8 ms·

So, to summarize the article: "Incomplete beta product is not that great because it's incomplete and beta" Seriously, half the article deals with connectivity

So, to summarize the article: "Incomplete beta product is not that great because it's incomplete and beta" Seriously, half the article deals with connectivity issues caused by the satellite constellation being only partially complete.

throwawaysea 5y ago
It’s The Verge, which is part of Vox Media - they aren’t exactly objective, and are one of the most left biased publications out there. In recent times there’s been an ecosystem of hate coming from the left (in news, social media) towards Elon Musk for his quirks, success, and libertarian comments. In my mind it explains these cheap articles trying to diminish efforts like Starlink.
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago
  Like calling divers that risk their lives to save children pedoes because his PR-stunt submarine didnt work?
  - throwawaysea 5y ago
    Comments like yours are exactly what I am referring to. They constitute a purity test used to attempt a character assassination of one of the most successful and impactful humans of all time. It's tired, it's unproductive, and it is entirely bereft of any sense of balance against all that he's done.
    - ClumsyPilot 5y ago
      Are you trolling? Labelling someone a pedo in front of millions is the definition of character assasination.
      - ecpottinger 5y ago
        Yet say NOTHING about how well Starlink runs.
        ClumsyPilot 5y ago
        Ofcourse not, I am just responding to the bloke who seems to think Musk is hated by leftist jealous of his success, when in reality you could get in serious legal trouble behaving the way he does
ohazi 5y ago
> But The Verge has long had a hard rule against reviewing products based on potential because the sad truth is that most tech products never, ever live up to their potential. And Starlink, judged on its capabilities right now, is simply not a real competitor to the long, long coax wire running from my house to the local cable company fiber plant. The article seems okay, the only thing I really take issue with is the title. None of the "dreams" have "fallen to earth" yet -- SpaceX has launched ~15% of their constellation and are extremely clear about what limitations users should expect during the beta.
- mips_avatar 5y ago
  I don't think it's really supposed to ever compete with a good wired connection. As someone with a crap wired connection, Starlink is a godsend improving my ability to work significantly.
  - junon 5y ago
    This. We wish to someday live veeeery far away from anything more than a grocery store. Of course, we still need the internet to work and whatnot. Starlink is part of those plans as it has made the dream a lot more realistic.
    - grecy 5y ago
      As someone who has driven around the world, and lived in a ton of remote places in Australia, the Yukon, etc. I hate to dash your dreams, but I can tell you from experience that if you're near(ish) a grocery store, you're near to everything you want to avoid. Plenty of people in the North use proximity to a grocery store for the indicator that's exactly where you don't want to live!
      - junon 5y ago
        We've already picked a few places out in Europe that fit our description perfectly but thanks for your concern.
- 5y ago
SheinhardtWigCo 5y ago
It’s not just that. The author admits they didn’t install the dish correctly because they were on a tight deadline: > If this wasn’t a short-term review, I would certainly have it mounted on a pole on top of the structure.
- gamblor956 5y ago
  They mounted the dish as provided in the instructions. It wasn't the optimal location for long-term use, but if Starlink is that dependent on optimal placement for claimed performance, that's fair game for a review to point out, since not everyone is going to set up their dish that way.
  - tengbretson 5y ago
    I assure you, anyone that is currently getting by on geostationary satellite internet is more than happy to grab the ladder and get on the roof in order to have the opportunity to tell HughesNet to F-off.
    - olyjohn 5y ago
      I have had Starlink for about 4 months now. I live in Washington and have a lot of trees on my property. Most are about 40 feet tall. The firs are around 80 feet tall. There's damn near nowhere to put the dish for me. It took me weeks to get an optimal setup, have an arborist come and top the trees that I "think" were blocking the signal, figure out how to mount a pole on my house, guess for the best placement... That's the real problem, you really have no way to know what's going to make the signal better until you try it. All you get is an app that uses your camera to show you possible obstructions. The app also says "No Obstructions" constantly, but the debug data that you can get from the app shows obstructions all the time. And you can't use the app to check for obstructions for where you "might" place the dish. I put mine up on a pole 10 feet above my roof. How am I supposed to stand 10 feet above my roof and use the camera app to check for obstructions in mid air? It's a huge guessing game, and a real shit show to get a proper mount working. If your property is flat, and you have no trees, it's probably easy. But trees 40-80 feet away from your house will block the signal. So be prepared for a lot of work to get it set up.
rsynnott 5y ago
They are _selling_ it, though. I think that’s the point where a company can no longer use the beta tag to hide their blushes; if you’re reviewing a product that people are considering paying money for, you should review as-is, not as-one-day-might-be.
mlindner 5y ago
But the connectivity issues are of his own doing, namely putting it where obstructions are, against what the manual says, with the app telling him he's doing it wrong, but instead continues on with his review despite the obvious problems with his setup. He's not reviewing it as it's meant to be used. Of course he had poor connectivity.

throwawaysea 5y ago

It’s The Verge, which is part of Vox Media - they aren’t exactly objective, and are one of the most left biased publications out there. In recent times there’s been an ecosystem of hate coming from the left (in news, social media) towards Elon Musk for his quirks, success, and libertarian comments. In my mind it explains these cheap articles trying to diminish efforts like Starlink.

