My wife and our two kids are hosting out-of-town people attending a Christian conference this week. One couple is from Little Rock, AK and another man (single) is from northern California. (We're in Orange County, CA and the conference is in Anaheim, CA). I have to work this week (except 12/25 and 1/1 of next week) so I cannot participate in the conference full-time myself. However, today we cooked a big lunch and invited about 12 people to join us. It was a blast.
Offering hospitality to strangers has been a real treat for us and we're glad to be able to do it this year.
I couldn't take the review seriously after reading the first sentence:
Linux has failed to catch on among ordinary users because PC manufacturers have been prevented from offering dual-boot systems.
Um . ..no. That is not the reason. It may be true that mfgs have been restricted but this isn't why Linux has failed to catch on among ordinary users. If you don't believe me, let me state why I know this. I run the IT for a mid-sized (I say small sometimes to be humble) pharmaceutical company. This past summer I took the chance to provide PCs with Linux installed (RedHat 7.3 and, later, 8.0) with all the trimmings. I put them on the network (which was a RedHat 7.2 server acting as a samba PDC) and let my IT guys (Windows MCSE-types I inherited) have their way with the machines. They got stuck trying to "map network drives" to access the shared file server. Then they wanted to run a legacy DOS accounting application. Eventually, I pulled the plug and returned to Windows on the desktop. I run a Linux desktop (along with Win2k, XP, and, for best DVD performance, WinME). I trust Linux for my servers (although I did add a Win2k server recently to support MS Great Plains eEnterprise, which was the best 2nd tier ERP package I could find for the money or close to it to support our specific needs; best tool for the job, guys) and my desktop. Hell, I'm building an application framework around the Sharp Zaurus (which is Linux pure and simple) for a medical technology application. But my users are familiar with and accustomed to Windows on the desktop. They "grok it." They understand driving mapping (which is sorely outdated, I know). They get the concept of rebooting to fix problems. They don't know Linux and I don't have time to teach them!
Sorry, but even if all our computers were dual-boot Windows and _______ Linux (which distribution, BTW?) it would not matter. Windows has the mindshare of users. I can't even go back to DOS applications with the younger employees--all they know is Windows.
Back to the Zaurus: this presents a great opportunity to substitute Linux for monopoly-ware, precisely because it is a fresh, new platform that doesn't have a deeply-entrenched user base. Even though its PIM features aren't as refined (or useful) as the Palm's and the Word/Excel manipulations aren't as refined (or useful) as the PokeyPC's, there are many more people who have not yet experienced the Palm or PocketPC platform who would love the Zaurus. And, for vertical applications, the Zaurus offers a tremendous benefit over any other platform. It's open, flexible, fast and capable. Can you SSH into a PokeyPC? Didn't think so. I know you can run Terminal Services' client on the PokeyPC, but on the Zaurus I run VNC Server to provide remote demonstrations over the Internet. Run Apache with PHP, mod_perl and MySQL on the PokeyPC? I do on the Z. Moreover, the browser on the Z is Opera 5 and it beats the heck out of PokeyIE in terms of speed, compliance and features (I'm playing with betas of Opera 6 which is even better). And, the Z costs less than an iPaq. Did I mention the pull-out thumb board?
PDAs are new and market penetration is light enough that the current "leaders" are still small players when considering the total potential marketspace. The desktop is old hat. Concentrate on the new space and win there. People are having to adapt, so Linux has a fighting chance.
[I know people have problems comparing the Z to Palm or PocketPC, but most people aren't Graffiti experts, etc. Remember, I'm looking at the Z for a vertical application, not as a PIM].
Maybe 2002 will be remembered as the year that the RIAA began to unravel. This year the RIAA has been exposed as a self-profiting organization--not caring for the artist or the consumer but for the pockets of the "radio execs." Maybe 2002 will be the year that the heretofore unknown consortium became a household byword. This is Not Good becuase the RIAA stands as an unpopular middleman between two parties that want each other: artists and their public. Common everyday folk in America began to understand in 2002 that the RIAA doesn't represent the ARTIST but the RECORDING STUDIO and RECORD LABEL. What happens when two parties are attracted together (say a lovely teenage girl and a handsome teenage boy) but are restricted in contact by a third party (say a domineering dad)? At first the girl may appreciate the protection of her dad, but the desire will grow so that the daughter and boyfriend will seek a channel of communication without the father's interference.
