From PC To Personal Web Server

from the pushing-demand-for-more-upstream-bandwidth dept

While there are more than a few products out there to turn your PC into a personal web server to offer up various files from your PC, Hiawatha Bray of the Boston Globe is positively raving about a commercial product, called Vibe from a company named XFormX. I'd never heard of it before today, though, I've seen other, similar (if less user friendly) offerings. However, the more interesting point is raised early on in the article. Most high speed internet connections to the home work based on the "broadcast" model - assuming that you will be a consumer of information much more than you will be a provider of information. As things like personal webservers take off, Bray wonders if the broadband providers will be pressured to offer more upstream bandwidth. Not surprisingly, if they do, it's likely to be a "premium" service. In fact, XFormX is pitching Vibe to broadband providers with exactly that in mind - telling them they should offer the product and higher upstream limits in exchange for slightly higher monthly fees. Of course, once the music industry realizes that such products can let people stream their very own music files, they're likely to protest any such move.