[11213] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: How Long to a Multimedia Internet?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bruce Gingery)
Fri Mar 25 14:43:15 1994
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 1994 12:57:06 -0700 (MST)
From: Bruce Gingery <lcbginge@antelope.wcc.edu>
Reply-To: Bruce Gingery <lcbginge@antelope.wcc.edu>
To: "Walt Howe, DELPHI Internet SIG Manager" <WALTHOWE@delphi.com>
Cc: rfolk@shell.portal.com, com-priv@psi.com
In-Reply-To: <01HAB6AC500I9226I1@delphi.com>
Also, everyone seems to think that X- is the ultimate in GUI'ish
applications. Some are quite more efficient, and we're going to see many
more. With NEXTSTEP moving from the NeXT Workstation (out of production),
the high-end i486 and up PC's, HP's, and now OSF/1 DEC platforms jumping
on the bandwagon, not to mention the Open standard being jointly developed
with Sun Microsystems and NeXT (OpenStep) due for publication this summer,
we'll shortly see alternatives using distributed-object technology which
quickly replace some of the "tried and true" bandwidth hogging methods
used by X-. (Mumble-mumble, I still wonder what IBM is going to do with
THEIR license for NEXTSTEP, obtained many months ago, as Taligent seems
questionable and behind).
At the same time, we will see fatter and fatter ftp's, quite likely, as
multi-architecture pre-compiled binaries inflate with 3rd, 4th, and 5th
architectures in the single distribution. At the same time, portions will
become segmented, and as it becomes a *burden* to fetch enormous
distribution archives, we'll see better segmentation of distributions.
Source distributions won't stop flowing, but the capacities for
multi-architecture compilation (to the same "fat" binary) is already
impacting what gets posted on many sites.
We'll also see quickie job passing via a few TCP messages replace some
of the massive data transmissions, just as Archie servers have helped
reduce login bandwidths, though primarily saving the users time.
True, sound and video are approaching their limits for compression
without severe degradation of content, and we'll likely see more and more
of both; points directly addressed by Walt (below).
Applications like "Yftp" even in its early beta stage, are reducing the
need for (and even convenience of) repeated directory listings from remote
sites, while providing the information in a more managable format, just as
Archie's reduce the need for ls-Rl listings. Brief Gopher connections
tend to be more efficient for net traffic than BBS style logins, though to
the user, the difference is negligible.
As we all know EVERYTHING is in transition. It takes a wide view to
see what problems will be quite temporary, which will seem to solve
themselves. Yes, waiting for minutes while graphic pages transfer, as
pointed out by Walt below, will either be self-limiting, or push wider
bandwidth on local connectivity.... and at some times BOTH.
As Karl Denninger has been quick to point out, 28.8 connections pass a
heck of a lot more data than 14,4's. But STILL, inefficiencies don't
ALWAYS fill the new capacities -- it just seems like it.
---
Bruce Gingery lcbginge@antelope.wcc.edu
=============================================================
On Wed, 23 Mar 1994, Walt Howe, DELPHI Internet SIG Manager wrote:
> What I find missing from the discussions of the attractiveness of Mosaic as an
> interface via dialups to shell accounts or SLIPs is the unattractiveness of
> 14.4K access. Once you get past the stage of marveling at the graphics, the
> 2 to 5 minute wait between graphic pages, gets old very fast. Mosaic will be
> nothing more than a curiosity to most people who are restricted to current
> dialup speeds. The bandwidth of the last leg to the home or office remains
> critical.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> O-O- | Co-author of _Internet Basics, Your Online
> J ) Walt Howe, SIG Mgr. | Access to the Global Electronic Superhighway_
> ( ) DELPHI Internet SIG | with Steve Lambert, Random House, 1993
> ()) walthowe@delphi.com | ISBN 0-679-75023-1
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
