Carl Cravens’s Comments

• Jan 31st, 2011 @ 7:59am

  But what rate is the customer buying?

  on Netflix Shows Which ISPs Actually Perform Well... And Which Don't
  The big factor this chart is missing is the average rate the customer is paying for. You don't typically buy cable Internet when you want a cheap connection, you buy DSL. ATT's average shown here is right around 1.5 mbps... the max rate of their cheapest plan. If a majority of ATT subscribers using Netflix have 1.5 mbps connections, then ATT's average on this chart is going to be low... even if every customer is getting every bit of speed they're paying for.
  
  This chart is meaningless for determining how fast a given provider is at a particular speed/pricing tier. "Cable is faster"? How about "Cable subscribers pay for higher bandwith"?
  
  I pay ATT for a 3 mbps connection, and I get connection rates with Netflix that reflect that. (After ATT got their hand slapped for throttling, that is.)
• Mar 22nd, 2010 @ 9:18am

  Cite?

  on Canon Becomes The Online Equivalent Of Madonna Or Prince, Becoming The First Single Word Domain Holder
  Can someone point me to a resource that says the gTLDs will allow for single-word urls? I can't find anything on the ICANN site regarding this.
  
  Opening up the TLD space to allow creation of arbitrary TLDs is a completely separate issue from making a TLD resolve to an IP. The number of systems that assume domain names always have a dot in them (Firefox, spam filters, address validators) is vast and would require a considerable reprogramming effort if that assumption becomes wrong.
  
  (Does ICANN even have the authority to dictate how DNS functions on a technical level? IETF RFCs dictate how DNS functions.)
• Oct 14th, 2009 @ 6:31am

  (untitled comment)

  on Dungeons And Dragons Online Highlights How Free Can Work As A Part Of A Business Model
  Wizard 101 has been using a similar model.... client is free, the core area is free and there's a lot to do there. While you can get unlimited access for a $7 monthly fee, you can also pay-as-you-go... you buy credits in advance, and then it costs two or three dollars to unlock the next region. My son and I played for many hours across three months on just $10 each.
  
  The thing I really like about this model is that you can take a break for awhile and not worry that you're spending money on a subscription you're not using. Very handy when the player is an 8-year-old who loses interest for two months and then suddenly wants to play again.
• Nov 2nd, 2005 @ 11:04am

  Re: Even worse for real old customers! (as Carl)

  on Is This A Class Action Settlement... Or A Marketing Promotion?
  You must not have looked at the details, because you have to specifically request to receive the benefit.
  
  The only opting out is to opt out of the _class_, which means you reserve your right to level your own lawsuit over this matter. This is typical for class-action lawsuits.
  
  And yes... most of Netflix' customers don't feel "damaged" by Netflix advertising or operations. But there are some poor individuals who really think that Netflix is screwing them over and has completely misrepresented what they are really offering. I think these individuals have too darn much time on their hands when they complain that they can't manage to get more than thirty or forty movies in a month because Netflix is slowing them down on purpose. They think Netflix owes them far more than the value of the money they are paying for the service. Netflix said "unlimited" and they think that means they should get whatever they want.