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A Peek at Network Non-Neutrality
by Andrew McCaskey
Slashdot Review Podcast
One of the ongoing annoyances of the Windows world are apps that keep phoning home, in the hopes that the automatic download and install of yet one more feature will convince you that it’s worth the money to spring for the commercial product.
If you use the Free Version of Zone Alarm, and do not check off the “add to defaults” box, you know that there is a continuous stream of traffic from applications throughout the day. And, I am not sure how much of that traffic and delay is for the benefit of the user.
I am speaking, of course of the world of PDF readers – and the bloated and increasingly intrusive Adobe Acrobat 7.0.
I’m giving a small application called Foxit Reader a try. It’s from Foxit Software.
When I say small, I mean less than a 1MB download. It seems to be fast, stable, and easy to use. It does just one thing, starts immediately, and does it well. There’s a reasonably priced Writer option at $100 – and it seems to integrate well with Firefox. I hope that you;ll grab today’s show notes, download it and give it a try.
I also have a second download recommendation – this one just to read.
Consider what it would be like if you needed Adobe’s permission or Microsoft’s permission to try out Foxit ? What if you could only develop a product like Foxit if it were sold in conjunction with a contract that forced you to not use any other PDF reader for, say two years, without paying a hefty fee or maybe requiring you to toss your laptop and buy another one. That’s the lead in to what I think is the most important story in today’s news – the analysis under the pseudonym James Glass at NewsForge .
He poses the follow question: “Almost all cell phones sold in the developed world have the ability to send and receive SMS (short message service) text messages. SMS is gaining popularity in the US, but only as a way to send quick messages to friends. So why aren’t there a wealth of amazing and interactive services available for mobile devices? Why is there no MySpace, Craigslist, Amazon, Flikr, or eBay accessible through this network? Why are cell phone payment systems and email systems nearly nonexistent?”
A programmer with an idea can set up a hosting service on today’s net neutral internet and start programming within an hour or two. Total cost – certainly less than $100, maybe less than $10. His real-world examples of the fees, struggles and constraints artificially imposed by the the US carriers involve thousands of dollars, months of waiting. It’s a graphic example of what a non-neutral net will look like.
So – I encourage you to sample both downloads – and savor the first one, because it may not be long before that will be gone.
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