I live in a similar situation. I live in rural southern Indiana and it would cost thousands of dollars to get a cable to my house. Everything except the phone and electric lines is wireless.
I do have wireless broadband. Its from a local company (Ohio Valley Wireless cable). The service is called Speedex and it uses a Hybrid 3.5GHz microwave link. Its $50 a month for service that usually averages to about 95KB/s downstream and 16KB/s upstream. Its got a 30-35 mile radius from the tower, so the coverage is pretty darn good. To my knowledge, its been down only once in the year I've had it, and that was for 45 minutes. AT&T botched up their T lines.
Its not a chip maker's job to fully exploit their product. Its their job to make faster chips so the people that do need the speed can have it.
I have a 500MHz PIII and a 1.33GHz Athlon. When just using the machines day to day, I can't really tell a difference. But I'll be damned if I'm going to try to use the PIII if I want to render a 1600x1200 3D Studio Max image with tons of raytracing. And even then, that's child's play compared to some of the things some other people's personal desktops need to do.
I'll admit, 30% won't be noticed by most people, myself included most of the time. But I can sure as hell tell the difference between my 1.33GHz, and my 200MHz. Think long term.
When I first became interested in computers, we already had Windows 95, a system that didn't lend itself well to absolute beginning programmers that were 10 years old. I did want to learn to program, as learning to network is decidedly more expensive. I started with Qbasic. It comes on the 95 install disk, if I recall correctly.
I was able to do the rather trivial things in "Qbasic for Dummies". The problem was, I knew they were trivial. And when I showed a program I had written to someone, they weren't all that impressed with a little blip moving around the screen becuase they regularly used apps like Office and played 3D games. I wanted to write things like Office. So I pretty much gave up becuase I didn't really enjoy creating those insignificant programs.
Fast forward to now, and I can easily amaze Joe User with my networking skills, becuase the things the network does isn't what they typically see while using a computer. Nor are they what I had typically seen. Networking allowed me to do things that I hadn't seen with my own eyes a million times before.
I have learned some programming skills, mainly scripting (shell scripts, PHP, and a small amount of Perl). I learned to write small scripts primarily to enhance the network or for web development. But put me in front of some C or Java, and I'll look at it and kinda understand what's going on, but not to a point where I could do anything usefull.
My main problem was my own motivation. I didn't see the end results as being interesting, so never bothered to learn to a degree of usefulness.
Had I began programming on an Apple II, where I could make graphics similar to what mainstream games looked like, or write an actual useful program, I could have imagined myself being a much better coder.
It would be better to compare CorelDRAW to KIllustrator rather than the Gimp, given that Gimp doesn't have sophisticated vector functions. But either way, CorelDRAW wins pretty much hands down in my opinion.
How easy will it be to take the computey bits out of the jacket itself? If we wear the jacket non-stop, pretty soon its gonna stink like rancid geek or at least have a bunch of coffee stains on it. I don't really want to throw down a couple grand on a jacket that can't even be dry cleaned.
While I will make no claim to understand a good bit of this technology, what sort of applications currently need such a link (and can justify the need to spend the undoubtably huge wad of cash)?
What would need more than conventional encryption with huge keys at the moment?
Note that I stress "currently". Its pretty clear that a good ways down the road either computers will brute force 2048 bit keys in a few seconds or a way to factor huge primes will come along.
For the sake of discussion, we'll give the cable a diameter of 3 inches. That's a pretty big fricken cable!.
Now, can you shoot a 3 inch target from 400 meters away? Some people can, with skill and a good rifle/optics.
Now, add the fact that the cable is moving. Doesn't sound so easy anymore.
Make it two afternoons, a couple bags of peanuts, and a cooler of Mountain Dew, and I'll be there with ya.;)
Also, I don't see the intrigue of shooting these things, really. It would be much easier to shoot microwave dishes fixed to radio towers, but for the life of me, I can't recall a specific time that has happened. Of course, it probably has, but still...
I'm more interested in a tower based infrastructure than balloon/blimp based. I currently have a system called Speedex, and I'm really happy with it. Its not as fast as land lines (capable of 1.5MB downstream, realistically its a good 768k). However, I pay $50/month.
I live in rural Indiana, and few people around here have broadband. Most arn't even in a coverage area. Wireless access works here.
