Experts Warn Internet Is Running Out of Bandwidth

Thursday, April 30, 2009
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518405,00.html


Internet users face regular "brownouts" that will freeze their computers as capacity runs out in cyberspace, according to research to be published later this year.

Experts predict that consumer demand, already growing at 60 percent a year, will start to exceed supply as early as 2010 because of more people working online and the soaring popularity of bandwidth-hungry Web sites such as YouTube and services such as the BBC's iPlayer.

It will initially lead to computers being disrupted and going offline for several minutes at a time. Beginning in 2012, however, PCs and laptops are likely to operate at a much reduced speed, rendering the Internet an "unreliable toy."

When Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British scientist, wrote the code that transformed a private computer network into the World Wide Web in 1991, the Internet appeared to be a limitless resource.

However, a report being compiled by Nemertes Research, a respected American think-tank, will warn that the Web has reached a critical point and that even the recession has failed to stave off impending problems.

That's nonsense, the reality is computers surfing on the internet is just jumping from one server to another, more servers are starting everyday. ISP's are expanding with the times as expected, everything will expand as needed.

These people with their stats and crystal balls are really something.

well i had no idea as i dont know how it works really, i just found this news article where i get all mine, and thought i would post, i mean to me the internet is like space, nothing to hold it in if they can keep adding servers or what ever, thanks and take care

runawayhorses wrote:That's nonsense, the reality is computers surfing on the internet is just jumping from one server to another, more servers are starting everyday. ISP's are expanding with the times as expected, everything will expand as needed.

These people with their stats and crystal balls are really something.

As you well know,I don't hesitate to call on you when I need computer advice,but: "However, a report being compiled by Nemertes Research, a respected American think-tank, will warn that the Web has reached a critical point and that even the recession has failed to stave off impending problems." sounds like something more than nonsense.

I meant "nonsense" becuase I don't think it will ever become a problem. I'm sure they have their reasons to say that, and could make an argument with their hypothesis, but I believe the problem they speak of would be easily worked out, if it isn't already. The Internet is too important for us to allow it to suffer any kind of permanent (or unanswerable) functionality issues, it won't happen. The best computer experts in the world would find a solution, I bet they already have one now if the problem could exist, if not, they will.

One very distinctive thing I have leaned about when working with computers and the Internet, anything is possible and everything is answerable.

runawayhorses wrote:I meant "nonsense" becuase I don't think it will ever become a problem. I'm sure they have their reasons to say that, and could make an argument with their hypothesis, but I believe the problem they speak of would be easily worked out, if it isn't already. The Internet is too important for us to allow it to suffer any kind of permanent (or unanswerable) functionality issues, it won't happen. The best computer experts in the world would find a solution, I bet they already have one now if the problem could exist, if not, they will.

One very distinctive thing I have leaned about when working with computers and the Internet, anything is possible and everything is answerable.

OK, I agree with you. My first intuition was that before this traffic problem becomes serious,a fix will be in place. I wish I knew more. Here's a funny story (you may know it): For decades,telephone connections were made by female operators plugging lines into a huge board. Cheap,familiar,and virtually foolproof. But then an undertaker in the midwest became concerned that the local operators were funneling business to a competitor so...he invented the rotary dialer to remove the operator from the connection process. It was immediately adopted and has since been replaced with solid state,tone based source (customer) identification. I don't know if that is relevant,but I suspect the answer is in basic communication technology; it's just a matter of time and opportunity and,as you say,adding more servers. I underdtand Google/Youtube has 10's of thousands located semi-secretly all over the world.

well al i know is it has already took over my check book and my desk is a mess of papers with notes joged down and names and passwords, lol, i already eat supper at the pc,, it use to be the television i ate watching but as technology progresses i follow it with my supper plate, lmao,, take care,

rosco 357 wrote:well al i know is it has already took over my check book and my desk is a mess of papers with notes joged down and names and passwords, lol, i already eat supper at the pc,, it use to be the television i ate watching but as technology progresses i follow it with my supper plate, lmao,, take care,

Ya got me, 'Scoe! I turned the corner when I started turning on my 'puter before the TV. Hell, I unplugged the tv/vcr/satt. receiver in my bedroom. Gotta check on those chess moves, e-mails, and Runaway FIRST! BTW, I started writing down passwords/IDs on 3X5 index cards long ago. I can't remember crap.

trust me, i can remember things when i was a child,but i suck at names of ppl and movies, and movie stars in a movie, and i have way to many names and passwords to remember , ofcourse like here i go everyday and a few others i remember, but others, i cant, the card index thing sounds like a good idea, i have been grabbing printer paper, so sunday when i make my walmart run, im going to do the index card thing, with if they have it a box for them, thanks and take care,