Interestingly enough, I have the reverse problem... Mine starts out at 100meg or so and slowly ramps up in speed...
That being said, very little outside the Texas area gets above 500meg no matter how big the file and some stuff within 50 miles is still not that fast. Downloading Steam games for example, the server is within 50 miles of me, but it is rare to get more than 300 meg from them. I've seen bursts higher, but 35 megabytes per second is about as good as it gets.
I've seen nearly 100 megabytes per second, once, from Amazon's servers, but it seems that either the servers aren't designed to handle the speed or I don't have enough open connections, or perhaps the backbone is busy.
Or perhaps the local connection AT&T is providing to the final mile isn't enough. That seems odd, since this has only been online for about two weeks, I doubt I'm sharing it with very many people yet.
Bandwidth isn't everything, ping, jitter, and loss are also important. Jitter typically indicates congestion and so does loss. I can reach every major datacenter in the world with under a 250ms RTT.
Likewise, I've tested those with pingtest and the connection is very good just about everywhere. The bandwidth for large files has just been disappointing. I honestly feel that I could downgrade to 300 megabit and wouldn't notice any difference.
Now you have all these SJWs pushing for pretty much anything they find personally offensive (oh I forgot "trigger warning") to be labeled as "hate speech"
That is not a technology problem, that is a socity problem. If we don't fix that, nothing we do with technology will matter.
We're doomed as a race if we don't figure out how to stop fighting each other.
If you are gonna keep that position I hope you are VERY careful with what you say, what you write, and watch, because all it will take is someone with a tiny bit of power deciding they do not like you.
But that is already the situation, it has been for awhile, and nothing I do is going to change it.
I personally don't have nearly as much faith in the government and cartels as you do, so I'll pass for as long as I can and buy a VPN to idoncareistan when I no longer can, thanks anyway.
I don't have faith in them either, but I think you're kidding yourself if you think a VPN is going to help you. You're wired into the government approved Internet, using devices you don't really control, on connections that you don't either, paid for with electronic money that you don't control.
Bin Laden survived for a long time only because he was TOTALLY off the grid, and had a lot of people around him protecting and covering for him. You, living in the US? No chance.
Your idea of "security" is an illusion in my opinion, you aren't nearly as "hidden" as you think you are.
You would think, and then Apple decides to solder the RAM onto the Mac Mini and the Mini I can buy today configured as close to identical to my buddy's Mac Mini from several years ago (quad core i7, SSD, upgraded to 16 GB) costs half a grand CAD more today than it did then.
I hear you. I hear you.
I honestly think that if Tim Cook can get over Steve Job's desire to only play in the niche market, Apple could have a winner on its hands.
While they won't remove Windows from the market, if they can get their market share to 20% or so, then companies would start having to come out with Mac versions more often, it become self sustaining at that point.
The fact that the Mac Mini is so "fixed" in terms of what you can do with it makes it nothing but a toy. The iMac as well, it is just a laptop that you can't move around.
The only Mac towers are insanely expensive, beyond reason.
For $600 I can get a very nice Core i5 Windows 10 box that has 8GB of RAM, but can be expanded to 32GB if needed. I can put my own SSD in, my own video card in, my own upgraded power supply, etc.
Apple isn't even close, which is why their market share is in the sub 5% range.
Whether the logo on the case is a little window, a little apple, a little penguin, or the likeness of Kim Jong-Un, it's still a computer, and this is what computers do. End of story.
Linux 1.5% desktop marketshare vs. Windows 94% desktop marketshare would seem to dispute your arrangement.
Linux desktop marketshare hasn't budged in over a decade. If it were going to take off, it would have by now. It is actually worse than it used to be, now that Windows is actually really good and now mostly free.
the majority of those versions use the same kernel (i.e. linux), its the UI around it that is generally different.
You are thinking like a technical person, not a lay person. To the lay person they all look different, so they must be different. And there are indeed differences, some more than others.
Windows 10 is Windows 10 is Windows 10. A Windows program that says it works with Windows 10, does.
Linux doesn't have that. Heck, it doesn't even have a decent library of programs that your average person knows about.
Look, I get it, lots of tech people love it and hate Windows, but the fact is, your average consumer doesn't share that feeling.
you can run quite a lot of Windows programs on Linux by using Wine or you can have Windows in a VM.
