So if you get a popup asking you to update, don't update and just close the browser and reboot. If it's real, you'll get another opportunity. It's never imperative to update "right this minute". There is always time to reboot.

Whilst I am sure this is perfect for some uses it doesn’t have the broad appeal that Box.net has. Box.net offers more free storage, the capacity to upload larger files, security options, and integration with online editing tools for a whole range of files including documents, and pictures. For my money (or in fact NO money) I will stick with Box.net – but Thanks for the comment

I saw that you mentioned box.net for file storage. Have you checked out DocLanding, http://www.doclanding.com. They are also a social document sharing and storage tool. But they have a more robust set of document annotation tools and security functions. They also work well for small businesses because they meet compliance reqs. (SEC, HIPPA, etc.)

Just thought that you might want to check them out.

Keep up the great posts.
Will

I thought I would add that the current network is well able to deliver
speeds in excess of 12Mbps to most users currently able to get ADSL.

ADSL2 can deliver up to 24Mbps in theory and at least 12Mbps in practice
up to at least 5KM form the exchange.

All that is required to make this available to most of the existing ADSL
network is for Telstra to enable it at the exchanges.

Most exchanges currently delivering ADSL are capable of ADSL2 with the
current hardware but it is only enabled in exchanges where there is a
competing carrier with a DSLAM (ADSL terminating hardware in the
exchange) installed.

Quite a few cable runs would also need to be repaired to deliver the
higher speeds as much of the copper network has been allowed to
significantly degrade due to a lack of preventative maintenance over the
last 5 years or do but this is by no means a show stopper either.

This is an entirely commercial and political decision by Telstra as they
would have to wholesale the ADSL2 service if it was enabled over the
entire network but they do not have to provide wholesale access as long
as there is a competing carrier infrastructure in the exchanges enabled.

This does not require a new network and is being presented as such by
Telstra and others in order to get yet more public funding for a network
upgrade that would have a reasonable commercial business case in its own
right.

The fiber network proposed by the new gov (and pretty much all the
others over the last few years) still requires the Telstra copper last
mile cable to the premises as it is almost impossible to replicate this
part of the network in an economical way.

These have all been fiber to the local node rather than fiber to the
home proposals in any existing developed area.

We have considered deploying an ADSL2 DSLAM in the local exchange except
that the costs are around $250K with all the legal and Telstra
compliance costs but only about $15K in hardware. This is of course not
possible for us as the return on investment is too long for someone our
size to be able to fund internally.

The local exchange population size also makes this reasonably unlikely
from Optus, Internode, ii net or any of the others currently doing this
type of deployment.

This is of course a fairly cynical assessment of the situation but is
based on long experience with these issues and many massively over
stated promises from all parties.

The technical issues are reasonably minor but the commercial and
political issues are immense and may well delay or stop these projects.

My prediction is that there will be a deal with Telstra to deploy their
proposed fiber to the node network and upgrade all exchanges and nodes
to deliver ADSL2 using significant public funding in return for allowing
wholesale access to this network under a similar regulatory scheme to
the current ADSL network but with a full structural separation of the
wholesale and retail sections of Telstra.

Cheers
Andrew
http://www.scoastnet.com

Using RAID is generally for 2 reasons

Speed Boost using Striping (like Raid 0), &/or
Safety through data redundancy (meaning you have more than one copy – a redundant copy of data)
So Raid O (striping) speeds up the read and write to HDD because you have the files spread over 2 drives – you can get pieces of each file from each HDD rather than all from 1 drive. Given that the CPU, Ram etc works faster than the connection to the HDD then getting it from 2 HDD sources is faster. However if 1 HDD fails in this setup both are stuffed and you lose the lot

Raid 1 is not really faster than a single HDD and may be slower – but has the safety of a whole 2nd HDD as an exact copy of the first for data redundancy. Personally for normal users this sort of safety measure is a waste – you would be better of doing a regular image of your drive to external back-up (like a portable hard drive or DVD). The problem with any back-up that is kept on the computer, like a RAID or saving to a separate HDD or partition is that it is still in the same PC. If it gets stolen burnt or zapped then the back-up goes west witht he original. You need an external back-up to be sure!

By the way – I think the HDD failure rate is much more than 1 in a million. Whatever it is some forms of RAID like 0 double your chances of failure

Alan