i didnt use the words "living in the past"

my comments was that the internet has moved forward.

by that i mean, most content is now aimed at higher
speed connections. there is more moving stuff on webpages,
more images etc.

things that are trivial on dsl etc are something of a commitment
on dial up.

that is all.

Dean

Malcolm V wrote:
On Wednesday 10 May 2006 23:51, Dean Hamstead allegedly wrote:
<snipped>
alas the internet has moved forward and modems are painful
to use now.

I simply don't agree with this statement. Dialup has the disadvantages of tying up your phone line (the cost of a second line rental is more then some cheap "broadband" options), the call costs themselves and the comparably low bandwidth. Having started on a 1200/300 baud modem, I don't consider 48000 baud "painful".

Of course, most people "serious" about the internet are using some form of high speed connection (ie: most people in software development, web content, instant messaging, etc), but for them to dismiss dialup users as "living in the past" is merely a form of bandwith snobbery. They are not an insignificant minority ( *waves to OS/2 zealots, Amiga users* ;P ).

The funny thing is that dialup users are constantly indirectly benefitting from the steps developers take to reduce the load on their limited resources (their distribution servers generally). Of course, the developers generally only take these steps when they hit their resource limits (no surprise there), rather then from the start when the only one suffering are those poor dialup Luddites.

Bleh, I could rant on incoherently about this for pages. One of the reasons I use Linux is that it allows me to (try to) get the most out of what I already have, rather then console myself that the "next big thing" will solve a particular problem.

Cheers,
Malcolm V.

P.S. Anyone want to offer a classification for this sig monster offering, I gave it a (PG).

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