I've got two clients on DirecWay, and it is basically useless except for basic web browsing. I'll not rehash all the previous comments.
One solution I'd investigate if I were you is Cellular Wireless. Assuming true fixed wireless is unavailable, this solution may be.
I'm using Sprint's PCSWireless product for mobile access and emergency internet usage in non-wired areas. It's a PCMCIA data modem that gets between 60-175K up and down transfer rate.
Upside: * Latency is pretty low, and it works anywhere Sprint's PCS network is available. * $90/month unlimited bandwidth (they may have pulled this offer, but it's what I was able to get) * Great for travel. Compact, and pretty reliable once it's setup.
Downside: * AFAIK, Windows only (you can move to the next post now). * Supreme pain in the ass to initially setup * Tech support that I'd rank as some of the worst in the business. * You'd have to run a computer with a PCMCIA slot as a router, and make sure it's got a good cellular signal
If you can get somebody to write an open source driver for this puppy, it'd be great for SSH, or any other remote access, and you could use Satellite for large file transfers as well.
AT&T, Cingular, and other providers are rumored to have similar products on the way as well.
A company in Utah is working on using sodium pellets, shipped to filling stations, to generate Hydrogen on site. Forbes (reg required) has an article here:
http://forbes.com/forbes/2003/0120/092.html
In a nutshell, they're a pretty "suspect" company to say the least, and their advisors are from the same university that brought us "Cold Fusion" a decade or so ago. But, it seems to me to be one of the most viable theories for creating a working, real-world solution to hydrogen generation.
Considering TCO can be defined many ways, most will agree that system uptime is a huge factor, as downtime has the direct cost of the people working on the server as well as the indirect cost of lost productivity from users who are unable to access the server resources.
The main knock against Windows here on Slashdot is that it is not nearly as reliable as Linux. I maintain that the two most significant reasons for this are that the typical Linux admin is much more experienced and that Linux is installed "bare-bones" and features only enabled by direct action. Windows, on the other hand, is designed to install with a ridiculous number of services and applications by default.
A properly configured Windows Server can be quite reliable. The main problem is reboots to apply service packs and hot fixes (although this is getting better). An experienced (not "certified") Windows admin knows how to configure Windows Server with only the necessary services and the proper security restrictions. You actually can get pretty good uptime if you know what you're doing.
Slashdot Mirror
I've got two clients on DirecWay, and it is basically useless except for basic web browsing. I'll not rehash all the previous comments.
s _cards/index.html l ess_laptop.html
One solution I'd investigate if I were you is Cellular Wireless. Assuming true fixed wireless is unavailable, this solution may be.
I'm using Sprint's PCSWireless product for mobile access and emergency internet usage in non-wired areas. It's a PCMCIA data modem that gets between 60-175K up and down transfer rate.
Upside:
* Latency is pretty low, and it works anywhere Sprint's PCS network is available.
* $90/month unlimited bandwidth (they may have pulled this offer, but it's what I was able to get)
* Great for travel. Compact, and pretty reliable once it's setup.
Downside:
* AFAIK, Windows only (you can move to the next post now).
* Supreme pain in the ass to initially setup
* Tech support that I'd rank as some of the worst in the business.
* You'd have to run a computer with a PCMCIA slot as a router, and make sure it's got a good cellular signal
If you can get somebody to write an open source driver for this puppy, it'd be great for SSH, or any other remote access, and you could use Satellite for large file transfers as well.
AT&T, Cingular, and other providers are rumored to have similar products on the way as well.
Sprint Hardware: http://www.sprint.com/pcsbusiness/devices/wireles
Rate Plans: http://www.sprint.com/pcsbusiness/plans/data/wire
A company in Utah is working on using sodium pellets, shipped to filling stations, to generate Hydrogen on site. Forbes (reg required) has an article here:
http://forbes.com/forbes/2003/0120/092.html
In a nutshell, they're a pretty "suspect" company to say the least, and their advisors are from the same university that brought us "Cold Fusion" a decade or so ago. But, it seems to me to be one of the most viable theories for creating a working, real-world solution to hydrogen generation.
Considering TCO can be defined many ways, most will agree that system uptime is a huge factor, as downtime has the direct cost of the people working on the server as well as the indirect cost of lost productivity from users who are unable to access the server resources.
The main knock against Windows here on Slashdot is that it is not nearly as reliable as Linux. I maintain that the two most significant reasons for this are that the typical Linux admin is much more experienced and that Linux is installed "bare-bones" and features only enabled by direct action. Windows, on the other hand, is designed to install with a ridiculous number of services and applications by default.
A properly configured Windows Server can be quite reliable. The main problem is reboots to apply service packs and hot fixes (although this is getting better). An experienced (not "certified") Windows admin knows how to configure Windows Server with only the necessary services and the proper security restrictions. You actually can get pretty good uptime if you know what you're doing.