Posts by roy

ADSL - the VoIP killer

You can't fix a bad ATM QoS with MPLS

The bulk of DSL connections run over ATM networks. Perfectly suited for Class of Services and Quality of Services. Problem is that lots of providers use a bad ATM QoS (UBR instead of say VBR-NRT ... VBR-RT would be even better) and try to fix quality issues with MPLS. That's like building roads with holes, while upgrading suspension on cars. If you use VBR-RT with decent network management, VoIP is no problem.

In the Netherland we (Zoranet) offer VoIP on overbooked VBR-RT DSL connectivity with ATM QoS guarantees (latency <22Ms) with guaranteed available bandwith and quality cueing for as little as Euro 19,99 a month (data & Voip, number included). And that just works (fax included).

Apple MacBook Air Early 2008

After three weeks of heavy use ..

I started using my Air (1.8/SSD) three weeks ago and consider myself a heavy mobile user (laptops since 1991), doing a lot of traveling. I must say that the Air is a breeze to work on: it's fast enough, the screen indeed is crisp and it is small and light.

Sure I have looked at a Vaio and Eee PC. They might have better specs and indeed are a bit less wider, but they are simply not as durable as the Air (opening the lid on Vaio and EeePC really doesn't give you a solid feeling), nore as thin. And thin is important, because 9 out of 10 times I travel with a set of documents (which happens to be A4 standard) and the air slides in the bag with it. Thicker notebooks won't.

That said: The Air is the second best portable I have ever worked on. The best being the out-of-production 12" Powerbook which still holds its place in my hobby photokit, because it perfectly fits in the Domke bag and has a near perfect robustness. I still don't get it why Apple cancelled that nerd's dream of a portable and if I ever get to meet Mr. Jobs I will certainly ask him about the 'why' ...