

New network design could make Internet 100 times faster - strawberryshake
http://www.computerworlduk.com/technology/networking/telecoms/news/index.cfm?newsid=20929&utm_source=ycombinator&utm_medium=sb&utm_content=anguyen&utm_campaign=sb

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rpledge
Am I the only one that checked to make sure the date on this article wasn't
from 1997? Use fiber optics to make the internet faster? I wish I'd thought of
that....

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wmf
Currently, packets have to be converted from optical to electrical to be
routed, and then converted back to optical to be transmitted to the next
router. This article is talking about pure optical networking (which is hardly
new, but I assume the researchers in question have made some improvement in
the field).

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rpledge
It would be nice if the article actually talked about some new development.
Like you said, this is hardly new, I worked on OOO crossconnects 10 years ago.
The problem then was cost, plus the telco overbuild in the late '90s stalled
anyone seriously deploying the technology.

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wmf
Unfortunately, the purpose of science "journalism" is to impress, not educate.

