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> For those younger than me (43), I imagine that HAM radio has an appeal as a retro technology Under 43 here as well as someone involved in the retro scene. HA

> For those younger than me (43), I imagine that HAM radio has an appeal as a retro technology Under 43 here as well as someone involved in the retro scene. HAM stuff was never a retro for me, however I have consider looking into it when I developed an interest in RF based computer networks (my interest originated with modern tech). As someone who undereducated as fuck it seems like a decent way to build some of the base knowledge that I don’t have. I just haven’t got around to looking into it much. > Heck... telephony technologies are now considered retro! heh my most recent retro deep dive has been into ISDN. I actually tried to get a landline. Only thing available was a a DOCSIS modem for encapsulating VoIP traffic.

emacsen 5y ago
I'm not under 43, I'm 43. :) It also may be that when I 14-18 was a transformational time for the technology of computer communication. It was exciting. Maybe that excitement isn't there for people who are "always online". > heh my most recent retro deep dive has been into ISDN. Do you consider ISDN separate from telephony or part of it?
- the_only_law 5y ago
  > Do you consider ISDN separate from telephony or part of it? It’s kinda of weird. I consider it telephony for sure (half of the TE’s I have are phones and a lot of equipment is T1/E1 equipment for PRI lines) but I also consider it under early computer data networks as it could carry X.25, Frame Relay and other types of traffic. It predates my time using computers a bit, but I believe it was also used for internet connections as uncommon as it was here.
  - emacsen 5y ago
    see, telephony is retro now ;) people are already making their own cell networks, so not sure what's next :)
    - ngcc_hk 5y ago
      Ham radio on cell. Problem same. It is not the technology it is the restriction. You use a common pool of radio which is shared. Regulation and rules of engagement abounded. Still it is better than just radio station as ham is 2 way (and n way based on 2 way). It is a bit decentralised. But read last paragraph. Totalitarian state would not like it.)
  - TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
    X.25 and friends definitely carried internet traffic.
    - jcims 5y ago
      Probably a measurable portion of dial up Internet when compuserve started selling access to their dial plant to ISPs. I worked at a place in the 90s that used compuserve x.25 to get ppp access to our network. It was completely unprotected, all you needed to know was the six character node name and you were in. Never got too far into X 25, I spent a couple nights after work cruising the network and finding all sorts of stuff that looked like it was on the same level of security.
Accujack 5y ago
>I actually tried to get a landline. Only thing available was a a DOCSIS modem for encapsulating VoIP traffic. And yet, the landlines still exist, fully built out right to the homes they serve. They're owned by (in theory) the US public which paid to construct that entire network. Because of the years of use and the need for universal service, it's still the most extensive network infrastructure that exists in the US, period. But access to them has been closed off by corporations who don't want competition and don't have a problem paying to get the laws in the US changed to suit their profits. They don't sell ordinary copper land lines themselves any more because selling such a cheap product would compete with their higher priced "low end" offerings. They don't let anyone else use the POTS network because that would also compete with them. You can transmit a lot of data over a plain old pair of copper wires point to point, can't have anyone but the phone companies doing that because it would "cause problems" for the POTS network. They've claimed monopolies almost everywhere, subsidies from the government and tax breaks from the states in exchange for providing "internet access" to places that don't have good connections, like rural areas. There's no one else the country can ask to do that sort of thing because they fight against allowing anyone else access to the network, yet whenever they're asked to produce, they claim they need to be given more money. Wait a few years and repeat, over and over. Telecommunications companies in the US are some of the most corrupt organizations that exist. It's astonishing that people ignore them as long as they have good cell signal.

emacsen 5y ago

I'm not under 43, I'm 43. :) It also may be that when I 14-18 was a transformational time for the technology of computer communication. It was exciting. Maybe that excitement isn't there for people who are "always online". > heh my most recent retro deep dive has been into ISDN. Do you consider ISDN separate from telephony or part of it?

the_only_law 5y ago
> Do you consider ISDN separate from telephony or part of it? It’s kinda of weird. I consider it telephony for sure (half of the TE’s I have are phones and a lot of equipment is T1/E1 equipment for PRI lines) but I also consider it under early computer data networks as it could carry X.25, Frame Relay and other types of traffic. It predates my time using computers a bit, but I believe it was also used for internet connections as uncommon as it was here.
- emacsen 5y ago
  see, telephony is retro now ;) people are already making their own cell networks, so not sure what's next :)
  - ngcc_hk 5y ago
    Ham radio on cell. Problem same. It is not the technology it is the restriction. You use a common pool of radio which is shared. Regulation and rules of engagement abounded. Still it is better than just radio station as ham is 2 way (and n way based on 2 way). It is a bit decentralised. But read last paragraph. Totalitarian state would not like it.)
- TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
  X.25 and friends definitely carried internet traffic.
  - jcims 5y ago
    Probably a measurable portion of dial up Internet when compuserve started selling access to their dial plant to ISPs. I worked at a place in the 90s that used compuserve x.25 to get ppp access to our network. It was completely unprotected, all you needed to know was the six character node name and you were in. Never got too far into X 25, I spent a couple nights after work cruising the network and finding all sorts of stuff that looked like it was on the same level of security.

Accujack 5y ago

>I actually tried to get a landline. Only thing available was a a DOCSIS modem for encapsulating VoIP traffic. And yet, the landlines still exist, fully built out right to the homes they serve. They're owned by (in theory) the US public which paid to construct that entire network. Because of the years of use and the need for universal service, it's still the most extensive network infrastructure that exists in the US, period. But access to them has been closed off by corporations who don't want competition and don't have a problem paying to get the laws in the US changed to suit their profits. They don't sell ordinary copper land lines themselves any more because selling such a cheap product would compete with their higher priced "low end" offerings. They don't let anyone else use the POTS network because that would also compete with them. You can transmit a lot of data over a plain old pair of copper wires point to point, can't have anyone but the phone companies doing that because it would "cause problems" for the POTS network. They've claimed monopolies almost everywhere, subsidies from the government and tax breaks from the states in exchange for providing "internet access" to places that don't have good connections, like rural areas. There's no one else the country can ask to do that sort of thing because they fight against allowing anyone else access to the network, yet whenever they're asked to produce, they claim they need to be given more money. Wait a few years and repeat, over and over. Telecommunications companies in the US are some of the most corrupt organizations that exist. It's astonishing that people ignore them as long as they have good cell signal.