Posts by EdWeb

Europe's broadband bird goes up tonight

Upstream

Nope, it's a two-way system. Generally a 90cm dish with a massive 2-way LNB. Very reiable, and very cheap to run, comparing to ADSL.

Yep.

You know what, you're right. The traffic is relatively low. I specified and designed the lottery system, and it was based on low bandwidth, low cost ideas. We wanted to be able to have burst, which we get with the Hughes system, and it works. And it keeps costs down. Several years after designing the system, I still stand by my decisions and the technology. It's sound, and so is the reliability.

GTech have used the tech for years, and they played a part in specifying it. They know how to use it to the best advantage, and that's a very good thing. They were happy when we decided to use it, and so were the National Lottery Commission. I still think of my role there as a good one, although many would probably disagree :D

PS. GTech were originally from Rhode Island, and were bought out. Very good tech guys, a lot of whom still work for GTech.

I agree

...But unfortunately a good technology got ignored. And BT aren't promoting it enough. It's a shame when good tech is ignored!

Oh yes they do....

They certainly do. Round about 25,000 of them, with a further 2,500 on ADSL for those places that satellite isn't possible, like listed buildings etc.

3G/GPRS turned out to be a bit too unreliable, which would have put the cost up due to extra antenna etc. Satellite worked out the cheapest and most reliable, although a little more bandwidth for the price would have been a nice thing.

'World's No. 1 hacker' tome rocks security world

Read the book...know the man.

By the great beard of Zeus! I read the first few pages, skimmed a few more. I'm afraid there's nothing more to be said than the man's a right royal cock!

Talk about blowing your own pink trumpet! And it all seems a little (or lot) contrived.

LG X110 netbook

Samsung NC10

Why no review of the Samsung NC10 yet?

Cheaper than the LG, although no built-in 3G unfortunately. And the battery last 7.5 hours, which I can testify to. Nice little machine, although I wish the right had shift key was larger.

IBM crossed off ID application shortlist

EDS Again

"how many projects does EDS have to make a big mess of before they are banned from pitching for government work."

Probably the same number as Accenture!

Customs warns of killer consoles

They may be counterfeit...

...but do they work the same? Surely they can't work as well as a DS, if at all?

Nuke-nobbler raygun 747 in first full-power blast

Er...what happens...

...if they miss with a shot, either in real life or in a test? Does some poor soul 750 miles away get a toasted backside?

Adobe, profs working on web time-machine app

Is that not....

...what WayBackMachine does? Or am I being fick?

Mine's the 70's sheepskin, a la Motty-style.

BlackBerry redoubles iPhone challenge

Go on, put crap apps on there, but don't fix GMail!!!

Okay, so they find the time to code shite apps that waste time, but don't get round to introducing proper email syncing from Gmail account? What a crock!

Methinks they need to get their priorities clearer. Cocks!

American ISP flashes phantom bandwidth cap

What about Xbox, PS3

<rant>

Come on!

I'm not a heavy user, but I do like the odd Xbox or PS3 session. Downloading demo games will use up your 5Gb in a day, not a month. And it's all legal, legit, above board, on the level...ad infinitum.

I abhor the ISPs that claim "unlimited" and then cry and slap you with a wet capitalist fish when you use more than your "fair share"

From the Oxford English dictionary:

unlimited

• adjective: not limited or restricted; infinite.

Now, since when did lawyers get to re-write the English language? Bollocks to the lot of them!

ISPs: Grow up, show some balls, and understand where the World, including the Internet, is going. And that direction is high bandwidth, low cost. Bite your lips and tell your shareholders that they'll be walking away with a few pounds less in their wallets this year, as you have to install a few more bits of kit to deal with the bandwidth. Okay, put prices up by a pound or so a month; but don't screw the customer and try and hoodwink them. They're not stupid, and they'll end up voting with their feet.

As someone who designs and builds these systems, I know it is possible to deliver a good, fast service, AND make a profit, if only you don't get too greedy. Smart thinking, smart design, smart management, and you're there. And no, I'm not simplifying things. It's been done!

The day will come when someone with some money realises that it's possible, comes up with a viable model, and blows the big players out of the water, just like the air travel industry; and it's not far off.

I, for one, cannot wait!

</rant>

MS takes Windows 3.11 out of embed to put to bed

Ahh...Windows 3.1 and Winsock

The days of Winsock. Ahhh...reminisce!

Working like a trojan to get the TCP stack working; fiddling with your IRQs to get the modem working (14.4k anyone?). And waiting 11 minutes for a 100k bit of pron to download, only to get caught by the girfriend in the middle of it!

Paris, because she knows what it's like to get caught with/in pron!