this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2023
27 points (82.9% liked)

Linux

47371 readers
1323 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

@linux any global mesh networks that could replace ISP's?

top 33 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

How do you expect to cross the oceans? RFC1149?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Sharks with laser beams!

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

packet radio probably, but i hope you like BBSs because 9600bps is blazingly fast over this medium

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I also hope you don't intend to communicate anything that requires security or privacy because, assuming you mean HAM bands in HF, then you can't encrypt anything.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

that's another big limitation

there's probably a way to use encryption over HF, but this would require some kind of commercial license

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I mean encrypting the data is the easy part, doing it legally is the hard part. Good luck getting a world wide multi-station license....

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Hear me out - you could run, like, a sneaker-net but with cargo ships!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

The bandwidth on that would be just insane. Pity about the latency though.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The problem with using RFC1149 is rounding up and training enough seabirds—pigeons won't fly that far over water. Albatrosses would be ideal, but there might not be enough of them available.

Hmm. Can we instead attach mesh repeater units to the albatrosses, and hope that enough of them take up optimum spacing for long-distance transmission? Or perhaps it would be better to just string a line of buoys across the Bering Strait once Russia stops being cantakerous. Then all we have to do is find a way to connect up Australia and a few assorted islands here and there.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

What about IPoverFish?

Edit: IP-over-swimming-carrier maybe better. Let's get an RFC ready before next April 1st

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Whales would allow for the greatest throughput, and are technically not fish, so "swimming carrier" works. Plus, another good reason to lean on the few nations that still allow whaling to stop: "Don't kill those, you'll break the Internet!!1!"

The problem with the RFC will be equalling the tongue-in-cheek silliness of 1149 and its extensions. I expect there to be a large section on "encapsulation concerns" (in other words, waterproofing).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

We could also solve the problem of scientific missions not being able to tweet while they are exploring the deep sea!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@wildbus8979 I'm not sure, I just thought it would be awesome yo have a fully p2p internet

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You want it meshed or P2P? These are not the same thing...

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@wildbus8979 a mesh is a network of p2p devices isn't it? Please explain the differences

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

P2P implies that peers talk to each other directly. In a mesh configuration peers talk to each other via other peers.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

What's the purpose on replace ISP's? Create a new whole mesh of ISP's from scratch?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

From what I understand it's the final form of decentralization. The idea is that a bunch of user/community owned computers communicate with each other and act like an alternative community based internet provider. Big cities already implement some form of this like NYC.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@BaalInvoker get rid of the major telecoms companies who spy on us all

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ah, ok. You're just paranoid.

Guess what. If your data pass through any node, ISP or not, you can be spied.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"paranoid" assumes that it's unjustified suspicion of someone or something. However it's a well known fact that ISPs may spy on users as it's been exposed to happen in the past...

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

@BaalInvoker not paranoid, beyond observation, straight up control over who gets access and not. CBDC social credit system depends on centralized structures

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

How would you propose connecting to a mesh network without the use of an ISP? Are you thinking wireless (wifi)? For something like that to work you would need an AP/repeater every 150 feet or so. How would you cross oceans without bouncing wireless signals off the ionosphere (creating latency issues) or using a cable (requiring some entity to maintain it - $$$)?

If you break it down into the requirements to do such a thing you can start to understand why your question is a bit ridiculous.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@stown I don't think its ridiculous, especially given how they've strung cables across the ocean haha

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"They" = companies with money to invest and profits to be had.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 1 year ago

@stown got to dig a little deeper, who owns these companies?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I remember reading about a "guerilla wifi" mesh network in NYC, and I did a bit of research on connecting to that several years ago. It turned out I was too far away from Manhattan to be in range. But also from what I read a series of small-scale peer-to-peer connections don't give you the low-latency or throughput of a good backbone.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Actually I'd like to add a note about how much I appreciate infrastructure. It would be great if we could all equally own and control the Internet. But when you get down to it, societies pooling their efforts can do things that small, independent groups can't, such as building tier 1 network backbones.

Looking at it another way, if you did have a global mesh network it would be made up of electronics that take tremendous systems of supply chains and factories to build and distribute. That's sort of the same idea: large-scale infrastructure that small groups can't pull off.

If I had my way I would keep the large-scale networks, but change the governance model to shift the primary organizational motivation from profit to human wellbeing.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@eclipse @VENMusica how does meshtastic work beyond the local peer to peer

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do you mean local LAN or local real world area?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@eclipse off lan on public LoRa if possible

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Meshtastic just forwards your requests through other peoples devices until it gets where it needs. It acts as a big repeater system. I haven't experimented with it much outside of just sending messages. I think you are able to transfer actual small files but that's the limits.