Yes you can, sort of, most of the time, kinda, with various amounts of tinkering required...
All of which brings up the point... "why?"
Linux's primary reason to be used can't be "because it isn't Windows". You don't switch TO something because of that, you switch away from something.
OS X on the Mac has FAR more chance of attracting interest from Joe Consumer than Linux does.
Even TurboTax doesn't run on Wine properly without a lot of tinkering. That sort of thing is a deal killer. "Kinda sorta maybe works some of the time" is not an acceptable answer.
That is true, but it will be amazingly hard to dislodge Windows at this point.
Linux had its chance 15 years ago, its day has past for the desktop market. It does make an amazing server OS however and it will continue doing so for a very long time.
The real threat, if Tim Cook can move on from Steve Job's legacy, is Apple.
Apple has over $200 billion in cash, a good desktop OS, and a well known brand. If Apple could get off their horse long enough to see that, they could give Windows a real run for its money. Price is the real problem, Macs are expensive, really expensive, stupid expensive.
Offer a Mac for a reasonable price or license the OS or something, and Windows would have a real challenger.
Am I the only one that sees IP V6 as a "cure" worse than the disease? From everything I've seen it looks like a police state and media cartels wet dream, the ability to assign a unique address to every.single.device like a digital fingerprint so they can trivially trace back every statement, every video watched, every move, for later prosecution?
I'm sure others see that too... but what I'd suggest is that you not pirate media and then the media cartels won't care about you.:)
In fact, if you're not a pirate, then the unique IP for every device can come to your defense, since I'm sure some people are unfairly targeted now thanks to NAT and the like.
Am I the only one having a problem with this idea, or is the idea of always being under the all seeing electric eye something the young folks simply accept and don't care about?
I'm 40 years old, while I have a vague sense of unease with it, the 20 year olds don't seem to care much. My parents and their generation largely don't seem to understand or have given up and accept they won't be around long enough to care.
Those are broad brushes of course.:) There will always be exceptions. I'm sure you can live a more disconnected life, there are other options... but many people want to be wired up 24/7...
You're paying with long-term data for short-term service.
Perhaps, but the data's value degrades over time and the real value to Google is that it allows them to actively direct marketing and ads to me.
If I stop using their services, they largely lose that ability. They can still sell the older data, but at some point no one cares anymore.
Google will one day shut down GMail yet they will still have all of your data to do with as they please.
They might, but I expect that to be a long time from now. In any case, it isn't any different than what Yahoo Mail or Microsoft Outlook mail does.
I will, however, retract at least part of my statement if you tell me that you didn't start using Google services until after the Snowden revelations.
Snowden didn't reveal anything I didn't already know. I've studied history, I was never under any illusion that my own government was spying on me and everyone else. That is what they do, what all governments have done throughout human history. Anyone who believed otherwise either knows nothing of history or was living in fantasy.
Thankfully for me, I'm boring and uninteresting and thus the NSA doesn't care about me. I'm much more concerned over the militarization of the police, civil forfeiture, and the loss of civil rights than I am the NSA.
An obvious example of the NSA was 9/11, the government knew within hours who did it, who they were connected to, and who paid for it. Why? Because they had databases with all the historical records. Credit card payments, bank transfers, phone calls. Once they had a target to look at, it took only a few hours to pull all the credits and I imagine connecting the dots was easy. The challenge they have is they often don't know who to look for until after the fact, and despite all their computer power and resources, they can't look at everyone.
It would just be nice if we used the NSA more against other nations such as China. Perhaps we do and we don't hear about it, but I'd be happy if they would be a bit more aggressive there.
But back to Snowden, sadly he turned his life upside down for nothing. No one cares, nothing changed, the news cycle forgot about him, and plenty of people still have no idea who he is, what he did, or why.
The only real "compatability" cars require is to drive on roads and consume gas. In some cases, even the gas part isn't required.
But while there are lots of car choices, there is also a wide range of needs in the car market. Small ones, big ones, trucks, minivans, etc.
It is also clear and obvious to a lay person what the differences are. A minivan is clearly for moving families, a Mustang is clearly for 1 or 2 people out to have a nice drive, a pickup truck is for someone who has stuff to carry/tow, etc.
