""nrf"" wrote in message ... > The biggest problem with broadband? Simple. There is no mass-market > app that actually requires broadband. Most people are perfectly > happy with dial. After all, what do they do on the Internet - > surf a few pages, send a few emails, do some instant messaging - > all low-impact apps. Most regular people (who are mostly > nontechnical) simply don't see why they should pay more and put > up with a less reliable technology in order to do the things they > do a little faster. And again, it's not because they don't know > what it means to have a fast connection. A lot of these people > work in offices that have good connections, and yet they still > don't want it for themselves. Essentially all of the technical > people (the geeks) who want broadband have already gotten it, the > trick now is to somehow convince all the nontechnical people that > broadband is worth it. I hope somebody will finally invent something > that will actually convince the masses that broadband is good, for > otherwise the telco depression will go on and on.
Wow nrf, you were totally dead-on correct until the last paragraph. Need for R/S skills is gone, and basically is not coming back - that's a fact. However, broadband is going to continue to have strange offerings with different apps all the time. Sure, most poeple only use email, surfing, and maybe IM today (for which dial works fine). But you are seemingly waiting for something to be invented. It's already invented. SIP, IM, Presence - these things exist today (and yes, I'm aware that maybe it's best if they don't work over the Internet and instead on private IP networks). But why can't more and more broadband connections actually be private IP networks (as well as maybe Internet access)? Why aren't people utilizing MPEG-4 in the way that some (college students at least) are using MP3? I don't own cable, but I can easily download all the episodes of Soprano to my home computer over my broadband connection. Why do I need cable or satellite now? Do I need a VCR, PVR, DVR, DVD, etc? Do I need a receiver? Do I even need a television? Do I even need a telephone? This isn't your standard plumbing. You don't load new bits into the bottom of your sink and instantly upgrade your plumbing to faster, more converged services. It doesn't work like that. Broadband does. So you keep waiting for things that are already invented (SIP, MPEG-4, 3G, Bluetooth, IEEE 1394, P2P, etc) to catch on. The rest of us will be paying less money and simplifying our lives. The trick isn't to invent a new technology, but it's to get the average person to be able to embrace the technology that's already out there. -dre Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=59271&t=59271 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
