From the article: "And, with asynchronous transfer mode technology (ATM), the lasers have become intelligent enough to track the laser beams between the two optical transceivers, so they never get off target."
How the heck is ATM going to keep the lasers on target? I think the author confused this with ATM signallig setting up SVC's on the fly to provide reliable data transfer through the network in the case of a link going down.
With the recent Lucent record of over 3 Tbs transfer speed across 300 km using "classic" fiber optics channels (reported on slashdot earlier) I see less utility value in pursing wireless fiber optics channels.
The decreased material costs of fiber will be more then likely offset by increased costs in power consumption, due to attenuation of the signal in water molecules and solid particles. I think wireless fiber still has more than a few years to mature.
Firing lasers off through the sky is only a temporary solution. You will always get higher transfer rates using an actual fiber becuase it is such a better transmission medium. However, it is quite expensive to run fiber all over the place right now, as prices go down it will become more feasible and things like this will die off.
Beware to the people that are interested in optical networking, unless you are so interested purely from a research standpoint.
Optical Networking is the term to be talking if you are a Venture Capitalist these days. VCs are just pumping more and more money into any company that has optical networking in its business description. And, just as dot-coms had their flops, so will optical networking.
Optical Networking stocks are also flying through the roof, just as dot-coms did a year or two ago.
I'll be wary of optical networking for a good while until several leaders truly come out ahead of the pack.
Optical Networking is ALREADY here. All the major network backbones run over fiber optics, hell even most cable companies have a hybrid fiber/coax network.
Also, the leader HAS emerged, it is Nortel, they sell $10+ billion/year of optical networking gear.
Not the birds or the fog. But if this is takn up by a lot of ppl/companies, will we not see bandwidth pollution similar to what is/happening with devices that operate in the 3G spectrum? The portable (not mobile) phones, the radio lan cards that are made, the airport (from apple)(yeah bastratdised radio lan cards), [perhaps the previous could be summed up as 802.11].??
What you are thinking of is the RF (radio) spectrum. Since it is broadcast, it is regulated, and yes it is being used up.
This, however is a point to point laser beam... (as in light... a totally different part of the EM spectrum) the only other station receiving the beam is where it is pointed.
I just want to know where my Q3A box and manuals are... ordered Dec. 5th... that was more than 3 months ago... CD arrived in 3 weeks or a month, but still no box and manuals! I don't know if I'll be buying from them again.
Mindcraft didn't lose credibility, they did the tests Microsoft asked. In those tests Linux came second. These results were verified in an independant lab later on, with members of the open source community present.
But anyway speaking of marketing, it is all in how you put the spin on it, for example with the Mindcraft tests Linux finished second but NT4 finished second to last:)
Yeah yeah yeah, one set of benchmarks shows one thing, another shows something different. Consider them equal and make your choice based on economics... choose the option which will increase competition in a monopolized market.
Slashdot Mirror
From the article:
"And, with asynchronous transfer mode technology (ATM), the lasers have become intelligent enough to track the laser beams between the two optical transceivers, so they never get off target."
How the heck is ATM going to keep the lasers on target? I think the author confused this with ATM signallig setting up SVC's on the fly to provide reliable data transfer through the network in the case of a link going down.
With the recent Lucent record of over 3 Tbs transfer speed across 300 km using "classic" fiber optics channels (reported on slashdot earlier) I see less utility value in pursing wireless fiber optics channels. The decreased material costs of fiber will be more then likely offset by increased costs in power consumption, due to attenuation of the signal in water molecules and solid particles. I think wireless fiber still has more than a few years to mature.
Firing lasers off through the sky is only a temporary solution. You will always get higher transfer rates using an actual fiber becuase it is such a better transmission medium. However, it is quite expensive to run fiber all over the place right now, as prices go down it will become more feasible and things like this will die off.
Beware to the people that are interested in optical networking, unless you are so interested purely from a research standpoint. Optical Networking is the term to be talking if you are a Venture Capitalist these days. VCs are just pumping more and more money into any company that has optical networking in its business description. And, just as dot-coms had their flops, so will optical networking. Optical Networking stocks are also flying through the roof, just as dot-coms did a year or two ago. I'll be wary of optical networking for a good while until several leaders truly come out ahead of the pack.
Optical Networking is ALREADY here. All the major network backbones run over fiber optics, hell even most cable companies have a hybrid fiber/coax network.
Also, the leader HAS emerged, it is Nortel, they sell $10+ billion/year of optical networking gear.
Not the birds or the fog. But if this is takn up by a lot of ppl/companies, will we not see bandwidth pollution similar to what is/happening with devices that operate in the 3G spectrum? The portable (not mobile) phones, the radio lan cards that are made, the airport (from apple)(yeah bastratdised radio lan cards), [perhaps the previous could be summed up as 802.11].??
What you are thinking of is the RF (radio) spectrum. Since it is broadcast, it is regulated, and yes it is being used up.
This, however is a point to point laser beam... (as in light... a totally different part of the EM spectrum) the only other station receiving the beam is where it is pointed.
~CP
I however am not one.
I just want to know where my Q3A box and manuals are... ordered Dec. 5th... that was more than 3 months ago... CD arrived in 3 weeks or a month, but still no box and manuals! I don't know if I'll be buying from them again.
~CP
Mindcraft didn't lose credibility, they did the tests Microsoft asked. In those tests Linux came second. These results were verified in an independant lab later on, with members of the open source community present.
:)
But anyway speaking of marketing, it is all in how you put the spin on it, for example with the Mindcraft tests Linux finished second but NT4 finished second to last
Yeah yeah yeah, one set of benchmarks shows one thing, another shows something different. Consider them equal and make your choice based on economics... choose the option which will increase competition in a monopolized market.