I Have a Dream!

Where people use wireless to connect to a huge communal network.  Imagine if you will that you and your neighbors, and you neighbors neighbor, and so on, all connected to a communal network.   A network similar to the internet, but without the large corporations.  Where people use a common software to connect with each other locally, and then share their internet connection, giving amazing speeds, and allowing connections to other similar networks.  Can you see where I'm going with this?  Its possible in concept.  You could share files, and internet connections, and it would take the middle man, ISPs out of the picture to a point.  Im just getting more and more feed up with my ISP, and its BS.  I feel as though the internet should be a free, wild, and unlimited.  I know it might sound crazy, silly, or far fetched to some, but I think it just might be possible, and might be a necessary step in the future if we want to see a free internet.             

How would sharing the internet connection be faster?

Actually I think I'm understanding what you're saying.  So we take the tons and tons of small networks and link them together?  But who pays for the infrastructure to link the networks?

mentaldisorder:

But who pays for the infrastructure to link the networks?

My guess: large corporations!

Which would defeat the purpose of this...wouldn't it?

LOL!!

The type of network you are talking about exists on smaller scales... and it's also obsolete. It's called a Bus Topology, or Bus Network.

You would be slowed down by the weakest link. And it would offer very little security. You might end up having to make 1,000 hops before eventually reaching your destination and the lag would be tremendous!!

The way the internet is setup now us much more efficient than any bus topology ever would be. A mesh topology would increase speeds a good amount... but you would need a line for every single PC you need to connect to. lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_network

The internet is a very complicated thing, that's why people pay big money to let someone else deal with the head ache lol

The thing you probably don't want to know... is that the internet is actually given away for free... Sort of. lol There are regional divisions(?) That assign IP addresses to ISPs and then they subnet those IPs and make us pay to use them :-P

Altho, you're really paying to use their equipment lol And not just anyone can qualify to get a set of IP address. You have to actually be capable(and able to prove it) of making good use of these IP address.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Internet_Registry

It's all "non-profit" but I wouldn't be suprised if there were some under the table transactions made.

I should also add that the equipment required to provide you internet service is VERY expensive. No matter what, money is going to have to be involved to keep the internet up and running. Someone needs to maintain the equipment and fix junk. Someone is gonna have to pay for the parts. The equipment can't just be a static thing, it's going to have to grow and expand and evolve and someone is going to have to plan all that and make it happen. Lots of money involved.

You're gonna needs some CCIE level guys who wont work for less the $100k a year

I think I killed his dream with knowledge :-(

I think I was drunk when I posted this thread. lol, sorry

I was thinking that people would just have small devices that would link them to the network.

I'm just pissed because I've been having issues with my connection, and I worry about the future of the internet.  Its just so great, I would hate to see it get screwed up.

I have never heard the BUS topology refered to in a wireless network but I guess it could be. The greatest thing about having ISP's and not being govt or free is that competition will drive advancements in technology.