[linux_general] RE: [ale] spam

[John Marasco]

There were a lot of silly things in here but this is exceptional.  Bandwidth refers to the rate at which you receive data.  Higher bandwidth = higher frequency.  Frequency refers to the cycle time of a signal.  The cycle time is the time for the signal to repeat.  If the signal were a sine wave the cycle time would refer to the time for the signal to transit up the "hump" on the positive axis and then over the "hump" on the negative axis.  As bandwidth goes up, frequency goes up and you get more little "humps" per second.  There is no parallelism, all the data is received serially.  The great thing about bandwidth is that you can transmit data at different frequencies slower or a single frequency faster.  Because it's easier to transmit (and receive) at a single frequency faster, and the information received is the same, systems with a single information stream are engineered serially.  TV signals (cable, satellite and broadcast) are an example of multiple information streams transmitted in parallel.  Whether you get one station or 100 you get any individual information stream (channel) at the same rate.  Anywho, the proper analogy would be that a T1 is the same "diameter" pipe as a dialup phone line, only at a higher "pressure".  The contention that "information" arrives at the same rate over a T1 or dial up is funny though ;)

Here is a little thought experiment for you.  Try a ping on dialup and then on a broadband connection.  Notice a time difference?  Now, do you think that there would be a measurable time difference for a sufficiently small quantity of water in a 20" pipe at 20 psi to travel a mile vs. an equally small quantity of water in a 5" pipe at 20 psi?  If the quantity of water were small enough and the pressure was equal the times would be the same for a given time accuracy, right?  As a mater of fact, you should see the times get closer the less water you send because the bulk of the time would be spent "in transit".  The only advantage would be the bigger pipes ability to send more water in "parallel".  Is this what you observe on the computer?

Electricity does have an equivalent to pressure.  The equivalent would be Voltage.  But the fact is irrelevant as "information" can't be pumped in like water and must be sent via some type of frequency/phase/amplitude modulation.

I think you are confused by the terminology of the industry.  Just because people talk about "bigger pipelines" doesn't mean that there is any analogy with "fluid dynamics".  They really are apples and oranges. :(

> No, you are paying for a BIGGER pipeline not one with more pressure.  Do we
> need to discuss the laws of physics that deal with this ?  It is in some
> ways like fluid dynamics.  You are paying for MORE bits - as electricity,
> unlike water has no pressure, so you are paying for a greater volume of
> information for a given standard of time.  You don't understand what you are
> saying with regards to rate - I assure you that dial up and T1 moves pretty
> much at the same speed.  The difference is the width of the pipeline.  The
> point is that whether I get 1 bit or 1000 bits I pay the same - so I have
> not paid any money to spammers for this.


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