modulating barriers to access

[Yournet@hotmail.com]

Why? 

-WiFi is not designed for wide area access.  

-WiFi MESH is not standardized and never will be: 802.11s only standardizes higher level functions, not compatibility between vendors. Therefore, networks have to be built using prescribed-by-hackers, not off-the-shelf, idiot-proof hardware & software.

-There is too little sustained interest in building and maintaining large networks. This is why people work at companies - because a paycheck keeps them interested.  Not enough retired people like yourself around to build out wireless networks for free! Of course, you are free to put up 500 proprietary MESH nodes to give Seattle a fair degree of coverage similar to the government sponsored projects in Philadelphia and San Fran.

-Too few people know about Seattle Wireless or are enticed to participate.  One reason for commercial enterprise is to afford to hire people who can work to plan an build networks.  Otherwise, it takes volunteer efforts.  If Wi-Fi were able to be built into viral MESH networks or otherwise was more easily able to be adopted, then it might be easier to enthuse people to participate to build out networks on a volunteer basis.  But WiFi uses a contention based MAC that is not easily used to make viral, user participating networks because of bandwidth and latency and jitter performance degradation.  

Seattle Wireless and other groups should be able to come up with more clearly defined steps and suggested hardware and software packages so that people who want to participate will find it easier.  

 Message ----- 
  From: Todd Boyle 
  To: SeattleWireless Talk List 
  Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 4:47 PM
  Subject: modulating barriers to access


  At 12:48 AM 12/28/2006, Jason Feeser wrote:

    So, why haven't more people put up seattlewireless nodes???
    Large scale public mesh is what we want... right???

  There's 
   - the chicken-and-egg theory, 
   - the negative-value-proposition theory, and
   - the technical-hurdles-for-nongeeks theory.

  The chicken and egg theory is moot since there's negative value
  proposition to the general public.  Things people want from an
  edge network are free telephony, free filesharing, ie movies
  songs and porn, and hard anonymity for things like political
  organizing and graymarket commerce and digital cash.   
  Geeks in SWN have never been sympathetic to any of these, 
  even those which are lawful.  There is unanimous solidarity that 
  applications are not part of the mission.   So, the SWN routers 
  sit there and can't do *anything* that isn't already available 
  100 times faster and more reliably on cableco/telco networks. 

  If the SWN architecture was a VIA EPIA motherboard (now $100 on ebay)
  it could have the router uncoupled from the radios or *whatver* link
  is on the ethernet)   It could be setup with Community Television (to recurse
  thru whatever video files it can find locally or on SWN and give you 
  choices with a standard infrared remote.) and Community Phone
  (that lists whatever telephony resources or connections or directories
  it can find.)     At least you'd ahve something that got attention.


    Are we waiting for 'N' to land???  Will 'N' solve current limitations???

    Can we have a self-configuring household mesh appliance that people would be
    happy to pay $100-$200 for in order to get "free" internet???

    Or are most people here (industry professionals aside) just pointing
    antennas down the street in order to save $50.00/month???

    I would love a free network from West Seattle to the UW to get at my free
    internet.  But for now, Comcast it is.

    Jason

  In all mature industries, prices and terms are modulated by the
  dominant firms, to shape the behavior of the market.  That's why
  these cableco and telco networks are just easy enough to 
  share, to prevent a hardening of opposition and competition.
  This is a universal principle, it can be found in all systems
  of control.   

  -  The amount of resources it requires to enforce behavior
  on the last 5% of the population would take more resources
  than the other 95%, it just isn't worth it, but furthermore,

  - When you do try to coerce the last 5% it creates such
  a hardcore jihadist resistance that it's unwise even for 
  the most power-lusting greediest egomaniac.   They 
  are well aware the jihadist with nothing to lose, can unhorse
  them if they so choose.   So, Microsoft lets people copy their
  software, the media lets people copy their material, the IRS 
  lets people cheat a lot, the military lets soldiers defy commanders,
  and Verizon and Comcast will never use all their tools to enforce TOS. 

  They will use their power to modulate the revenue stream,
  instead of just trying to gun the engine full speed.   

  They will use their power *just enough* to maximize their 
  longterm position. That means, they will use *all* their 
  power from time to time, if they see a genuine competitor.

  The rest of the time, the geeks and 'hackers' will always
  be allowed to steal bandwidth.   It shuts them up, and they
  self-marginalize and isolate themselves.  This is how the
  financial industry, medical industry works, too.  They allow
  quite unethical and illegal practices for some mysterious
  reason.  First, the violators are keeping very quiet about
  all their stealing.  But there are also, so many doctors, lawyers, 
  accountants and congressmen who are doing illegal things, 
  that you can't get a majority who thinks its in their 
  best interest to clean it all up. 

  Todd
  A Nation of Liars: crude prose http://ledgerism.net/theInfoGap.htm



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