Maybe in 2003 the girl and boy begin sneaking around to date behind the father's back (via limited direct distributions direct from the artist's website?). How long until the couple are enagaged (using the Internet to directly market the music?)? The question is, will the father walk the daughter down the aisle or will the couple elope?
In 2002, the public began to dislike the RIAA. I predict wedding bells by 2006.
I just got one -- first time ever. I click through a front-page article and got the innocuous "age" and "zip" questionaire. But I never have gone that route before. Usually I get to the Post via Drudgereport or Slashdot (et al). Using that route, I still have not received the questionaire.
There is now another 37 year-old female reader in 21xxx. . .
I've never gotten a registration required page at Washington Post...is it new? I'm using Opera 6.05 on Windows, but same has held true on WinXP-IE6 as late as Friday.
Oooooowwww I want to send this to a former colleague SOOOoooOOOOO bad. He's a web designer who STILL uses the animated GIF of a letter going into the envelope on ALL his customer's sites--even the high dollar ones. He only uses frames (and wonders why the padlock icon doesn't work on secure sites), has Under Construction pages on commerical sites which are over a year old, and has a "This site does not work for AOL users" message on one site.
I'm sure he wonders why he's having a hard time getting clients, too. . .
I recall people in college getting in trouble with endless use of IRC (and Texas Relay Chat, or BitNET). Blogging is not the problem. Computers aren't the problem. They expose the existing problem people have separating time wasting from efficient time management; from aimless wandering and driving toward a goal.
Keep in mind this was written by someone with 1207 *non-anonymous* comments on Slashdot. . .
Elitist? No. Just someone who figures the most recent accounts were subscribed for trolling. If you have something worthwhile to say I'll still see it--I browse at +3, so a 5 comment will show up. Besides, my UID is so high that my friends with UIDs at 4 digits and below regard me with suspicion. Sadly, I had never heard of Slashdot until Fall 1999 when my boss introduced me to the Linux Trinity (or, Trifeca, for the heathens): Slashdot, lwn.net/daily, and Freshmeat.
New User Modifier (assign modifiers to recently created accounts)
25%
-2
Nice.sig, jackass. Not only do you show that you're a stuck up little bastard, but that you're dumb enough to be really proud of it. After all, 25% of slashdot doesn't have anything good to say, because they're just too *NEW*, right?
Yep. Oh, did I mention my -2 setting for Anonymous Cowards?
Basically, he properly grounded all electrical devices and cabling systems. He also added filters (specific to our broadcast frequency at 1550 AM) to phone systems -- this helped even cordless phones work.
So how exactly do people with pie in the sky Wi-Fi plans intend to overcome 802.11b's inherent scalability problems? How many people can one AP REALLY serve?
From my experience I'd say that answer to that question is not very many. Having more than a couple people on a single AP is a recipe for pain and suffering. As the number of users on an AP increases so does the chances of packet collisions. As collisions increase the viability of the network decreases and you eventually reach a collapsing point where the network is unusable. A corollary to that rule then would be the larger your coverage area the higher a chance of collisions and thus a higher chance of the network collapsing. ..With a wireless network you don't have the ability to add a switch in the middle of the network to keep the number of collisions down to a minimum. ..On current networks you've got a small number of users because your coverage area is pretty small so problems aren't evident. You don't have problems on a wired network with only a 5 port hub either.
Later. ..
I SPECIFICALLY said that the access point of the equation is not the problem.
First, you did not SPECIFICALLY say the problem was with the client...your post (the one I saw and responded to) addresses the AP and NUMBER of clients. Second, your statement: "With a wireless network you don't have the ability to add a switch in the middle of the network to keep the number of collisions down to a minimum" and your analogy to a "5 port hub" shows you didn't read or comprehend the advance claimed by Vivato--it is a Wi-Fi SWITCH!
But, I do admire your commitment -- if one is going to dig themselves into a hole, they might as well make it deep!:)
What part of "Wi-Fi Switch" did you not understand? From the site:
Vivato's Wi-Fi switches deliver the power of network switching with Vivato genius radio antennas. Vivato's switches use phased-array radio antennas to create highly directed, narrow beams of Wi-Fi transmissions. The Wi-Fi beams are created on a packet-by-packet basis. Vivato calls this technology PacketSteering(TM).
Unlike current wireless LAN broadcasting, Vivato's switched beam is focused in a controlled pattern and pointed precisely at the desired client device. These narrow beams of Wi-Fi enable simultaneous Wi-Fi transmissions to many devices in different directions, thus enabling parallel operations to many users - the essence of Wi-Fi switching. These narrow beams also reduce co-channel interference, since they are powered only when needed.
