Tidbits and Bytes: The Internet is shrinking

Finals are coming and going. Just had my Physics and Hawaiian studies earlier this week. Didn't do so hot on Physics, feeling good about Hawaiian studies. Chemistry and Math are right around the corner, and I need to do well on those exams. I hate finals week...

THIS IS RELEVANT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10105978.stm

The Internet is a vast and mysterious place. While some of us have figured out how to bend it to our will, others are still trying to figure out what an "email" is. However, one thing for certain is we can all connect to it in some way, shape, or form, such as through the use of our Laptops, Desktops, Smart-Phones, or hand-held gaming devices.

What we don't see is the underlying framework that allows each of us to connect to the Internet. The problem is we still use a protocol called IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4). The IPv4 assigns the user an IP address, which essentially ensures that data gets sent towards them, instead of some kid playing Star Craft in South Korea. However, it uses 32-bit addresses, meaning that there only only roughly 4 billion IP addresses, almost enough to fill the entire country of New Zealand.

When we do run out of addresses, then it will become increasingly difficult to pass out IP addresses, as two devices with the same IP address will cause a lot of conflict in the network. Granted, we still have 300 million IPv4 addresses left, but that only gives us a few months left.

What's the solution? I'd say ban China from the Internet, because they're already doing that to themselves. But all the WoW gold buyers of America, Chinese, and politicians will look up to the sky and shout "Save us!" And the FCC will look down and whisper "No." Alternatively, our ISP providers can switch to IPv6 like we should have done a few years ago, but the time and money it would have taken, along with changing infrastructure was impractical at the time. IPv6 provides 2^128 IP addresses. I don't think you even need to do the math to realize that's a metric-ton of numbers. However, as the crunch day comes near, the problem becomes impossible to ignore, and networks are going to have to make the switch.

So what can the home user do about it? Chances are, if you're running a computer from the past few years, you're fine. I don't know about Mac users themselves, but there really is nothing the user can do short of creating an army of Black-op furry creatures to completely alter the infrastructure of the Internet. You just have to be aware, and that's all that matters.