Re: Overseas connections a waste of time???

[turnbull@example.com (Stephen J. Turnbull)]

>>>>> "Dennis" == Dennis McMurchy <denismcm@example.com> writes:

    Dennis> On Tue, 8 Oct 1996, David Riley wrote:
    >> It seems like most archive sites are being mirrored in country
    >> nowadays, so we shouldn't need to waste extra time on overseas
    >> connections.

    Dennis>   I'm certainly no expert of any kind on this, but my
    Dennis> subjective impression is that links outside the country
    Dennis> are vastly better (to the U.S. anyway - not to Europe)

This is because you're a GOL user.  GOL's original connectsion were
through the US (via PSI, if I remember right), and although they now
have an NXISP (or whatever it is) connection to the Japanese backbone, 
I think they concentrate on their international connectivity.

Those of us with T1's or the equivalent through our employers face
serious slows when trying to get out of Japan.  As far as I can figure 
out, the entire SINET community, including 10s of thousands of
researchers and 100s of thousands of students, now gets its CUSeeMe
and alt.binaries.erotica.gerbils.in.dark.places.Richard.Gere from one
measly T1 (provided by Sprintlink).

    Dennis>   Also, I remember reading in "Computing in Japan" last
    Dennis> fall, that because of the primitive infrastructure here at
    Dennis> lot of connections from point to point within Japan were
    Dennis> actually routed through the States, making Japan not only

GOL was a leader in that department.  This wasn't so much due to
primitive infrastructure as to punitive pricing policies by the
providers, encouraged by your friend and mine, Yuseisho, which wanted
to prove that Internet growth in Japan could be held below economic
growth.  (That's a very bitter, bitter joke---I hope.)

    Dennis> a non-contributor (which would be par for the course), but
    Dennis> actually a net drain on the net (no pun intended -
    Dennis> really).

Now, now; tut, tut, tut.  Be part of the solution: teach your
neighbors how to use the 'net, and maybe they'll vote for more T1s
instead less "shohizei".

-- 
                           Stephen John Turnbull
University of Tsukuba                                        Yaseppochi-Gumi
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences  http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp/
Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, 305 JAPAN                 turnbull@example.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
a word from the sponsor will appear below
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The TLUG mailing list is proudly sponsored by TWICS - Japan's First
Public-Access Internet System.  Now offering 20,000 yen/year flat
rate Internet access with no time charges.  Full line of corporate
Internet and intranet products are available.   info@example.com
Tel: 03-3351-5977   Fax: 03-3353-6096