Vivato's Wi-Fi switches significantly increase the range of Wi-Fi. Rather than transmit the radio energy in all directions, Vivato's PacketSteering concentrates the same amount of energy into a narrow, long beam. This beam is effectively a high-gain antenna that is formed for the duration of a packet transmission. The result is extreme range - extending the reach of Wi-Fi from tens of meters to kilometers.
Another key attribute of switching is preserving compatibility with standard client devices. Vivato's Wi-Fi switches deliver increased capacity, range and security to standard Wi-Fi clients based on the IEEE 802.11b, 11a or 11g standards. With increasing capacity and range, Wi-Fi switches are more scalable than Wi-Fi traditional micro-cellular implementations and are managed in much the same way as Ethernet switches for easy adoption and widespread deployment.
Over the same area, it should actually reduce interference compared to trying to cover the same area with regular access points.
Think of it this way. With a normal access point, it's like lighting a stage with diffuse lighting: there ends up being light everywhere. This access point is intended to be like a bunch of spotlights on a dark stage: only the areas where it is aimed are actually lit up; the rest of the stage remains in darkness.
That's a pretty accurate analogy. Having been program director at a (day time) 50kWatt AM radio station with directional restrictions I've seen powerful radio frequency radition effectively "spotlighted" to cover a quite-convoluted coverage map. Some areas being well lit and other, nearby areas being practically dark. It took four hefty antennae to accomplish the coverage pattern carved out by the FCC restrictions on our signal, but it worked very well.
As an aside, I also saw the sad effects of this directional power on a new apartment bulding constructed on a hill less than 400 yards from the antennae in the direct path of the focused radiation. First, realize that once the FCC grants approval the radio station has a right to the frequency, more so than those who experience interference from the signal. Especially more so than new developments begun well after the station has been approved and begun broadcasting. Anyway, the poor schmucks could hear our broadcasts on the toasters (!). CD players wouldn't play (but they worked in the stores a couple miles away), forget cordless phones--forget corded phones! These people were living in the spotlight, alright. Before the apartments were completed, the foreman came to visit me at the station--the fire alarm couldn't call out to the alarm company due to interference. I called my broadcast engineer (a local area college professor who loved radio and worked more for the fun than anything else) as I hummed the tune "The Fool on the Hill." Dave came out and helped the construction crew insulate and filter the building so people wouldn't die and he even helped the toaster problem. Dave helped other nearby businesses and schools located in the direct path of the signal to filter there systems--one school couldn't use their public address system because it just played our station when activated. ..Dave fixed it.
I've been awaiting the resurrection of Ricochet in Orange County, CA, but with a four-mile radius I could (using company money, of course--I doubt this new AP will be cheap) set one up at home and at the corporate office and have the effect I try to achieve using (past tense) Ricochet and (present tense) T-Mobile HotSpots. That effect is to change my environment to either a nearby park, pub or (what's a another p-word? It's early) other place while I work. Within a couple miles of both home and office I have parks, lakes, pubs, restaurants. ..just not the beach (maybe I still will need Ricochet!).
I'm not happy after reading this article. Imagine! BREW isn't even free as in beer!
Although I have not intention (at all) of developing or using programs on my phone knowing that my phone has been hamstrung is very annoying. AAMoF, I currently pay $100/mo for a family plan, thus a $175 fee to cancel my contract (which I just renewed for two years) is not very painful: if I cancel now I'll deprive VZN of at least $1100. ..
This article has made me pissy. Maybe it's because I'm enjoying my new Zaurus which allows me great flexibility as a developer. I specifically didn't choose the PokeyPC because the open Zaurus is available (and Opera, esp. Opera 6 (in beta) far surpasses PokyIE). VZN blew it for me.
Slashdot Mirror
I made a spoof banner for LAW.COM years ago. . .let the lawsuits begin!
that should have read: "I, my wife and our two kids . . ." (no, I didn't move to a hotel for the week!:)
Offering hospitality to strangers has been a real treat for us and we're glad to be able to do it this year.
- PS: Have we ever slashdotted a X10 system before?
Not sure, I'd like to slash-burn X10.com . . .- Linux has failed to catch on among ordinary users because PC manufacturers have been prevented from offering dual-boot systems.
Um . .Sorry, but even if all our computers were dual-boot Windows and _______ Linux (which distribution, BTW?) it would not matter. Windows has the mindshare of users. I can't even go back to DOS applications with the younger employees--all they know is Windows.
