[MLB-WIRELESS] Is Melbourne Wireless dead?

[Brenton D]

I think i have transferd over 9gb from node fuu this
month
--- owner-melbwireless at wireless.org.au
<netwiz at crc.id.au> wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dan Flett" <conhoolio at hotmail.com>
> To: "'Winder'" <winder at iinet.net.au>;
<melbwireless at wireless.org.au>; 
> <syd-wireless at lists.sydneywireless.com>
> Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 1:45 PM
> Subject: RE: [MLB-WIRELESS] Is Melbourne Wireless
dead?
> 
> 
> > Hi Gaz,
> >
> > These are very good questions.  We the proponents
of community wireless
> > networking must continually ask ourselves "why are
we doing this?" and 
> > also
> > ask "What attraction does wireless networking have
for the average user?"
> 
> I'm doing this for the same reason I started years
ago. I want a cheap way 
> to send lots of data fairly quickly between two
points. This has blossomed 
> and today I see many people with similar goals - but
some with totally 
> different goals.
> 
> > As you point out, a couple of years ago, ADSL
download limits were
> > restrictive and somewhat expensive and that
spurred much of the initial
> > interest in Wireless Networking as a way to beat
the ISPs at their own 
> > game.
> > Those that saw a Community Wireless Network (CWN)
purely as an "Internet
> > Alternative" have understandably lost much of
their interest.  But some of
> > us see more important uses for such a network.
> 
> Oh yeah, If I had $1 for every question or email
someone has asked me about 
> getting internet access through the MW network, then
I'd be able to 
> personally fund a Telstra sides rollout :)
> 
> > The main attraction of a CWN is that it is Free. 
Certainly the hardware
> > costs aren't free, but they are relatively cheap
and are getting 
> > inevitably
> > cheaper.  And these are a one-time cost, whereas
ISP fees go in forever.
> 
> Free and fun - but also a challenge.
> 
> > The whole point of the CWN is to create a
Metropolitan-Area-Network (MAN)
> > which has no data-carriage fees, ever.  Meaning
that, in theory, it should
> > be easy for any point in the city to be able to
exchange data with any 
> > other
> > point in the metropolitan area, for free.  How
that data gets from
> > point-to-point and how mobile those points can be
is something for the CWN
> > group to decide and organise for themselves.
> 
> Correct. The technical feats and planning needed to
overcome a lot of the 
> problems are very challenging - and lots of them are
not easy.
> 
> > It may be difficult to see at this time why such
community-owned
> > infrastructure is necessary, especially in the
face of commercially-owned
> > infrastructure that already exists and already is
more capable.
> 
> I think it's hard to see why it's needed because it
isn't fully workable 
> yet. We have nodes around, but we haven't reached
close to critial mass. As 
> more and more people get set up and the varity of
available services and 
> functions of the network becomes aparent, then it
becomes a lot more 
> obvious. On the same point, what is the point of
connecting to the internet? 
> There's a reason that it boomed - and a lot of the
reasons are similar to 
> why MW's network will eventually boom.
> 
> > Commercial networks charge for access, and charge
like wounded bulls for
> > mobile access.  The cost of installing and
operating a mobile network in a
> > city is far lower than laying copper wires
throughout the same city, so 
> > why
> > are mobile phone bills higher than an equivalent
fixed-line bill?  Because
> > the company can charge what it likes - there are
few competitors, and 
> > people
> > pay for mobile access.
> 
> Agreed, but why should be pay for access? Remember,
WiFi is still in it's 
> infant stage. It's a new technology, and people
haven't realised the full 
> potential. Yeah it's great to not be able to have to
hook in a CAT5 cable to 
> your laptop at home or the office, but when you
think outside this limited 
> scope as to what could be achieved with WiFi in the
future, then you realise 
> how primative WiFi currently is.
> 
> > With a community-owned network in place, which -
by government regulation
> > -can't charge for access, suddenly there exists an
alternative to
=== Message Truncated === 


=====
Brenton (iViLe)
ivile01 at yahoo.com.au ivile at bur.st
www.ivile.tk
www.waveguides.tk
MW NODE: FUT, FUU


		
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