Computers are more complex than this, and frankly can't be made as simple as cars. For example, all cars have a gas pedal, a brake pedal, a steering wheel, etc. They really aren't that complex.
Houses also actually aren't that complex... You have a kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, family rooms, maybe a playroom, etc. When it comes right down to it, we all more or less live in the same boxes. The only variations are pretty simple, is it a 3 or 4 bedroom house, do you have 1 or 2 living areas, etc.
A toilet is a toilet is a toilet, with only minor differences.
Computers aren't that simple and you can't just run a Windows program on Linux.
Word is out there, if we are discussing the Linux kernel - all those Android devices for a start...
I highly doubt very many people who have an Android phone know about the kernel underneath.
Add to that they have no real control over it either. You buy a Samsung Galaxy S6 phone, you get what you're given and most people are happy enough with that.
If you were to say, "hey, you know that phone you like so much, you can install that OS on your desktop computer!", their likely reply would be, "what? why the heck would I want to do that?!?"
And they'd be right.
However, my guess is that we are discussing a (generic) Linux Distribution - the kernel, the libraries, the applications, the user interface, the package management system, etc.
Yep, and there really isn't a "generic Linux" for people, there are just too many versions and flavors. It is confusing, and frankly people don't like that much choice. It requires they understand the computer more than they want to.
This is why when you go to buy a car, few cars offer more than trim levels and a handful of options. You can get that Ford Explorer in XLT, Limited, or Sport, take your pick. A Honda Odyssey comes in LX, EX, EX-L, Touring, and Touring Elite, pick one. That is 5 choices, probably 1 too many, but there it is...
On average, people want a "cheap, middle, deluxe" option... "Small, medium, large... maybe extra large"... Linux is WAY too fractured for Joe Consumer.
For a utility machine - web browsing, email, the occasional document or spreadsheet - several Linux Distributions work great.. but there is no commercial push to them.
Of course they do, I don't doubt that at all... but no one is pushing them because there isn't any money to be made... not real money anyway... Red Hat tried years ago and didn't get much traction, so they switched to supporting the business/server market and have done ok there.
Dell has tried a few times selling machines with Linux installed, and their return rates were terrible. People want to be able to install "anything", and Windows lets you install (almost) anything. You'd be really hard pressed to find a program that general consumers might use that doesn't have a Windows version.
Interesting point you make... When I move a large file, give it some time, and the speed tends to go up over time... It often takes 15 to 20 seconds before full speed is attained...
Honestly, I'm considering dropping it back to 300 meg, it saves $30 a month and I suspect I won't notice a difference...
I think it'll be a mainstream desktop OS soon after someone manage to get the word to the masses that they don't have to pay for Windows or Mac OS.
That's nice, but you're wrong.
Why can I say you're wrong? Because people have been saying that for 20 years, it hasn't happened, it won't happen, it isn't even remotely close to happening.
The number of ways that is wrong is extensive, but just a few:
1. It costs money to get "word to the masses", a lot of money. Anyone spending that money wants something in return, and giving away free without conditions isn't it.
2. The average consumer doesn't have any issue with the current price of Windows. Windows is either "Free" with the computer, or a trivial cost. OS X is also "free" with a computer.
3. The average consumer has no interest in learning how to install anything, or how that magic computer box works.
It wouldn't take much.
Yep, the "Year of Linux on the Desktop" is just around the corner... you keep that hope alive!
YMMV (Your mileage may vary) but i have had pretty good luck with the 5 Linux machines (two ubuntu, 3 mint) in my house.
And that's fine, choice is a good thing....
It is far easier to drop in a Linux DVD and restart after like 15 mins with a working system (including office package) then installing windows, the drivers, the apps (probably spending the better part of an afternoon on the install).
Meh, Windows no longer takes that to install, from a blank hard drive, maybe an hour to a working desktop with everything installed. It isn't nearly as bad as it used to be.
At first they were hesitant but after all the time spent dealing with windows issues (including the almost-daily updates needing a restart) they gave in.
I just don't understand this... What issues, what updates? Windows works very well without getting in the way. We have 7 active computers in the house, 4 of them on Windows 8.1, 2 of them on Windows 7, 1 of them on Windows 10.
