megs of mp3s or anthing like that.
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for an hour. Set him on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
A company I worked for (now closed) delivered 4 gigabits of ethernet connectivity to the buildings it lit in 2001. We designed and built our own gigabit ethernet DWDM injectors to link in-building Cisco 3508 switches with Cisco 6509 switches in the CO. One of our customers was Web2Zone (an Internet Cafe) at 62 Coopers' Square. We never saw the kind of bandwidth spike that indicated they used even 1/1000th of the bandwidth, except when they caught code-red or some such Internet worm. We believed that the limitation was the destination server bandwidth. To compensate for slow servers on other providers, we made extensive use of static page caching to speed performance and reduce our bandwidth costs.
"Monster Island" was already taken...
Judge: In that case I sentence you to a lifetime of horror on Monster Island. [to Lisa] Don't worry, it's just a name.
[Lisa and others are chased by fire-breathing monsters]
Lisa: He said it was just a name!
Man: What he meant is that Monster Island is actually a peninsula.
there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
Sounds to me like you haven't been around much for the last few years. Alright UK internet access isn't the best but unless you live right in the middle of nowhere you can certainly get ADSL speeds. 90% of uk households according to this (alright I've never heard of them but it was this or theregister).
Personally I get 8mbs (theoretically) more like 6.5mbs in practice. Where I live you can get up to 24mbs if you feel like it. Telewest (if they are still called that) are trialing a 100mbs connection to a few select areas and offer 10mbs to their other customers. Let's be honest it's nothing like your description.