[iDC] Re: lambda lambda lambda
Ryan Griffis
ryan.griffis at gmail.com
Tue Feb 21 12:17:24 EST 2006
On Feb 21, 2006, at 11:01 AM, idc-request at bbs.thing.net wrote:
> do you (or anyone else) know of
> community based groups using a similar model? the technology is not
> particularly interesting here but what fascinates me is a model of a
> flat hierarchy (ok, not exactly the case with WiFi-NY) in which there
> is
> no central governing body.
this is a project in my small college town of urbana
http://www.cuwireless.net/
some of the folks from this effort responded to the communications
problems in the Katrina aftermath, related to my concern for
infrastructure and communications in localized crises.
http://cuwireless.net/katrina
there's a bit of libertarianism, but much more of a collectivist
approach that's not oppositional to organized institutions. the
potential for local intranet development, as well as global internet,
is something i see as interesting as well.
from their website:
"Imagine a free wireless networking system that any municipality,
company, or group of neighbors could easily set up themselves. Over the
past half-decade, the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network
(CUWiN) has been developing an open source, turnkey wireless networking
solution that exceeds the functionality of many proprietary systems.
CUWiN's vision is ubiquitous, extremely high-speed, low-cost networking
for every community and constituency. Following in the footsteps of
Linux and Firefox, CUWiN has focused on creating a low-cost,
non-proprietary, user-friendly system. CUWiN's software will share
connectivity across the network, allowing users to buy bandwidth in
bulk and benefit from the cost savings. CUWiN networks are
self-configuring and self-healing -- so adding new wireless nodes is
hassle-free, and the system automatically adapts to the loss of an
existing node. And, because CUWiN networks are completely ad-hoc,
there's no need for expensive central servers or specialized
administration equipment.
To set up a network, all end-users need to do is burn a CD with CUWiN's
software (which will be available for free at
http://www.cuwireless.net), put the CD into an old desktop computer
equipped with a supported wireless card, and turn the computer on. Once
the computer boots from the CD, the rest of the setup is completely
automated: from loading the networking operating system and software,
sending out beacons to nearby nodes, negotiating network connectivity,
and assimilating into the network -- all the complicated technical
setup is taken care of automatically. Unlike most broadband systems,
CUWiN's software builds a local intranet as well as providing for
Internet-connectivity -- thus, a town that uses CUWiN's system is also
creating a community-wide local area network over which streaming audio
and video, voice services, etc. can all be sent.
CUWiN is a cutting edge research and development initiative. CUWiN has
pioneered the first open source implementation of Hazy Sighted Link
State routing protocol (first developed by BBN Technologies); thus
CUWiN's software creates a highly robust, scalable ad-hoc wireless
networks. CUWiN's route prioritization metric is based on research
conducted at MIT and will automatically adapt to any network topology
and local geography.
CUWiN's software is, and always will be, available for free. CUWiN is a
non-profit organization supported by grants and donations. CUWiN's
software provides one of the world's most advanced networking solutions
available today; and we are now making our software available to the
general public to use, test, and help develop. We know that there are
features and improvements that people will want to see in future
releases -- as an open source project, we are counting on the feedback
and input from people around the globe."
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