Good for you... most people have accepted them in return for free stuff.
Spyware
Meh, when the OS is doing it, most people don't care.
Cortana (that spying bitch)
Good for you, I think it is really cool and I WANT her to look at my e-mail, search history, and location to be able to work better for me.
Siri is cool, but Cortana looks like an upgrade.
things i do want: A proper start menu Anti-trust investigations Removal of all phone home code Removal of Metro Removal of the "app store" Ability to stop updates
Then don't use Windows because you're in the minority.
This is here, it is a thing, and it isn't going away.
you can inspect Linux's source and check it's not invading your privacy.
Meh, so you think...
Maybe you can go through all the lines of code, but most people can't, and few people compile their own binary anyway...
On top of that, "Linux" is not a "thing", it is many versions from many companies... And then you have a lot of software on top of the kernel...
Any part of which might be spying on you, such as... Google when you install Chrome...
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Now maybe you're a special snowflake and don't do all that, or you check everything, but 99.9% of everyone doesn't do that, won't do that, and don't care that much.
If people don't really care about the NSA spying, they really don't care about Google and Microsoft doing it...
Because it's not being reported in places that non-technical users read, and if it was, it wouldn't be worded in a way to make them understand and care about the implications....and if it was, there are a ton of people that don't care too much about their privacy anyhow. We'd hear a resounding "meh", rather than any kind of real PR backlash.
It is also worth noting that for most people who are getting a free upgrade, their reply might be:
"Well ok, since they gave me a free upgrade, that sounds fair..."
People consent to much the same stuff with Google, in return for free e-mail, search, etc.
The problem of course is there is no "Linux". There are 100s of versions of Linux done by many people, but there is no single Linux.
It has no future because of this as a replacement for Windows. If anyone manages to get a single version "accepted", then it would just turn into what Windows is.
Nonsense, I am not stupid... I'm well aware of the deal being made...
Google gives me free search, free e-mail, free calendar, free maps, etc. etc. in return for tracking what I do and selling that information to marketers....
You're right of course... And the intent of the IPv6 space is not to use all the numbers, but rather to give every device its own number, do away with NAT and DHCP, and to make routing of traffic faster and easier.
So the percentage of "used" space will likely always be low with IPv6, but the total address space is so big, it probably won't matter.
I've been on Verizon FIOS for 5 years now, never had IPv6 at all...
A few days ago, switched to AT&T GigaPower... IPv6 came right up...
Why did I switch you ask? FIOS was stuck at 150 megabits up and down for $105 a month. AT&T offered 1 gigabit up and down for $110 a month.
Ok, ok, I have to agree to let them track what I search for, but I figure they are doing that anyway (I know Google does, so what is the difference?). I also may pay up to $30 more per month max if I use a ton of bandwidth...
But lord oh lord... my web connection is now as fast as my local Ethernet connection, that is nuts! Of course, I've found the limits of that, some servers can handle it, many can't. My speed is now much more variable depending on who I'm connected to.
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Back to the point, nice to see AT&T has IPv6 up on their fiber...
Slashdot Mirror
Interestingly enough, I have the reverse problem... Mine starts out at 100meg or so and slowly ramps up in speed...
That being said, very little outside the Texas area gets above 500meg no matter how big the file and some stuff within 50 miles is still not that fast. Downloading Steam games for example, the server is within 50 miles of me, but it is rare to get more than 300 meg from them. I've seen bursts higher, but 35 megabytes per second is about as good as it gets.
I've seen nearly 100 megabytes per second, once, from Amazon's servers, but it seems that either the servers aren't designed to handle the speed or I don't have enough open connections, or perhaps the backbone is busy.
Or perhaps the local connection AT&T is providing to the final mile isn't enough. That seems odd, since this has only been online for about two weeks, I doubt I'm sharing it with very many people yet.
Bandwidth isn't everything, ping, jitter, and loss are also important. Jitter typically indicates congestion and so does loss. I can reach every major datacenter in the world with under a 250ms RTT.
Likewise, I've tested those with pingtest and the connection is very good just about everywhere. The bandwidth for large files has just been disappointing. I honestly feel that I could downgrade to 300 megabit and wouldn't notice any difference.
