Think-Tank Warns of Internet "Brownouts" Starting Next Year 445
JacobSteelsmith writes "A respected American think-tank, Nemertes Research, reports the Web has reached a critical point. For many reasons, Internet usage continues to rise (imagine that), and bandwidth usage is increasing due to traffic heavy sites such as YouTube. The article goes on to describe the perils Internet users will face including 'brownouts that will freeze their computers as capacity runs out in cyberspace,' and constant network 'traffic jams,' similar to 'how home computers slow down when the kids get back from school and start playing games.' ... 'Monthly traffic across the internet is running at about eight exabytes. A recent study by the University of Minnesota estimated that traffic was growing by at least 60 per cent a year, although that did not take into account plans for greater internet access in China and India. ... While the net itself will ultimately survive, Ritter said that waves of disruption would begin to emerge next year, when computers would jitter and freeze. This would be followed by brownouts — a combination of temporary freezing and computers being reduced to a slow speed.'"
Slashdotted! (Score:5, Funny)
Nuff said
What else is new? (Score:5, Funny)
I have Comcast; how will I be able to tell when this starts to happen, compared to what I see today?
Re:ahahahaha (Score:5, Funny)
And here i thought it was the geeks getting home and downloading Ubuntu.
Re:Too bad (Score:4, Funny)
Complete FUD (Score:5, Funny)
Everyone's computer is going to jitter or freeze because the net will be over capacity? Are the rest of you still using Windows 95 or other OS's that don't multithread properly?
Otherwise, the idea that your whole computer will freeze due to a network issue is kind of laughable...
So far, carriers have added capacity often enough to stay ahead of the curve. I don't see why that would change now.
Re:The network is not the device! Yet! (Score:4, Funny)
All the average user is capable of understanding is that the internet will be slow. But didn't you listen to Scott McNealy? The Network is the computer. Therefore, the user's computer will stutter and choke! IT MUST BE TRUE!
Re:why would a computer "jitter and freeze" (Score:4, Funny)
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Re:Lets crank up those clouds (Score:1, Funny)
WOOOOOOSH!!
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:ahahahaha (Score:5, Funny)
streaming video.
porn
You're just being redundant.
Re:why would a computer "jitter and freeze" (Score:5, Funny)
brownouts that will freeze their computers as capacity runs out in cyberspace
It sounds like some BS description they'd put into a movie when they forgot to hire a tech consultant. You know, like some dude with spiky hair who describes himself as a 'hacker' would be typing furiously on a keyboard, and then suddenly yell, "Oh no! We're in too many firewalls and cyberspace is almost full! All of our computers are going to crash if I don't do something quick!"
Re:Iam facing a brownout now (Score:5, Funny)
and stuff.
I see what you did there. But you're not fooling anyone. We know what you really mean. And no, we don't feel sorry for you.
Re:Lets crank up those clouds (Score:5, Funny)
Don't you love it when people who don't understand irony think you actually mean what you say.
Actually, no, I don't.
Re:why would a computer "jitter and freeze" (Score:5, Funny)
Yup, and now we're experiencing monetary brownouts, and the financial system is freezing. Oh wait, no, that was because of the streaming peer-to-peer profits in the banking industry! If we don't do something fast, all our industries will crash!
Re:Same group (Score:5, Funny)
Reminds me of the doomsday cults who predict the end of the world is coming every year, and then when it doesn't, they just adjust their prediction to next year. Sort of like a Cubs fan.
freezing (Score:5, Funny)
Modern codecs are pretty CPU-intense. As long as you keep the data flowing, the CPU stays busy and generates a lot of heat. If the pipe stalls, what happens is that the CPU idles. Now, the article is probably written for an audience where most people overclock with some rather extreme cooling solutions. When these peoples' CPUs idle, the water-cooling can actually ice up.
When the coolant freezes, the tubes burst. (Senator Stevens warned us about this, but people didn't understand, and some even ridiculed him.) Then when more packets come in and the CPU resumes working and heats up, the coolant thaws and leaks out of the broken tubes. Coolant gets all over the motherboard, and the computer crashes.
Re:What else is new? (Score:5, Funny)
Comcast is just bringing you the future, today! They're ahead of everyone else.
Re:ahahahaha (Score:3, Funny)
Correction: "steaming video"
Re:why would a computer "jitter and freeze" (Score:4, Funny)
Re:why would a computer "jitter and freeze" (Score:5, Funny)
This "Internet" company is headed for a lawsuit (Score:3, Funny)
I have never heard of this "Internet" company before, but I am 100% certain they are infringing on a Microsoft patent.
Re:why would a computer "jitter and freeze" (Score:5, Funny)
And then I died a little on the inside because it's so unfortunately true.
Re:ahahahaha (Score:3, Funny)
Home computers do not run on the internet. Just because a page won't load doesn't mean your computer's gonna freeze. Oh wait, maybe for those still running Windows.
Maybe if we pass legislation to make it illegal to sell faster, cheaper connectivity...
Re:Lets crank up those clouds (Score:3, Funny)
Re:ahahahaha (Score:3, Funny)
... While the net itself will ultimately survive, Ritter said that waves of disruption would begin to emerge next year, when computers would jit -
Buffering... Buffering... Buffering...
Re:why would a computer "jitter and freeze" (Score:2, Funny)
Just hack the gibson and free up all that extra cyberspace.
Re:ahahahaha (Score:5, Funny)
A computer is a machine that has to fill with data in order to work, just like a lightbulb has to fill with electricity in order to work. Back in the old days, you purchased your data on little disks, and inserted them into the slot in order to fill your computer with data. Now, with the internet, you connect your computer to the data tube, which fills your computer with data from the cloud, just like taking your car to the gas station. The problem is, with pirates and pedophiles and enemies of the Comcast's Rightful Profit start consuming large amounts of data, the data pressure of cyberspace falls. When cyberspace's data pressure is lower than your computer's data pressure, data starts to flow out of your computer through the data tube, rather than flowing in. As your computer's data pressure falls, it starts to slow down and crash.
See?
Re:Same group (Score:3, Funny)
Or Linux desktop advocates.
Re:Same group (Score:5, Funny)
If I were a Cubs fan, I'd look forward to the end of the world, too.
Re:ahahahaha (Score:4, Funny)
LIES! Next you will be telling people that the GUI isn't the operating system, knowing how to use GUI office applications isn't the sole requirement to be the system administrator, and the internet isn't installed on their machines!
Re:ahahahaha (Score:4, Funny)
I'm waiting to see my computer "jitter and freeze" rather than just timeout.
Maybe if I shake it...