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A Humorous Introduction To IPv6

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the since-when-are-big-numbers-funny dept.

zollman writes "Jonathan Richards, in the London times, explains how the introduction of IPv6 will change the Internet. From the article: 'As use [of the Internet] grew, it became clear that the old protocol, IPv4, wasn't big enough, so a new one was created using 32-bit numbers. That increased the number of available addresses to 340 undecillion, 282 decillion, 366 nonillion, 920 octillion, 938 septillion -- enough for the foreseeable future.'"

7 of 288 comments (clear)

  1. This is humorous? by Caspian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I somehow forgot to laugh.

    --
    With spending like this, exactly what are "conservatives" conserving?
    1. Re:This is humorous? by CastrTroy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He's writing a freaking article. He's not talking to his friends at the bar. He's actually writing an article in The Times that millions of people may read. If I wrote an article in the news paper saying that G.W. Bush is a communist, then would I be let off because i'm not a political scientist? If you're going to bother to write something that millions of people may read, then you had better make sure you have at least the basic facts correct. It seems to me like the author read somewhere that there was going to be 340..... addressees, and then made up the rest from what he thought sounded right, without doing any actual research.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  2. Quotation Fingers by XanC · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Always weird to see what journalists feel aren't real words and need to be quoted. These "16-bit" "addresses" allow "packets" to "reach" their "destinations".

  3. Wait a sec. by PatTheGreat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The very last thing in the article is "8 The average age at which a child gets a mobile phone in Britain."

    Now, it seems to me that not every kid out there gets a mobile phone. Shouldn't this push average WAY up? I can't believe that eight year olds need cell phones. Who are they calling? Why are they calling? What is wrong with today's society?

    Dang whippersnappers. How can I be 18 and feel old and set in my ways? It just ain't right.

    --
    Google: "All your data are belong to us."
  4. Re:Fuzzy Math by skraps · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Here are some interesting order-of-magnitude comparisons.

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    Karma: -2147483648 (Mostly affected by integer overflow)
  5. Two Thirds... not used so much by StarWreck · · Score: 3, Insightful

    People who've been behind the scenes know that in reality not anywhere near 2/3 of IPv4 is currently being used up. Large swaths of IP thats supposedly being used are abandoned. Entire Class A segments are assigned to companies that were large at one time but have since been swept aside and they get to keep their unused Class A networks for some obscure "historical" purpose. If abandoned chunks were released for use to currently functioning companies we wouldn't need IPv6 for 20 more years!

    --
    ... and in the DRM, bind them.
  6. Better yet, since it's a WEB PAGE... by The+Monster · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Rather than explaining each term parenthetically, it would be better to introduce any jargon terms in the form of a nice clickable link to the definition, or even allow an on-hover tooltip that explains the new concept. This is a technique I'm trying to use in my own writing; any attempt to explain an idea fully will bore more knowledgable readers to tears, while failing to do so will leave the newbies behind.

    Some day, I'll be able to make an entire sentence of a single word:

    Heh.
    Then I'll know I'm good.
    --

    [100% ISO 646 Compliant]
    SVM, ERGO MONSTRO.