I'd prefer the stuff be on towers rather than on these free floatering balls of gas. The towers will have to be much closer together, as they have a radius of 30-35 miles. The security of the transmitter is much better, being as its on a fixed object. It also doesn't pose a threat to aircraft save for helis.
I care. Becuase here (rural southern Indiana), I *can't*. I have a wireless service becuase landlines don't even come near me. I pay $50US for 768/128 access. Its worth every penny, too.
I would certainly also like to know what service you have.
Re:Too much work, but here's v.1.1 (now less legib
on
Information Obesity
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· Score: 0
I've seen those infomercials for Systemax machines on early in the morning. You know, the ones with cheap cases that they stuck a window and blue cold cathode in.
They were hyping these really inane things. I'm pretty sure they would hype the 64 bit chip to no end.
This might actually make 64 bit systems into the norm quicker than some would expect.
Fark censors comments more than Slashdot, actually. If you type "fuck" on Fark, it becomes "fark". Same as "shit" becomes "shiat".
Slashdot doesn't censor. It is moderation. The comment is still there, but most people thought it didn't deserve to be seen, so modded it down. Then your Slashdot comment preferences kept you from seeing it. Go turn your threshold down as far as possible, and see what kind of crap shows up.
I will admit that I download music. The thing is, for most songs, I had never seen the cd that it is on, or heard of the band name. For a few, I can't even find that a cd (or band) exists.
Others, like Kraftwerk, are just darn hard to find cds for. I grabbed a few KW tracks, and wouldn't you know, now I have ordered 3 of their albums to date. I especially like "Computer World". How geek is that?;)
Only on Slashdot will you ever see children refered to as a programs.
And what language would you advise I write a son that makes $10 million a year? COBOL?
Slashdot Mirror
How bout in an automobile?
"Those arn't pillows!
Unless that's a parody of 1984, the name was Winston Smith.
I live in a similar situation. I live in rural southern Indiana and it would cost thousands of dollars to get a cable to my house. Everything except the phone and electric lines is wireless.
I do have wireless broadband. Its from a local company (Ohio Valley Wireless cable). The service is called Speedex and it uses a Hybrid 3.5GHz microwave link. Its $50 a month for service that usually averages to about 95KB/s downstream and 16KB/s upstream. Its got a 30-35 mile radius from the tower, so the coverage is pretty darn good. To my knowledge, its been down only once in the year I've had it, and that was for 45 minutes. AT&T botched up their T lines.
Its not a chip maker's job to fully exploit their product. Its their job to make faster chips so the people that do need the speed can have it.
I have a 500MHz PIII and a 1.33GHz Athlon. When just using the machines day to day, I can't really tell a difference. But I'll be damned if I'm going to try to use the PIII if I want to render a 1600x1200 3D Studio Max image with tons of raytracing. And even then, that's child's play compared to some of the things some other people's personal desktops need to do.
I'll admit, 30% won't be noticed by most people, myself included most of the time. But I can sure as hell tell the difference between my 1.33GHz, and my 200MHz. Think long term.
I learned networking instead of programming.
When I first became interested in computers, we already had Windows 95, a system that didn't lend itself well to absolute beginning programmers that were 10 years old. I did want to learn to program, as learning to network is decidedly more expensive. I started with Qbasic. It comes on the 95 install disk, if I recall correctly.
I was able to do the rather trivial things in "Qbasic for Dummies". The problem was, I knew they were trivial. And when I showed a program I had written to someone, they weren't all that impressed with a little blip moving around the screen becuase they regularly used apps like Office and played 3D games. I wanted to write things like Office. So I pretty much gave up becuase I didn't really enjoy creating those insignificant programs.
Fast forward to now, and I can easily amaze Joe User with my networking skills, becuase the things the network does isn't what they typically see while using a computer. Nor are they what I had typically seen. Networking allowed me to do things that I hadn't seen with my own eyes a million times before.
I have learned some programming skills, mainly scripting (shell scripts, PHP, and a small amount of Perl). I learned to write small scripts primarily to enhance the network or for web development. But put me in front of some C or Java, and I'll look at it and kinda understand what's going on, but not to a point where I could do anything usefull.
My main problem was my own motivation. I didn't see the end results as being interesting, so never bothered to learn to a degree of usefulness.
