depends on how they've setup the networks. Easiest way I can think of, use SSH to keep communications encrypted. PuMA Net's going to be working in a similar fashion.
I've seen Amiga screens on local channels as well, but the one that I personally saw was the famous C=64, no icons, just a blue screen with the ROM revision info at the top of the screen.
I know exactly what mean! I saw the same thing once, and on top of it all, I saw the guy typing on the console! I forget what he was working on, but it was funny to see him mispelling and gong back to fix it....Hell, it was just funny to see a C=64 unit being used in broadcasting.....
Well, mate, the reason why we have government funding is simple. The 802.11b standard has to be loaded down and tested under real conditions. We did not propose the guerilla networking aspect, merely just wireless networking as a whole when my partner wrote his application. The PuMA Aspect of the entire thing is a by-product. Not all of us have programming jobs, we don't all make enough money to buy an antenna to transmit 20+ miles. Therefore, when we saw this opportunity, we figured we could get the equipment at a decent price with the funds, maybe buy a little pizza and beer for the occasional WLAN party (what net research would be complete without testing how fast QIII runs on it?)and then go from there.
Seriously mates, who wouldn't let the gov pay you to start a revolutionary network that they would not have any control over? Like taking candy from a baby. All they want is some figures at the end of our research, which we'll provide from our pizza and beer stained lab books.
Cheers mate, hope this cleared things up.
PuMA Net will be integrated with access to the internet. The idea behind the current design is to have several systems acting as gateways, allowing users to access the internet as needed. Since the initial design is small, we have not included plans for load balancing, etc. Once we get more users, we will procure more dedicated bandwidth and balance the loads to allow the fastest access possible for each user. However, it will also be almost entirely self-contained and could be disconnected from the Internet as needed (i.e. if the Internet became a problem such as a "closed" commercial environment).
Some of the existing 802.11x systems do have webpages online spelling out the details of their systems. However, PuMA.Net does not, because we are still procuring equipment and testing locations. We will, however, publish a website from a server within the network.
Additionally, it may be interesting to point out that OUR system is not going to use repeaters for the time being. If you're not within 20miles of a node, you're temporarily outta luck. This is mostly due to the government's research restrictions. (Yes, the gov is funding our research in the feasiblity of using 802.11b, and W-MANs [Wide Metro/Military Area Networks])
Actually mate, there's something similar going on right now in many cities. NYC Wireles is a public wireless LAN, built and maintained purely by the people who use it. Additionally, myself and a few others in St Louis MO are building PuMA Net (Public Metro Area Network). All of these systems are running 802.11b, and are capable of very fast speeds. The prices aren't down yet, but who says you have to buy the antennae? You could always learn some math and start building one on your own. Wireless NICs will assuredly go down in price soon enough, which will make expendable systems easy. Just take all the 486s your local church or other org is throwing out and start putting together some repeater stations. Even if you didn't have repeaters, 802.11b has been used at up to 20miles or more provided the standard conditions are met.
Now, picture this with me.... PuMA Net is going to be a completely free network. You can choose to donate to keep things running smoothly, but for the most part the network is run by the people who use it becuase they ARE the network. In the (unlikely) event that the internet either becomes closed or is killed off somehow, the PuMA Net would prevail, BBSs would spring up only now at lightning speeds and more interesting interfaces. Someone would start up a DirectConnect Hub on their system and we could all be sharing files and information that way. Now, picture PuMA Net spreading. with a 20 mile radius (currently), you can have a decent distance between repeaters, and users. For every user on the outskirts of the network, we come closer to another network that may be 40 miles away. Stash a repeater box in some decent area, run some CAT5 up to the roof where an omni antenna is, and you're set......
Conclusion:.....PuMA Net and other public access wireless networks are guerilla networking. We just haven't got to the part where the gov decides it's bad. That's because it's not in full use yet...Just wait.
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depends on how they've setup the networks. Easiest way I can think of, use SSH to keep communications encrypted. PuMA Net's going to be working in a similar fashion.
I've seen Amiga screens on local channels as well, but the one that I personally saw was the famous C=64, no icons, just a blue screen with the ROM revision info at the top of the screen.
I know exactly what mean! I saw the same thing once, and on top of it all, I saw the guy typing on the console! I forget what he was working on, but it was funny to see him mispelling and gong back to fix it....Hell, it was just funny to see a C=64 unit being used in broadcasting.....
Well, mate, the reason why we have government funding is simple. The 802.11b standard has to be loaded down and tested under real conditions. We did not propose the guerilla networking aspect, merely just wireless networking as a whole when my partner wrote his application. The PuMA Aspect of the entire thing is a by-product. Not all of us have programming jobs, we don't all make enough money to buy an antenna to transmit 20+ miles. Therefore, when we saw this opportunity, we figured we could get the equipment at a decent price with the funds, maybe buy a little pizza and beer for the occasional WLAN party (what net research would be complete without testing how fast QIII runs on it?)and then go from there.
Seriously mates, who wouldn't let the gov pay you to start a revolutionary network that they would not have any control over? Like taking candy from a baby. All they want is some figures at the end of our research, which we'll provide from our pizza and beer stained lab books.
Cheers mate, hope this cleared things up.
PuMA Net will be integrated with access to the internet. The idea behind the current design is to have several systems acting as gateways, allowing users to access the internet as needed. Since the initial design is small, we have not included plans for load balancing, etc. Once we get more users, we will procure more dedicated bandwidth and balance the loads to allow the fastest access possible for each user. However, it will also be almost entirely self-contained and could be disconnected from the Internet as needed (i.e. if the Internet became a problem such as a "closed" commercial environment).
Some of the existing 802.11x systems do have webpages online spelling out the details of their systems. However, PuMA.Net does not, because we are still procuring equipment and testing locations. We will, however, publish a website from a server within the network.
Additionally, it may be interesting to point out that OUR system is not going to use repeaters for the time being. If you're not within 20miles of a node, you're temporarily outta luck. This is mostly due to the government's research restrictions. (Yes, the gov is funding our research in the feasiblity of using 802.11b, and W-MANs [Wide Metro/Military Area Networks])
Actually mate, there's something similar going on right now in many cities. NYC Wireles is a public wireless LAN, built and maintained purely by the people who use it. Additionally, myself and a few others in St Louis MO are building PuMA Net (Public Metro Area Network). All of these systems are running 802.11b, and are capable of very fast speeds. The prices aren't down yet, but who says you have to buy the antennae? You could always learn some math and start building one on your own. Wireless NICs will assuredly go down in price soon enough, which will make expendable systems easy. Just take all the 486s your local church or other org is throwing out and start putting together some repeater stations. Even if you didn't have repeaters, 802.11b has been used at up to 20miles or more provided the standard conditions are met.
Now, picture this with me.... PuMA Net is going to be a completely free network. You can choose to donate to keep things running smoothly, but for the most part the network is run by the people who use it becuase they ARE the network. In the (unlikely) event that the internet either becomes closed or is killed off somehow, the PuMA Net would prevail, BBSs would spring up only now at lightning speeds and more interesting interfaces. Someone would start up a DirectConnect Hub on their system and we could all be sharing files and information that way. Now, picture PuMA Net spreading. with a 20 mile radius (currently), you can have a decent distance between repeaters, and users. For every user on the outskirts of the network, we come closer to another network that may be 40 miles away. Stash a repeater box in some decent area, run some CAT5 up to the roof where an omni antenna is, and you're set......
Conclusion:.....PuMA Net and other public access wireless networks are guerilla networking. We just haven't got to the part where the gov decides it's bad. That's because it's not in full use yet...Just wait.