Turning your computer into a database

Turning your computer into a database

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): If your work depends on the availability of
information, the use of the Internet is a must. Today, more and
more people make more and more use of the Internet, and
information at your fingertips is certainly desirable.

Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer between 15 hours
to 30 hours of monthly dial-up Internet connection for around Rp
50,000 to Rp 100,000 per month as a minimum charge. As people
tend to access the Internet on a daily basis, that would mean a
daily connection of around 30 minutes to an hour.

Imagine having access to the Internet 24 hours a day!
Kabelvision's Kabel Internet offers unlimited Internet access
through Indosat Net or Link Net through a cable modem and
Kabelvision's fiber optic networks. This means that subscribers
can access the Internet virtually (no pun intended) 24 hours a
day.

But, why would you want 24-hour access to the Internet? For
one thing, the connection costs monthly subscription fees of Rp
275,000, via Link Net, and Rp 330,000 via Indosat Net. In
addition to that, there is a modest set up/registration fee
(around Rp 50,000,), and you will need a cable modem which costs
US$375. not including installation. Oh, just two other things:
your computer will need to have an Ethernet (10/100 or
10BaseTnetwork card), and you need to already be a subscriber to
Kabelvision.

If you think that with this considerable cost, Kabel Internet
is not for you, think again. The monthly fee is equivalent to
about 100 hours of connection or around 3 1/3 hours per day. So,
if you use the Internet that long per day and are used to getting
70 hours of overtime charges, than the cable connection is
certainly worth getting.

If you don't use the Internet that often, there are still a
number of reasons you should consider it. For one thing, remember
that with the cable connection, no phone line is needed. This not
only means that there is no phone charge, but more importantly,
there is no dialing up to be done and no phone line to be used.

Indeed, one of the best things about Kabel Internet is that
the connection is instant. Once you turn on your computer, it is
immediately hooked up to the Internet. Goodbye the "boing slush
boing slush slush bong boing" sounds that you hear as you get
connected to the remote modem of regular ISPs. No more "no dial
tone" messages if your modem is not hooked up properly, no
more busy signals as you try to connect with the limited phone
lines of your conventional ISP (especially during peak hours),
and when you finally get connected, no more frustrating messages
telling you that the connection failed to be established.

All that also means that your phone line is free for you or
other members of your family or household to use. You can still
make phone calls or receive phone calls even if you are hooked up
to the Internet.

Unlimited downloading at relatively high speeds is another
reason to consider Kabel Internet. Kabelvision boasts of speeds
"up to 10 Mbps", while Link Net mentions that their Platinum
membership via cable comes with a shared bandwidth of 1 Mb.

Certainly that seems way fast! Although the actual speed
(according to my far-from-scientific measuring method) does not
seem any fast in print, it does actually feel very fast in
reality. The rate of the downloads are around 33 to 75 Kbps,
which is only about the maximum speed of a regular modem
(56Kbps). However, at this rate, 2 to 4.5 MB files take about a
minute to download, which is very fast compared to downloading
via a telephone dial-up connection.

If you are the kind of person who loves trying out new
programs, add-ons or upgrades to your existing programs, you
certainly should get a cable connection, because it would allow
you to download practically anything that you fancy from the
Internet.

I admit that I tried out far too many freeware and shareware
programs in the last week. My personal favorites are, of course,
the ones that let me use my cable connection more optimally, such
the ICQ ("I seek you") messaging program, which lets you know
when your friends are online and send instant messages to them.

Even better, the latest version of the program lets you send
(and receive) sms messages to various cellular phone providers
around the world directly from your computer!

If you have enough RAM, you may even download the latest CNN
Larry King Live or the BBC's World News and view it in
streaming video, or simply listen to NPR's hourly news audio
streams.

From Amazon, you do not even need to order any books for
purchase. Instead you can download e-books, and read them using
Microsoft Reader, almost just like a real book! Or, you can
simply try out the programs you were thinking of buying, and
check them out before you actually spend the money! In short,
you can really optimize and enjoy your use of the Internet via
Kabel Internet.

Yet, despite all the great stuff, of course there are some
pitfalls. On occasion, the connection does drop, and you may get
some problems connecting to a website or retrieving your mail.
However, with a dial-up connection that happens all the time!
Other than that, the relatively high price and modem price are
certainly factors that would make some people decide not to
subscribe to the service, no matter how great its benefits may
seem.

Corporate packages

These, of course, are non-corporate package for the Internet
connection via cable. Indosat Net offers a corporate package
which is even more pricy: a Rp 2,5 million set up fee, and
monthly access fees of between Rp 7.5, million (for 64 Kbps) to
Rp 35,450,000, (512 Kbps).

These figures seem to more accurately represent the actual
Internet connection speeds that you are able to get through
cable. Of course, with such high prices, subscribers are entitled
to a number of DNS (Domain Name Server) IP (Internet Protocol)
numbers, while subscribers to the non-corporate or "Private"
service only get a single DNS IP number.

Yet, the increasing number of home business owners will be
happy to know that using a modem router (such as Umax9s Ugate,
which costs around US$ 240 in the United States, but is also
available in Indonesia for a slightly higher price), you can
split the connection into four, meaning four computers in your
home can be connected to the Internet via cable at the
same time for the price of one subscription. Its almost like
installing a mini PABX for your Internet connection, and you can
even use the router as a Ethernet hub which would allow the
connected computer to "talk" to each other (this will make your
ICQ program even more useful). This is another reason to get
Internet via cable!

However, with a single DNS IP number, according to Tim Higgins
of Practically Networked, the Internet connection speed via cable
modem does decrease as more computers are added to the system
using a modem router.

Exactly how much slower the speed becomes according to how
many units are added would involve a complicated calculation,
which I am sure is not as simple as the rate divided by the
number of units. So, if what you do is dependent on the
reliability of speed, then you should get the corporate account.
However, if you can bear with a relatively lower speed, then the
modem router is the way to go!