This isn't directly connected with Linux but it is relevant to the quality of our on-line experience. I'm trying to get Google Earth working, and as we know this service isn't supported on Linux. But my family members run Windows XP so I'm installing it for them. On a support forum I found the advice that "Your performance will be controlled by your own ISP's throughput and your latency to our servers. Ping kh.google.com. <100msec, good. >200msec, not-so-good." A Swedish reader replied "Here in Sweden my average ping response is 22.6msec (!)" I tested my Maltese response and got an average 265ms (Jan 23, 20:45). Repeating the ping even gave me "Request timed out" messages! I got similar slow responses from my web site vlsitechnology.org (hosted by Yahoo in California).
The www.nethealth.net.mt site gives average Google response times of 100ms and Yahoo 200ms, and has done so for months now. Why is Malta so slow when Sweden is so fast? I thought there was a government policy of making Malta an internet hub, but it doesn't look competitive at all compared to competing countries like Sweden. Am I wrong, or is there a way for me to improve my connection latency by a factor of up 10?? - Graham Petley