Back to the Zaurus: this presents a great opportunity to substitute Linux for monopoly-ware, precisely because it is a fresh, new platform that doesn't have a deeply-entrenched user base. Even though its PIM features aren't as refined (or useful) as the Palm's and the Word/Excel manipulations aren't as refined (or useful) as the PokeyPC's, there are many more people who have not yet experienced the Palm or PocketPC platform who would love the Zaurus. And, for vertical applications, the Zaurus offers a tremendous benefit over any other platform. It's open, flexible, fast and capable. Can you SSH into a PokeyPC? Didn't think so. I know you can run Terminal Services' client on the PokeyPC, but on the Zaurus I run VNC Server to provide remote demonstrations over the Internet. Run Apache with PHP, mod_perl and MySQL on the PokeyPC? I do on the Z. Moreover, the browser on the Z is Opera 5 and it beats the heck out of PokeyIE in terms of speed, compliance and features (I'm playing with betas of Opera 6 which is even better). And, the Z costs less than an iPaq. Did I mention the pull-out thumb board?
PDAs are new and market penetration is light enough that the current "leaders" are still small players when considering the total potential marketspace. The desktop is old hat. Concentrate on the new space and win there. People are having to adapt, so Linux has a fighting chance.
[I know people have problems comparing the Z to Palm or PocketPC, but most people aren't Graffiti experts, etc. Remember, I'm looking at the Z for a vertical application, not as a PIM].
Maybe in 2003 the girl and boy begin sneaking around to date behind the father's back (via limited direct distributions direct from the artist's website?). How long until the couple are enagaged (using the Internet to directly market the music?)? The question is, will the father walk the daughter down the aisle or will the couple elope?
In 2002, the public began to dislike the RIAA. I predict wedding bells by 2006.
Where can I download Opera, again?
There is now another 37 year-old female reader in 21xxx. . .
I've never gotten a registration required page at Washington Post...is it new? I'm using Opera 6.05 on Windows, but same has held true on WinXP-IE6 as late as Friday.
While he exists, I don't know that he is actually paid for this, anymore!
I'm sure he wonders why he's having a hard time getting clients, too. . .
Keep in mind this was written by someone with 1207 *non-anonymous* comments on Slashdot. . .
It's a verbal contraction, 1 syllable instead of two. Which goes to show that most bloggers talk more than they type. . . (:
I wonder what relationship blogging while employed has to impending unemployment. . .
Elitist? No. Just someone who figures the most recent accounts were subscribed for trolling. If you have something worthwhile to say I'll still see it--I browse at +3, so a 5 comment will show up. Besides, my UID is so high that my friends with UIDs at 4 digits and below regard me with suspicion. Sadly, I had never heard of Slashdot until Fall 1999 when my boss introduced me to the Linux Trinity (or, Trifeca, for the heathens): Slashdot, lwn.net/daily, and Freshmeat.
.sig, jackass. Not only do you show that you're a stuck up little bastard, but that you're dumb enough to be really proud of it. After all, 25% of slashdot doesn't have anything good to say, because they're just too *NEW*, right?
Yep. Oh, did I mention my -2 setting for Anonymous Cowards?- New User Modifier (assign modifiers to recently created accounts)
Nice25%
-2
But, perhaps that's because I'm already using the Zaurus as a mobile platform for medical technology. And, I'm married.
Just goes to show that interpretation (and application) is dependent on the interpreter's context. . . (:
Basically, he properly grounded all electrical devices and cabling systems. He also added filters (specific to our broadcast frequency at 1550 AM) to phone systems -- this helped even cordless phones work.
- So how exactly do people with pie in the sky Wi-Fi plans intend to overcome 802.11b's inherent scalability problems? How many people can one AP REALLY serve?
Later. .From my experience I'd say that answer to that question is not very many. Having more than a couple people on a single AP is a recipe for pain and suffering. As the number of users on an AP increases so does the chances of packet collisions. As collisions increase the viability of the network decreases and you eventually reach a collapsing point where the network is unusable. A corollary to that rule then would be the larger your coverage area the higher a chance of collisions and thus a higher chance of the network collapsing. . .With a wireless network you don't have the ability to add a switch in the middle of the network to keep the number of collisions down to a minimum. . .On current networks you've got a small number of users because your coverage area is pretty small so problems aren't evident. You don't have problems on a wired network with only a 5 port hub either.
