The important issue here is that Ethernet services can be delivered over an already developed infrastructure. How many people worldwide have access to normal telephone services (something like less than 30 percent, if I remember correctly)? Yet, how many people worldwide have access to normal power lines (about 87 percent)!
While wireless technologies are being developed, for long range hauls (1000s of miles) it is still relatively expensive to deploy into remote areas of the world. The idea is that once stable communications can be delivered over a power grid network, we can reach over 50 percent more people in the world!
Not too hard to argue if you are a large bandwidth provider like a large ISP. Bandwidth is typically purchased in bulk, meaning at any given point in time, a provider is nowhere near maximum capacity. 3.5 megs doesn't even make a dent in a few OC3s.
In addition, it is a "perk of the job". No longer an employee, no longer free bandwidth. This is the problem with the community network designs relying on a few POP points to provide access...
Yes, you are right on many points. However, you must have a license to drive a company truck. They've (typically) had training before using a machine tool.
The internet is a different beast. It is like a giant homeowner's association. Everyone is responsible for their own yard, and if you don't do it, not only will your yard look horrible, but your neighbors will fine the crap out of you...
I don't think there has ever been a big issue with most elite "nerds" getting the OpenSource benefits.
What we need is an authoritative paper, written by a professional institution, regarding the business benefits and comparisons in the almighty $DOLLAR$.
Management doesn't care if their nerds say "something is better". The business as an entity does not care. They need to know WHY, in finacial terms. We as techies too often forget that management, and the business as a whole, exists for one purpose - making money fast and in quantity. Quick time to market, and total cost of ownership is the language these other individuals speak. Show management the business implications of using closed sourced software vs. OpenSource software, and make them recognize the finacial benefits and savings.
Give me this, written in technically illiterate but business savy finacial speak, and I will be a happy engineer.
This is GREAT! Now, employers will be able to test your pee, while verifying you really ARE in the bathroom, and not out back playing street hockey!
P.S. Does it come with a remote control, for when your kids forget to flush?
They also may include those service calls to your location to check your line and router free of charge if it happens to be something at the customer end. My company charges $250 and hour for non-managed T1 work that deals with customer premise equipment and lines. After one or two calls, many customers switch to a managed account to save money:-)
OK, check out Zebra (www.zebra.org). Use the OSPF routing protocol. It is simple, stable (even though it says alpha, I have been using it from the beginning and it is great!) and will route either by balancing connections or setting a preferred route to one provider. As an added bonus, it acts just like a Cisco router!
Now will be a TRUE test of OpenSource. Mission Critical projects such as Kimberlite (server failover/clustering) will be seeking new homes. The OpenSource Initiative was created to support disasters such as this. Let's show the corporate world that OpenSource IS viable. When the time comes, by adopting these orphan projects, we can show corporations across the world the power of OpenSource - transcendence of the project beyond the life of the origional developers.
If you can be down 35 and 1/5 days during the course of a year, be my guest and get the non managed T1. Most people who would buy the T1 need more uptime than that!
Actually, most T1 lines only have a "mandated uptime" as dictated by the contract, by both a CIR (committed information rate) and an SLA (service level agreement). Typically, the only T1s that have such "reimbursement" options are Managed T1 contracts, where they pay extra for circuit monitoring and support. Of course, it depends on the provider. If they only have 5 T1s, they may make the reimbursement to save the customer. A large broadband provider with thousands of T1s may tell you to take a hike, or order a managed T1.
The solution to 100% uptime is not "other technologies", refunds or compensation for lost work, lost stock prices, etc. The solution for 100% uptime, regardless of bandwidth requirements, is circuit diversity via multiple providers, and maybe different technologies (DS3 with a backup T1, for example).
The question you and your employer must answer is what level of redundancy and service do you need to telecommute. If you need 100%, and the company is not willing to pay for it, you will find yourself going into work like the rest of us.
I work for a provider of broadband services. DSL services are the bottom of the barrel. The technology is simply built on top of old technology. There is nothing you can do to prevent downtimes. No provider gaurantees 5 nines 99.999 or anything close for Residential DSL. The increased costs of Business DSL is to cover circuit monitoring and faster response times, many times AT THE EXPENSE OF THE RESIDENTIAL DSL SUBSCRIBERS, so the business class can be brought online again.
Bottom line - if you are telecommuting, it is a business class - pay for it, and THEN you will get special treatment.
No matter what, you will ALWAYS have downtime... that is the nature of the Internet. So, if connectivity is so important, bite the bullet and order cable as a second backup provider, or break out the old dialup modem.
Slashdot Mirror
Ok, so just get a private University like Harvard, Berkley, or MIT to publish the findings, and they can't be challenged. Problem solved.
