The wrong way to spread broadband

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Other countries also contributed

US tax payers did a lot for establishing the Internet. But plenty of other tax payers and non payers also contributed.

Back in the day, I was fortunate enough to be studying science (as well as Margaritas - Happy 5th of May) at the University of California at Santa Barbara, one of the original Internet schools. So I can tell you first hand that it was not just government but a lot of voluteers world wide that got the Internet going. The WWW - thats different.

This Internet is a commons. The Zdnet article is good but might have made more of this notion.

The so called "tradgedy of the commons" is something to be avoided. For example...

The threat a few years ago involved bounded media. Both Microsoft and Enron were investing in fiber with the notion that these pipes would have value in controling Internet Accesss. Microsoft invested in a branch of Global Crosssings, I think. Both wrong doing companies were well aware of the importance of bounded media but especially Microsoft because of benchmarks against CompuServe.

Compuserve service eventually went to AOL, but what Microsoft got from Compuserve, and it was really needed, were the pipes that Compuserve had established. Compuserve was owned by HR Block, the tax folks, at the time. They did all the work to make a network the Microsoft couldn't. Since all the post Compuserve fiber is still mostly dark (Enron backrupsy - its a good thing) the threat to the commons didn't materialize.

But it might, in the near future, when video on demand floods those fibers.

I suspect, in the near future, the server farms will be in space. Literally in space where it is so cold you can clock up the CPUs and transmission to the satellite for phone and data will obsolete bounded media. I note that the Bush wire tapping rule of only tapping conversations that go out of country is silly when you think about transmission out of country to satellite.

Excellent article. I think a series of similar IT did good (even Microsoft) articles might be uplifting.

Zoro

Posted by: mighetto   Posted on: 05/05/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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