Bandwidth-What is it really?

[Thomas S. England]

I see all this talk about bandwidth and I'd like somebody to 'plain it to me.

Is internet traffic really clogging up? What are the main culprits? Is Spam the problem, or music downloads, or what? Is there really a problem?

If so, how so?

Or is all this just a snobbish way of saying, "My stuff is more important than your stuff"?

[Gregg]

All I know is that it's about getting more data to travel through the wires connecting us with the world. Sure, as more people use the internet, the "super highway" gets clogged. I figure its the number of people that has the most impact rather than what the specific activity is. Nothing to back that up with, just a hunch.

[Highmac]

I don't pretend to understand the technicalities, but one place I worked had awful trouble saving stuff back to the server after they changed the system - anything up to 15minutes to close a document!. One IT chap said it was because the company had skimped on the network cable. "It's a bit like trying to get the flow from a 7inch water main through a domestic pipe" was how he described it. I think I understood that...

[kelly]

http://www.wired.com/wired/4.09/es.web.html

http://www.pcwebopedia.com/TERM/b/bandwidth.html

[Thomas S. England]

Kelly,
Thanks for the links, good stuff.

But I note that all the material is roughly five years old, a long time when we're talking about this stuff.

Anybody know of any real evidence that Bandwidth actually is choking today?

And I'm still curious about what would contribute to the alledged problem the most. Is it Spam, music downloads, corporate use, or what?

[kelly]

Thomas. I don't know if you'll come up with an exact answer to that.  

In general though. What happens when you build a new Freeway to cure traffic jams?

[Xairbusdriver]

Thomas.
I don't see as much problems with Bandwidth lately, it may be because we seem to have fewer parades than we used to. Or the bands are just smaller. Could also be that most parades are on wider streets, also. Anyway, I think you may have more problems in some of the smaller, older towns in Georgia, but that should be compensated for by the usually smaller bands in those localities.

I've personally never seen any choking within a band, although I have seen some bad injuries when they didn't play enough to keep the brass mouthpeices warm during some extremely low temperatures. Kinda the old 'lick the flagpole' problem.

Jim C.

[kbeartx]

Thomas -

Don't feel too bad, many people are confused about this issue.  Personally, I think the confusion has a lot to do with the archaic spelling of the word [b[bandwidth/ that is so much in vogue these days.  

If they would just use the modern, simplified spelling, bandwith, the way it is pronounced, it would be much clearer to everyone.  

Expanding on Jim C's valiant explanation attempt above, problems arise when people try to play along with the band, hence the term "bandwith" - it's just that most of the folks doing this are not professional musicians and do not have adequate training or experience to effectively play along with the band without ruining it for everyone else!

I hope this clears away the fog for everybunny.

- kbeartx

[Xairbusdriver]

K,
Your explanation reminded me of something that happened yesterday (see how quickly I forget!). An elderly lady (who does not have a computer, much less e-mail) asked me to give a friend of hesr my e-mail address, so I wrote it out for her. Then I asked for the friends address. She surprised me in being able to repeat it from memory! Afterall, she would never have used it. Everything was going fine until she got to the "@" part. You probably know what she did, she simply spelled out "AT," just like she had done for the rest of the address! It never occured to her that the "@" symbol she might have seen was more than an abreviation.    

Just another reason to never try passing an e-mail address aurally, especially by phone! Can you hear me now?!    

Seriously, I guess bandwidth sounds better than saying you're wires are 'wider/slicker/faster/fatter!'    

Jim C.

[kelly]

http://www.internettrafficreport.com/main.htm

http://www.dslreports.com/

[sandbox]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...ectric_internet

"Technology - AP
Broadband Over Power Lines? It's Possible
Sun Feb 9, 3:16 PM ET
   
Add Technology - AP to My Yahoo!

By JIM SUHR, AP Business Writer

ST. LOUIS - Coming to a home or office near you could be an electric Internet: high-speed Web access via ubiquitous power lines, of all things, making every electrical outlet an always-on Web connection.

If it sounds shocking, consider this: St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. and other utilities already are testing the technology, and many consider it increasingly viable.

This truly plug-and-play technology, if proven safe, has the blessings of federal regulators looking to bolster broadband competition, lower consumer prices and bridge the digital divide in rural areas.

Because virtually every building has a power plug, it "could simply blow the doors off the provision of broadband," Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) chairman Michael Powell said last month.

For competition's sake, "absolutely, we would applaud it," says Edmond Thomas, chief of the FCC (news - web sites)'s Office of Engineering and Technology. "

[Xairbusdriver]

I will defer to someone with some real electrical knowledge, but I wonder about what the 'bandwidth' (whatever we decide that is!) would be using power lines. The voltage (of power lines) may be a benefit, but I thought the main problem with DSL was its reliance on copper (wire) and its loss of signal problems with length. Whereas, fiber cable has a much greater capability over longer distances.        

Still, anything to put a little 'fear' in the current (no pun intended    ) providers...

Jim C.

[Gregg]

My bandwidth has become too constricted. Sometimes I have to use soap and water to loosen it enough to get it off my finger. You know, your hand swells, the metal contracts, the circulation gets cut off. I'm all for larger bandwidths.

[swhitset]

ABD

Read the link.  They talk about special signal amplifiers/repackagers toward the end of the article      

Steve