Forget ANSI art! Remember ASCII porn? That ruled!
Can still find some on the net too!
The important issue here is that Ethernet services can be delivered over an already developed infrastructure. How many people worldwide have access to normal telephone services (something like less than 30 percent, if I remember correctly)? Yet, how many people worldwide have access to normal power lines (about 87 percent)!
While wireless technologies are being developed, for long range hauls (1000s of miles) it is still relatively expensive to deploy into remote areas of the world. The idea is that once stable communications can be delivered over a power grid network, we can reach over 50 percent more people in the world!
I hope they succeed!
Not too hard to argue if you are a large bandwidth provider like a large ISP. Bandwidth is typically purchased in bulk, meaning at any given point in time, a provider is nowhere near maximum capacity. 3.5 megs doesn't even make a dent in a few OC3s.
In addition, it is a "perk of the job". No longer an employee, no longer free bandwidth. This is the problem with the community network designs relying on a few POP points to provide access...
Yes, you are right on many points. However, you must have a license to drive a company truck. They've (typically) had training before using a machine tool.
The internet is a different beast. It is like a giant homeowner's association. Everyone is responsible for their own yard, and if you don't do it, not only will your yard look horrible, but your neighbors will fine the crap out of you...
All of these points biol down to 1 word:
Responsibility
I don't think there has ever been a big issue with most elite "nerds" getting the OpenSource benefits.
What we need is an authoritative paper, written by a professional institution, regarding the business benefits and comparisons in the almighty $DOLLAR$.
Management doesn't care if their nerds say "something is better". The business as an entity does not care. They need to know WHY, in finacial terms. We as techies too often forget that management, and the business as a whole, exists for one purpose - making money fast and in quantity. Quick time to market, and total cost of ownership is the language these other individuals speak. Show management the business implications of using closed sourced software vs. OpenSource software, and make them recognize the finacial benefits and savings.
Give me this, written in technically illiterate but business savy finacial speak, and I will be a happy engineer.
:-)
This is GREAT! Now, employers will be able to test your pee, while verifying you really ARE in the bathroom, and not out back playing street hockey! P.S. Does it come with a remote control, for when your kids forget to flush?
They also may include those service calls to your location to check your line and router free of charge if it happens to be something at the customer end. My company charges $250 and hour for non-managed T1 work that deals with customer premise equipment and lines. After one or two calls, many customers switch to a managed account to save money :-)
OK, check out Zebra (www.zebra.org). Use the OSPF routing protocol. It is simple, stable (even though it says alpha, I have been using it from the beginning and it is great!) and will route either by balancing connections or setting a preferred route to one provider. As an added bonus, it acts just like a Cisco router!
Now will be a TRUE test of OpenSource. Mission Critical projects such as Kimberlite (server failover/clustering) will be seeking new homes. The OpenSource Initiative was created to support disasters such as this. Let's show the corporate world that OpenSource IS viable. When the time comes, by adopting these orphan projects, we can show corporations across the world the power of OpenSource - transcendence of the project beyond the life of the origional developers.
If you can be down 35 and 1/5 days during the course of a year, be my guest and get the non managed T1. Most people who would buy the T1 need more uptime than that!
Actually, most T1 lines only have a "mandated uptime" as dictated by the contract, by both a CIR (committed information rate) and an SLA (service level agreement). Typically, the only T1s that have such "reimbursement" options are Managed T1 contracts, where they pay extra for circuit monitoring and support. Of course, it depends on the provider. If they only have 5 T1s, they may make the reimbursement to save the customer. A large broadband provider with thousands of T1s may tell you to take a hike, or order a managed T1.
The solution to 100% uptime is not "other technologies", refunds or compensation for lost work, lost stock prices, etc. The solution for 100% uptime, regardless of bandwidth requirements, is circuit diversity via multiple providers, and maybe different technologies (DS3 with a backup T1, for example).
The question you and your employer must answer is what level of redundancy and service do you need to telecommute. If you need 100%, and the company is not willing to pay for it, you will find yourself going into work like the rest of us.
I work for a provider of broadband services. DSL services are the bottom of the barrel. The technology is simply built on top of old technology. There is nothing you can do to prevent downtimes. No provider gaurantees 5 nines 99.999 or anything close for Residential DSL. The increased costs of Business DSL is to cover circuit monitoring and faster response times, many times AT THE EXPENSE OF THE RESIDENTIAL DSL SUBSCRIBERS, so the business class can be brought online again.
Bottom line - if you are telecommuting, it is a business class - pay for it, and THEN you will get special treatment.
No matter what, you will ALWAYS have downtime... that is the nature of the Internet. So, if connectivity is so important, bite the bullet and order cable as a second backup provider, or break out the old dialup modem.