[LINK] Forum on high speed bandwidth in Australia - this Thursday

[Jan Whitaker]

At 10:11 AM 4/05/2009, Karl Auer wrote:
>So while some people have volume requirements, a great many don't. Speed
>just makes the whole net usage experience far more pleasant and thus far
>more accessible.
>
>To misquote Gordon Gecko, "Speed is good"

Interesting analysis. I remember when I dug in my heals for staying 
on dial-up at 56kb. It was fine for what I did, mostly textbased and 
asynchronous. It wasn't until the environment [software heft, 
overdesigned websites, video clips, audiostreaming] came into play 
that I had to make a decision if I wanted to tie up a phone line for 
the period of time I was handcuffed into software updates OR wanted 
to access the new capabilities. It was only when the economics worked 
[price drops], availability of connections [ADSL was late coming in 
my outer suburb and I was a signer-upper to the petition process to 
finally get it -- we're talking >250,000 people here, not a village 
in woop-woop], and the pain of downloads converged to make it a 
decent decision to change.

So if the only advantages of a high-speed connection is adding 
improved gaming performance and a quicker webpage display at a 
doubled cost, the cost benefit isn't there. I'm not even on ADSL2+ 
for the higher speeds to avoid the additional monthly cost. I would 
also have to change ISPs in order to get it. Too much bother for 
little return for my needs.

I hope the powers that be are ready for a gradual uptake. Look how 
long it's taken for digTV.

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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