In computer news this week, 12/05/2001

Speeding on the internet, or does everyone just putter along?

How many web pages have you gone to recently that told you that in order for you to "enjoy" their page - you would have to download a multitude of plugins, and that this would take only - oh - maybe a couple hours. So you of course click off and go to a page you can view similar information without having to waste your time.

With all the advertising you see for DSl and Cable internet access - designed of course to make you feel like a troglodyte with your puny 56K dialup connection - you would think that everybody in America is on highspeed internet access - with the exception of that one yahoo in Spocain, Washington. You're the person who's slowing everybody else down !!! But recent statistics show that the vast majority of internet users are using dialup connections, and just don't seem to have to need for speed, or are not willing to pay for it. 87% of American internet users in a recent survey by the Information Technology Association are using dialup connections.

So instead of you being the problem, its the minority of highspeed internet fanatics that are causing the problems. That's why you see pages that talk about downloading flash macromedia plugins, realplayer, etc. that you'll need for enjoyment. Those things work with highspeed access, but forget about them if you've got a dialup connection. You can spend hours downloading them, only to find you can't get them to work, and you've wasted hours of your time and money and have now given up hundreds of megabytes of hard disk storage and probably permanent changes to your usable ram and system resources, all for naught.

And it's amazing how many pages on the internet make the assumption that all their users have high speed access.

So why are people not choosing high speed access? Is it the cost? Well, dialup averages around $ 20 a month, where DSL and Cable are usually up to three times that, not a huge difference. Give up a few movies or a dinner and you've cost justified your highspeed access cost. And the internet zealots that have highspeed access are already doing this.

So what does the average internet user really do and want? The number 1 thing everyone wants is email, which works fine at dialup speed. You read email as fast as you can read - that depends on you - not your connection. You also compose email at the speed of you - and then on your typing speed, which for many people is almost the speed of dark - not your connection. You can easily spend hours online reading and composing and sending emails - all at the speed of you.

Another big thing is chat rooms - and again this is dependent on your reading speed, and then on your typing speed. And if you use instant messaging, these same rules apply - everything goes at the speed of your reading, comprehension, and typing.

So is there really a need for highspeed internet access? Of course there is, and there are hundreds of justifications for the need to surf the web, do research, send large files and emails, that do require speed. And I believe that lowcost highspeed internet access is coming soon.

But until then, if you have been sufferening from a dialup inferiority complex - remember that you're in the middle of the pack. And open up your computer room window and shout out to the world; "I'm 56K and I'm proud"!! Say it clear - say it loud - in your best James Brown imitation!!

I'll be listening for you.

For Raw Bytes, This is Frank Delaney

POB 222 Spangle, Wa 99031 (509)245-3736 624-7230