Aug. '00 Headlines

With the Internet coming into its second decade of widespan usage, the public has definitely seen strides in terms of HTML presentation. The inclusion of Java and Javascript technologies, file streaming, and multimedia presentations have all become more commonplace throughout major websites; making "10 years ago" seem like prehistoric times.

In the early 90s, a reputable company would have a website completely dominated by text. This made sense at the time, as most users were dialing up at a piddling 2400 baud-rate connection. Lo and behold, mass commercialism would change the landscape of the Internet-- images, multimedia, and video footage would soon become present on popular sites, begging for more bandwidth.

Through the 90s, Internet connection speeds did rise with 14.4, 28.8 and eventually 56K modems (in circa 1997). Technology would not slow down to compromise with these connections, as more feature rich items would splurge the world wide web.

For the `rich folk` willing to pay for ISDN, 128K connections were readily available. However, this option was too costly and somewhat problematic for mainstream users, so this technology never took off.

Enter today: flash presentations, `larger-pixel` video streams, and web conferencing have become mainstream. The only way to get full benefits of these features are through modern broadband connections.

Both cable and DSL connections have become home user friendly. With pocket-friendly pricing, and connection speeds up to 1.5 mbps, the Internet is definitely now a better place to be. Downloads are no longer "clock-watching" routines, as a 10 megabyte file can now be downloading in under a minute.

So why are most users still using a dial-up connection in modern times? For those in rural America, this is unfortunately a way of life. There are no cable companies or DSL switchboxes for miles around. For those individuals, they need to gather in large numbers and demand advancement is DSL and cable looping technology.

However, for those living in urbanized areas, ther should be no excuse for avoiding broadband technology. If a user in this area does not take advantage of high-speed Internet, and continues to use their dial-up lines, they are essentially wasting with prehistoric connections.

Until a user can get broadband connection, they will essentially be living in the past. Unfortunately, these will be the ones being held back from the true intentions meant for the Internet.

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