ClumsyPilot 5y ago
Like calling divers that risk their lives to save children pedoes because his PR-stunt submarine didnt work?
- throwawaysea 5y ago
  Comments like yours are exactly what I am referring to. They constitute a purity test used to attempt a character assassination of one of the most successful and impactful humans of all time. It's tired, it's unproductive, and it is entirely bereft of any sense of balance against all that he's done.
  - ClumsyPilot 5y ago
    Are you trolling? Labelling someone a pedo in front of millions is the definition of character assasination.
    - ecpottinger 5y ago
      Yet say NOTHING about how well Starlink runs.
      - ClumsyPilot 5y ago
        Ofcourse not, I am just responding to the bloke who seems to think Musk is hated by leftist jealous of his success, when in reality you could get in serious legal trouble behaving the way he does

ohazi 5y ago

> But The Verge has long had a hard rule against reviewing products based on potential because the sad truth is that most tech products never, ever live up to their potential. And Starlink, judged on its capabilities right now, is simply not a real competitor to the long, long coax wire running from my house to the local cable company fiber plant. The article seems okay, the only thing I really take issue with is the title. None of the "dreams" have "fallen to earth" yet -- SpaceX has launched ~15% of their constellation and are extremely clear about what limitations users should expect during the beta.

mips_avatar 5y ago
I don't think it's really supposed to ever compete with a good wired connection. As someone with a crap wired connection, Starlink is a godsend improving my ability to work significantly.
- junon 5y ago
  This. We wish to someday live veeeery far away from anything more than a grocery store. Of course, we still need the internet to work and whatnot. Starlink is part of those plans as it has made the dream a lot more realistic.
  - grecy 5y ago
    As someone who has driven around the world, and lived in a ton of remote places in Australia, the Yukon, etc. I hate to dash your dreams, but I can tell you from experience that if you're near(ish) a grocery store, you're near to everything you want to avoid. Plenty of people in the North use proximity to a grocery store for the indicator that's exactly where you don't want to live!
    - junon 5y ago
      We've already picked a few places out in Europe that fit our description perfectly but thanks for your concern.
5y ago

SheinhardtWigCo 5y ago

It’s not just that. The author admits they didn’t install the dish correctly because they were on a tight deadline: > If this wasn’t a short-term review, I would certainly have it mounted on a pole on top of the structure.

gamblor956 5y ago
They mounted the dish as provided in the instructions. It wasn't the optimal location for long-term use, but if Starlink is that dependent on optimal placement for claimed performance, that's fair game for a review to point out, since not everyone is going to set up their dish that way.
- tengbretson 5y ago
  I assure you, anyone that is currently getting by on geostationary satellite internet is more than happy to grab the ladder and get on the roof in order to have the opportunity to tell HughesNet to F-off.
  - olyjohn 5y ago
    I have had Starlink for about 4 months now. I live in Washington and have a lot of trees on my property. Most are about 40 feet tall. The firs are around 80 feet tall. There's damn near nowhere to put the dish for me. It took me weeks to get an optimal setup, have an arborist come and top the trees that I "think" were blocking the signal, figure out how to mount a pole on my house, guess for the best placement... That's the real problem, you really have no way to know what's going to make the signal better until you try it. All you get is an app that uses your camera to show you possible obstructions. The app also says "No Obstructions" constantly, but the debug data that you can get from the app shows obstructions all the time. And you can't use the app to check for obstructions for where you "might" place the dish. I put mine up on a pole 10 feet above my roof. How am I supposed to stand 10 feet above my roof and use the camera app to check for obstructions in mid air? It's a huge guessing game, and a real shit show to get a proper mount working. If your property is flat, and you have no trees, it's probably easy. But trees 40-80 feet away from your house will block the signal. So be prepared for a lot of work to get it set up.

rsynnott 5y ago

They are _selling_ it, though. I think that’s the point where a company can no longer use the beta tag to hide their blushes; if you’re reviewing a product that people are considering paying money for, you should review as-is, not as-one-day-might-be.

mlindner 5y ago

But the connectivity issues are of his own doing, namely putting it where obstructions are, against what the manual says, with the app telling him he's doing it wrong, but instead continues on with his review despite the obvious problems with his setup. He's not reviewing it as it's meant to be used. Of course he had poor connectivity.