[165043] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: How big is the Internet?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Patrick W. Gilmore)
Fri Aug 16 00:46:16 2013
From: "Patrick W. Gilmore" <patrick@ianai.net>
In-Reply-To: <alpine.GSO.2.00.1308160015390.29817@clifden.donelan.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 00:46:06 -0400
To: NANOG list <nanog@nanog.org>
Errors-To: nanog-bounces+nanog.discuss=bloom-picayune.mit.edu@nanog.org
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On Aug 16, 2013, at 00:37 , Sean Donelan <sean@donelan.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Aug 2013, Seth Mattinen wrote:
>> We'll also need this data in units of number of Libraries of =
Congress.
>=20
> The researchers at the Library of Congress are more than happy to =
explain why you are wrong to attempt to use the Library of Congress as a =
unit of measure, and why the estimates being used are wrong.
>=20
> =
http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2011/07/transferring-libraries-of=
-congress-of-data/
>=20
> along with several other blog posts over the years.
>=20
> But it doesn't seem to stop people from wanting to 1) know how big the =
Library of Congress is and 2) using it as a unit of measure.
>=20
> It seems odd that there are relatively good estimates for other =
communication networks and utilities; i.e. how big is the PSTN, how many =
television or radio stations, how much freight is carried by railroads, =
trucks and ships. But asking how big is the Internet, how much data =
does it carry, ends up with no answer.
>=20
> Even the researchers at the Library of Congress, if you give them =
enough beer and beg them enough, will eventually give you an estimate
> about the Library collection size as of the end of the last year.
>=20
> What so special about the Internet that it can't be measured?
Complete lack of regulation, and in many cases, even billing.
You cannot make a call on the PSTN without someone getting money from =
someone else and a CDR =
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_detail_record>) being created. =
Television & radio stations are trivially countable and probably =
literally a a dozen or more orders of magnitude off the number of =
packets on the Internet. Railroads are similarly tiny in number and bill =
for freight. Roads are built by taxpayer dollars, so the gov't keeps a =
good account. Etc., etc.
The Internet is the first world-wide "thing" that doesn't bill based on =
where you send something, what you are doing, why you do it, and in many =
cases, even how much you do. Moreover, anyone can set up anything on it =
without asking the gov't for permission.
This has enabled the impossible growth curve seen the last 20 years, but =
also made it impossible to count, categorize, or control. Which pisses =
off some people (usually governments), but makes others (e.g. me!) all =
warm & fuzzy inside.
--=20
TTFN,
patrick
P.S. I know you already knew the answer to the question, but I figured =
you wanted it answered when you asked, so I did.
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