Slashdot Mirror
Time To Cut the Ethernet Cable?
coondoggie writes in with a Network World piece that begins "A range of companies with wireless LANs are discovering that 50% to 90% or more of Ethernet ports now go unused, because Wi-Fi has become so prevalent. They look at racks of unused switches, ports, Ethernet wall jacks, the cabling that connects them all, the yearly maintenance charges for unused switches, electrical charges, and cooling costs. So why not formally drop what many end users have already discarded — the Ethernet cable? 'There's definitely a right-sizing going on,' says Michael King, research director, mobile and wireless, for Gartner. 'By 2011, 70% of all net new ports will be wireless. People are saying, "we don't need to be spending so much on a wired infrastructure if no one is using it."' ... There is debate over whether WLANs, including the high-throughput 802.11n networks, will be able to deliver enough bandwidth." Cisco, which makes both wireless and wired gear, has a spokesman quoted calling this idea of right-sizing a "shortsighted message from a wireless-only provider. It's penny-wise and pound-foolish."
security
But if I'm on wireless, I can just turn my screen closer to me so those evil hackers can't see my credit card password! If I have a cable, I can't move! Therefore, wireless is far more secure.
bandwidth
What are you geeks talking about? I can get my emails and download the internets perfectly fine while I watch the teevee!
interference/reliability
Oh yeah? What about cats? If my cat chews through the cable, then I'm out for a week while I wait for the cable guy to come fix it! That doesn't sound very reliable to me! Cats can't chew through the wireless!
And I thought you nerds were supposed to be smart!
You've just made a serious breech of Slashdot protocol. You shouldn't post AC, when your comment would be modded funny..
As I'm sitting here, I'm getting comments from the peanut gallery.
On the wireless Internets, there are no tubes, so there are no tubes to get clogged. Therefore wireless is muchly superior.
Ahh, how I still love Senator Stevens and his amazing insight into the functionality of that there interwebtubenets.
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
Why would you to post your IP addresses on Slashdot?!?! Everyone is going to hack into your network now!
Hey! I just realized that my office is only using 30% of our electrical outlets. What a waste!
...until we need to rearrange the office.
Sir, we've traced the ip address, and its in your own house! The killer is in your house right now! Run! Run!
You are awash in a sea of fiercely stated opinions. Obvious exits are: 'File->Quit', 'Reply', and 'Page Down'.
I use them as pickups lines at bars. So far, hasn't worked very well though.
MABASPLOOM!
An Internet walks into a bar and yells "SYN!"
Moments later, someone replies "ACK!" followed shortly by "You've got male!"
You may or may not see what I did there.