Had I began programming on an Apple II, where I could make graphics similar to what mainstream games looked like, or write an actual useful program, I could have imagined myself being a much better coder.
Its Linux. Therefore, no free-binary without a free-source. At least for the kernel.
It would be better to compare CorelDRAW to KIllustrator rather than the Gimp, given that Gimp doesn't have sophisticated vector functions. But either way, CorelDRAW wins pretty much hands down in my opinion.
How easy will it be to take the computey bits out of the jacket itself? If we wear the jacket non-stop, pretty soon its gonna stink like rancid geek or at least have a bunch of coffee stains on it. I don't really want to throw down a couple grand on a jacket that can't even be dry cleaned.
While I will make no claim to understand a good bit of this technology, what sort of applications currently need such a link (and can justify the need to spend the undoubtably huge wad of cash)?
What would need more than conventional encryption with huge keys at the moment?
Note that I stress "currently". Its pretty clear that a good ways down the road either computers will brute force 2048 bit keys in a few seconds or a way to factor huge primes will come along.
Metamorphosis is probably the best time I've spent reading from my monitor. Excellent read. Just up a geek's alley.
Which means the fields are very green indeed for the likes of us!
For the sake of discussion, we'll give the cable a diameter of 3 inches. That's a pretty big fricken cable!.
;)
Now, can you shoot a 3 inch target from 400 meters away? Some people can, with skill and a good rifle/optics.
Now, add the fact that the cable is moving. Doesn't sound so easy anymore.
Make it two afternoons, a couple bags of peanuts, and a cooler of Mountain Dew, and I'll be there with ya.
Also, I don't see the intrigue of shooting these things, really. It would be much easier to shoot microwave dishes fixed to radio towers, but for the life of me, I can't recall a specific time that has happened. Of course, it probably has, but still...
I'm more interested in a tower based infrastructure than balloon/blimp based. I currently have a system called Speedex, and I'm really happy with it. Its not as fast as land lines (capable of 1.5MB downstream, realistically its a good 768k). However, I pay $50/month.
I live in rural Indiana, and few people around here have broadband. Most arn't even in a coverage area. Wireless access works here.
I'd prefer the stuff be on towers rather than on these free floatering balls of gas. The towers will have to be much closer together, as they have a radius of 30-35 miles. The security of the transmitter is much better, being as its on a fixed object. It also doesn't pose a threat to aircraft save for helis.
I care. Becuase here (rural southern Indiana), I *can't*. I have a wireless service becuase landlines don't even come near me. I pay $50US for 768/128 access. Its worth every penny, too. I would certainly also like to know what service you have.
Christ! I'm blind!
What would be an acceptable ping time after a packet is passed through a few thousand WiFi routers? ;)
If I recall, didn't Adobe recently express their opinion that Windows was the preferred platform for Photoshop?
I have no idea how old my Model M is. The sticker with all the info came off when I put the whole darned thing in the dishwasher a year or so ago.
;)
cheers
I've seen those infomercials for Systemax machines on early in the morning. You know, the ones with cheap cases that they stuck a window and blue cold cathode in.
They were hyping these really inane things. I'm pretty sure they would hype the 64 bit chip to no end.
This might actually make 64 bit systems into the norm quicker than some would expect.
That may be fine and dandy for some people, but some of us will still prefer the command line.
;)
If you did have a 3D window manager, I bet I can guess what your top surface plot would look like
Fark censors comments more than Slashdot, actually. If you type "fuck" on Fark, it becomes "fark". Same as "shit" becomes "shiat". Slashdot doesn't censor. It is moderation. The comment is still there, but most people thought it didn't deserve to be seen, so modded it down. Then your Slashdot comment preferences kept you from seeing it. Go turn your threshold down as far as possible, and see what kind of crap shows up.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's just that yours is stupid" is just his sig.
Should it be switched both ways now? Like "French of Speech"?
I will admit that I download music. The thing is, for most songs, I had never seen the cd that it is on, or heard of the band name. For a few, I can't even find that a cd (or band) exists. Others, like Kraftwerk, are just darn hard to find cds for. I grabbed a few KW tracks, and wouldn't you know, now I have ordered 3 of their albums to date. I especially like "Computer World". How geek is that? ;)
Only on Slashdot will you ever see children refered to as a programs. And what language would you advise I write a son that makes $10 million a year? COBOL?