This is a weak retort to a sticking argument. From grandparents to teens, people have quickly learned that you need to:
- use VPNs to access sports channels that are blocked in your region
- use VPNs and common sense to access social media that is blocked in your country
- use strong encryption to protect discussion of drugs that aren't legal yet
- block ads / use incognito mode to avoid letting websites you visit learning your sexual orientation or other potential secrets
Wow, that is really out there... I'm not even sure what to say to all that, other than I think you're way, way out on the fringe.
What you describe is not normal, not common, and not a concern of the vast majority of people. It verges on the tinfoil hat arena...
Now you have all these SJWs pushing for pretty much anything they find personally offensive (oh I forgot "trigger warning") to be labeled as "hate speech"
That is not a technology problem, that is a socity problem. If we don't fix that, nothing we do with technology will matter.
We're doomed as a race if we don't figure out how to stop fighting each other.
If you are gonna keep that position I hope you are VERY careful with what you say, what you write, and watch, because all it will take is someone with a tiny bit of power deciding they do not like you.
But that is already the situation, it has been for awhile, and nothing I do is going to change it.
I personally don't have nearly as much faith in the government and cartels as you do, so I'll pass for as long as I can and buy a VPN to idoncareistan when I no longer can, thanks anyway.
I don't have faith in them either, but I think you're kidding yourself if you think a VPN is going to help you. You're wired into the government approved Internet, using devices you don't really control, on connections that you don't either, paid for with electronic money that you don't control.
Bin Laden survived for a long time only because he was TOTALLY off the grid, and had a lot of people around him protecting and covering for him. You, living in the US? No chance.
Your idea of "security" is an illusion in my opinion, you aren't nearly as "hidden" as you think you are.
You would think, and then Apple decides to solder the RAM onto the Mac Mini and the Mini I can buy today configured as close to identical to my buddy's Mac Mini from several years ago (quad core i7, SSD, upgraded to 16 GB) costs half a grand CAD more today than it did then.
I hear you. I hear you.
I honestly think that if Tim Cook can get over Steve Job's desire to only play in the niche market, Apple could have a winner on its hands.
While they won't remove Windows from the market, if they can get their market share to 20% or so, then companies would start having to come out with Mac versions more often, it become self sustaining at that point.
The fact that the Mac Mini is so "fixed" in terms of what you can do with it makes it nothing but a toy. The iMac as well, it is just a laptop that you can't move around.
The only Mac towers are insanely expensive, beyond reason.
For $600 I can get a very nice Core i5 Windows 10 box that has 8GB of RAM, but can be expanded to 32GB if needed. I can put my own SSD in, my own video card in, my own upgraded power supply, etc.
Apple isn't even close, which is why their market share is in the sub 5% range.
Whether the logo on the case is a little window, a little apple, a little penguin, or the likeness of Kim Jong-Un, it's still a computer, and this is what computers do. End of story.
Linux 1.5% desktop marketshare vs. Windows 94% desktop marketshare would seem to dispute your arrangement.
Linux desktop marketshare hasn't budged in over a decade. If it were going to take off, it would have by now. It is actually worse than it used to be, now that Windows is actually really good and now mostly free.
the majority of those versions use the same kernel (i.e. linux), its the UI around it that is generally different.
You are thinking like a technical person, not a lay person. To the lay person they all look different, so they must be different. And there are indeed differences, some more than others.
Windows 10 is Windows 10 is Windows 10. A Windows program that says it works with Windows 10, does.
Linux doesn't have that. Heck, it doesn't even have a decent library of programs that your average person knows about.
Look, I get it, lots of tech people love it and hate Windows, but the fact is, your average consumer doesn't share that feeling.
you can run quite a lot of Windows programs on Linux by using Wine or you can have Windows in a VM.
Yes you can, sort of, most of the time, kinda, with various amounts of tinkering required...
All of which brings up the point... "why?"
Linux's primary reason to be used can't be "because it isn't Windows". You don't switch TO something because of that, you switch away from something.
OS X on the Mac has FAR more chance of attracting interest from Joe Consumer than Linux does.