- I SPECIFICALLY said that the access point of the equation is not the problem.
First, you did not SPECIFICALLY say the problem was with the client...your post (the one I saw and responded to) addresses the AP and NUMBER of clients. Second, your statement: "With a wireless network you don't have the ability to add a switch in the middle of the network to keep the number of collisions down to a minimum" and your analogy to a "5 port hub" shows you didn't read or comprehend the advance claimed by Vivato--it is a Wi-Fi SWITCH!But, I do admire your commitment -- if one is going to dig themselves into a hole, they might as well make it deep! :)
Vivato's Wi-Fi switches significantly increase the range of Wi-Fi. Rather than transmit the radio energy in all directions, Vivato's PacketSteering concentrates the same amount of energy into a narrow, long beam. This beam is effectively a high-gain antenna that is formed for the duration of a packet transmission. The result is extreme range - extending the reach of Wi-Fi from tens of meters to kilometers.
Another key attribute of switching is preserving compatibility with standard client devices. Vivato's Wi-Fi switches deliver increased capacity, range and security to standard Wi-Fi clients based on the IEEE 802.11b, 11a or 11g standards. With increasing capacity and range, Wi-Fi switches are more scalable than Wi-Fi traditional micro-cellular implementations and are managed in much the same way as Ethernet switches for easy adoption and widespread deployment.
- Over the same area, it should actually reduce interference compared to trying to cover the same area with regular access points.
That's a pretty accurate analogy. Having been program director at a (day time) 50kWatt AM radio station with directional restrictions I've seen powerful radio frequency radition effectively "spotlighted" to cover a quite-convoluted coverage map. Some areas being well lit and other, nearby areas being practically dark. It took four hefty antennae to accomplish the coverage pattern carved out by the FCC restrictions on our signal, but it worked very well.Think of it this way. With a normal access point, it's like lighting a stage with diffuse lighting: there ends up being light everywhere. This access point is intended to be like a bunch of spotlights on a dark stage: only the areas where it is aimed are actually lit up; the rest of the stage remains in darkness.
As an aside, I also saw the sad effects of this directional power on a new apartment bulding constructed on a hill less than 400 yards from the antennae in the direct path of the focused radiation. First, realize that once the FCC grants approval the radio station has a right to the frequency, more so than those who experience interference from the signal. Especially more so than new developments begun well after the station has been approved and begun broadcasting. Anyway, the poor schmucks could hear our broadcasts on the toasters (!). CD players wouldn't play (but they worked in the stores a couple miles away), forget cordless phones--forget corded phones! These people were living in the spotlight, alright. Before the apartments were completed, the foreman came to visit me at the station--the fire alarm couldn't call out to the alarm company due to interference. I called my broadcast engineer (a local area college professor who loved radio and worked more for the fun than anything else) as I hummed the tune "The Fool on the Hill." Dave came out and helped the construction crew insulate and filter the building so people wouldn't die and he even helped the toaster problem. Dave helped other nearby businesses and schools located in the direct path of the signal to filter there systems--one school couldn't use their public address system because it just played our station when activated. . .Dave fixed it.
Boy, I miss those days! Sometimes. . .
I've been awaiting the resurrection of Ricochet in Orange County, CA, but with a four-mile radius I could (using company money, of course--I doubt this new AP will be cheap) set one up at home and at the corporate office and have the effect I try to achieve using (past tense) Ricochet and (present tense) T-Mobile HotSpots. That effect is to change my environment to either a nearby park, pub or (what's a another p-word? It's early) other place while I work. Within a couple miles of both home and office I have parks, lakes, pubs, restaurants. . .just not the beach (maybe I still will need Ricochet!).
Speaking of pirating signals -- are you hosting the (assuming it's on) Lewis/Klitschko fight?
Just kidding!
Good service, too: Here's a photo of a shipment being airlifted to Ralsky's home (with optional accessories).
Although I have not intention (at all) of developing or using programs on my phone knowing that my phone has been hamstrung is very annoying. AAMoF, I currently pay $100/mo for a family plan, thus a $175 fee to cancel my contract (which I just renewed for two years) is not very painful: if I cancel now I'll deprive VZN of at least $1100. . .
This article has made me pissy. Maybe it's because I'm enjoying my new Zaurus which allows me great flexibility as a developer. I specifically didn't choose the PokeyPC because the open Zaurus is available (and Opera, esp. Opera 6 (in beta) far surpasses PokyIE). VZN blew it for me.