Even TurboTax doesn't run on Wine properly without a lot of tinkering. That sort of thing is a deal killer. "Kinda sorta maybe works some of the time" is not an acceptable answer.
Just run Windows, then it does work.
Nothing lasts forever, though.
That is true, but it will be amazingly hard to dislodge Windows at this point.
Linux had its chance 15 years ago, its day has past for the desktop market. It does make an amazing server OS however and it will continue doing so for a very long time.
The real threat, if Tim Cook can move on from Steve Job's legacy, is Apple.
Apple has over $200 billion in cash, a good desktop OS, and a well known brand. If Apple could get off their horse long enough to see that, they could give Windows a real run for its money. Price is the real problem, Macs are expensive, really expensive, stupid expensive.
Offer a Mac for a reasonable price or license the OS or something, and Windows would have a real challenger.
Am I the only one that sees IP V6 as a "cure" worse than the disease? From everything I've seen it looks like a police state and media cartels wet dream, the ability to assign a unique address to every.single.device like a digital fingerprint so they can trivially trace back every statement, every video watched, every move, for later prosecution?
I'm sure others see that too... but what I'd suggest is that you not pirate media and then the media cartels won't care about you. :)
In fact, if you're not a pirate, then the unique IP for every device can come to your defense, since I'm sure some people are unfairly targeted now thanks to NAT and the like.
Am I the only one having a problem with this idea, or is the idea of always being under the all seeing electric eye something the young folks simply accept and don't care about?
I'm 40 years old, while I have a vague sense of unease with it, the 20 year olds don't seem to care much. My parents and their generation largely don't seem to understand or have given up and accept they won't be around long enough to care.
Those are broad brushes of course. :) There will always be exceptions. I'm sure you can live a more disconnected life, there are other options... but many people want to be wired up 24/7...
You're paying with long-term data for short-term service.
Perhaps, but the data's value degrades over time and the real value to Google is that it allows them to actively direct marketing and ads to me.
If I stop using their services, they largely lose that ability. They can still sell the older data, but at some point no one cares anymore.
Google will one day shut down GMail yet they will still have all of your data to do with as they please.
They might, but I expect that to be a long time from now. In any case, it isn't any different than what Yahoo Mail or Microsoft Outlook mail does.
I will, however, retract at least part of my statement if you tell me that you didn't start using Google services until after the Snowden revelations.
Snowden didn't reveal anything I didn't already know. I've studied history, I was never under any illusion that my own government was spying on me and everyone else. That is what they do, what all governments have done throughout human history. Anyone who believed otherwise either knows nothing of history or was living in fantasy.
Thankfully for me, I'm boring and uninteresting and thus the NSA doesn't care about me. I'm much more concerned over the militarization of the police, civil forfeiture, and the loss of civil rights than I am the NSA.
An obvious example of the NSA was 9/11, the government knew within hours who did it, who they were connected to, and who paid for it. Why? Because they had databases with all the historical records. Credit card payments, bank transfers, phone calls. Once they had a target to look at, it took only a few hours to pull all the credits and I imagine connecting the dots was easy. The challenge they have is they often don't know who to look for until after the fact, and despite all their computer power and resources, they can't look at everyone.
It would just be nice if we used the NSA more against other nations such as China. Perhaps we do and we don't hear about it, but I'd be happy if they would be a bit more aggressive there.
But back to Snowden, sadly he turned his life upside down for nothing. No one cares, nothing changed, the news cycle forgot about him, and plenty of people still have no idea who he is, what he did, or why.
The only real "compatability" cars require is to drive on roads and consume gas. In some cases, even the gas part isn't required.
But while there are lots of car choices, there is also a wide range of needs in the car market. Small ones, big ones, trucks, minivans, etc.
It is also clear and obvious to a lay person what the differences are. A minivan is clearly for moving families, a Mustang is clearly for 1 or 2 people out to have a nice drive, a pickup truck is for someone who has stuff to carry/tow, etc.
Computers are more complex than this, and frankly can't be made as simple as cars. For example, all cars have a gas pedal, a brake pedal, a steering wheel, etc. They really aren't that complex.
Houses also actually aren't that complex... You have a kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, family rooms, maybe a playroom, etc. When it comes right down to it, we all more or less live in the same boxes. The only variations are pretty simple, is it a 3 or 4 bedroom house, do you have 1 or 2 living areas, etc.
A toilet is a toilet is a toilet, with only minor differences.
Computers aren't that simple and you can't just run a Windows program on Linux.
Word is out there, if we are discussing the Linux kernel - all those Android devices for a start...
I highly doubt very many people who have an Android phone know about the kernel underneath.
Add to that they have no real control over it either. You buy a Samsung Galaxy S6 phone, you get what you're given and most people are happy enough with that.
If you were to say, "hey, you know that phone you like so much, you can install that OS on your desktop computer!", their likely reply would be, "what? why the heck would I want to do that?!?"
And they'd be right.
However, my guess is that we are discussing a (generic) Linux Distribution - the kernel, the libraries, the applications, the user interface, the package management system, etc.
Yep, and there really isn't a "generic Linux" for people, there are just too many versions and flavors. It is confusing, and frankly people don't like that much choice. It requires they understand the computer more than they want to.
This is why when you go to buy a car, few cars offer more than trim levels and a handful of options. You can get that Ford Explorer in XLT, Limited, or Sport, take your pick. A Honda Odyssey comes in LX, EX, EX-L, Touring, and Touring Elite, pick one. That is 5 choices, probably 1 too many, but there it is...
On average, people want a "cheap, middle, deluxe" option... "Small, medium, large... maybe extra large"... Linux is WAY too fractured for Joe Consumer.
For a utility machine - web browsing, email, the occasional document or spreadsheet - several Linux Distributions work great.. but there is no commercial push to them.
Of course they do, I don't doubt that at all... but no one is pushing them because there isn't any money to be made... not real money anyway... Red Hat tried years ago and didn't get much traction, so they switched to supporting the business/server market and have done ok there.
Dell has tried a few times selling machines with Linux installed, and their return rates were terrible. People want to be able to install "anything", and Windows lets you install (almost) anything. You'd be really hard pressed to find a program that general consumers might use that doesn't have a Windows version.
Interesting point you make... When I move a large file, give it some time, and the speed tends to go up over time... It often takes 15 to 20 seconds before full speed is attained...
Honestly, I'm considering dropping it back to 300 meg, it saves $30 a month and I suspect I won't notice a difference...
People on Windows XP aren't likely to upgrade at this point without replacing the computer, most of those machines are too old now.
People on OS X can afford to buy Windows, Macs sure cost enough.
The few people on Linux aren't going to use Windows anyway, unless they have to for work or games.
Windows is as free as it gets, depending on what happens in the next 12 months, it is possible MS will just make Windows free outright to everyone.
I disagree.
I think it'll be a mainstream desktop OS soon after someone manage to get the
word to the masses that they don't have to pay for Windows or Mac OS.
That's nice, but you're wrong.
Why can I say you're wrong? Because people have been saying that for 20 years, it hasn't happened, it won't happen, it isn't even remotely close to happening.
The number of ways that is wrong is extensive, but just a few:
1. It costs money to get "word to the masses", a lot of money. Anyone spending that money wants something in return, and giving away free without conditions isn't it.
2. The average consumer doesn't have any issue with the current price of Windows. Windows is either "Free" with the computer, or a trivial cost. OS X is also "free" with a computer.
3. The average consumer has no interest in learning how to install anything, or how that magic computer box works.
It wouldn't take much.
Yep, the "Year of Linux on the Desktop" is just around the corner... you keep that hope alive!
YMMV (Your mileage may vary) but i have had pretty good luck with the 5 Linux machines (two ubuntu, 3 mint) in my house.
And that's fine, choice is a good thing....
It is far easier to drop in a Linux DVD and restart after like 15 mins with a working system (including office package) then installing windows, the drivers, the apps (probably spending the better part of an afternoon on the install).
Meh, Windows no longer takes that to install, from a blank hard drive, maybe an hour to a working desktop with everything installed. It isn't nearly as bad as it used to be.
At first they were hesitant but after all the time spent dealing with windows issues (including the almost-daily updates needing a restart) they gave in.
I just don't understand this... What issues, what updates? Windows works very well without getting in the way. We have 7 active computers in the house, 4 of them on Windows 8.1, 2 of them on Windows 7, 1 of them on Windows 10.
They all just work.
things i dont want:
Adverts
Good for you... most people have accepted them in return for free stuff.
Spyware
Meh, when the OS is doing it, most people don't care.
Cortana (that spying bitch)
Good for you, I think it is really cool and I WANT her to look at my e-mail, search history, and location to be able to work better for me.
Siri is cool, but Cortana looks like an upgrade.
things i do want:
A proper start menu
Anti-trust investigations
Removal of all phone home code
Removal of Metro
Removal of the "app store"
Ability to stop updates
Then don't use Windows because you're in the minority.
This is here, it is a thing, and it isn't going away.
you can inspect Linux's source and check it's not invading your privacy.
Meh, so you think...
Maybe you can go through all the lines of code, but most people can't, and few people compile their own binary anyway...
On top of that, "Linux" is not a "thing", it is many versions from many companies... And then you have a lot of software on top of the kernel...
Any part of which might be spying on you, such as... Google when you install Chrome...
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Now maybe you're a special snowflake and don't do all that, or you check everything, but 99.9% of everyone doesn't do that, won't do that, and don't care that much.
If people don't really care about the NSA spying, they really don't care about Google and Microsoft doing it...
Because it's not being reported in places that non-technical users read, and if it was, it wouldn't be worded in a way to make them understand and care about the implications....and if it was, there are a ton of people that don't care too much about their privacy anyhow. We'd hear a resounding "meh", rather than any kind of real PR backlash.
It is also worth noting that for most people who are getting a free upgrade, their reply might be:
"Well ok, since they gave me a free upgrade, that sounds fair..."
People consent to much the same stuff with Google, in return for free e-mail, search, etc.
Really, how would anyone in his/her right mind use an OS that does such things?
Because we're fine with it? What exactly is the big crime here?
Anyone on a metered connection should set it that way and should long since have learned to not let everything autoupdate, as it costs money.
Why isn't there more consumer push-back?
Because the average consumer doesn't care, this is item number 417 on their list of "give a crap" items and it just doesn't rate a mention.
Does the computer work? Yes. Done, next!
Here we are, paying money for an OS since we need to do OS things, like run applications, and they do this to us, also?
You paid for Windows 10? My upgrades were free. I didn't expect MS wasn't getting paid, it was somewhere else.
This is part of the "somewhere else".
Google does the same thing with my info, using it to make money. In return I get free e-mail, search, etc.
I'm ok with this...
The problem of course is there is no "Linux". There are 100s of versions of Linux done by many people, but there is no single Linux.
It has no future because of this as a replacement for Windows. If anyone manages to get a single version "accepted", then it would just turn into what Windows is.
We are sheep, we are all so stupid.
Nonsense, I am not stupid... I'm well aware of the deal being made...
Google gives me free search, free e-mail, free calendar, free maps, etc. etc. in return for tracking what I do and selling that information to marketers....
I'm ok with this deal, it was made willingly.
Xubuntu, never Ubuntu.
And that is why Linux has no chance...
There is no "Linux", there are 100s of "Linux" versions, it is WAY too confusing for your average customer.
So it just isn't going to happen...
You're right of course... And the intent of the IPv6 space is not to use all the numbers, but rather to give every device its own number, do away with NAT and DHCP, and to make routing of traffic faster and easier.
So the percentage of "used" space will likely always be low with IPv6, but the total address space is so big, it probably won't matter.
At least, it won't matter in our lifetime...
I hear you...
I've been on Verizon FIOS for 5 years now, never had IPv6 at all...
A few days ago, switched to AT&T GigaPower... IPv6 came right up...
Why did I switch you ask? FIOS was stuck at 150 megabits up and down for $105 a month. AT&T offered 1 gigabit up and down for $110 a month.
Ok, ok, I have to agree to let them track what I search for, but I figure they are doing that anyway (I know Google does, so what is the difference?). I also may pay up to $30 more per month max if I use a ton of bandwidth...
But lord oh lord... my web connection is now as fast as my local Ethernet connection, that is nuts! Of course, I've found the limits of that, some servers can handle it, many can't. My speed is now much more variable depending on who I'm connected to.
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Back to the point, nice to see AT&T has IPv6 up on their fiber...