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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!ecsvax!hes
From: hes@ecsvax.UUCP (Henry Schaffer)
Newsgroups: net.news.group,net.news
Subject: Re: Re: Fear and Loathing on the Clouds
Message-ID: <728@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 10-Nov-85 20:43:36 EST
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.728
Posted: Sun Nov 10 20:43:36 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Nov-85 07:42:50 EST
Organization: NC State Univ.
Lines: 14
Xref: watmath net.news.group:4511 net.news:4345

A number of people have said things like:

>   The so-called "backbone" might include quite a few more
> sites, spaced closer together to avoid those long-distance calls.

However, note that crossing the country in 10 hops is not only 
not less than doing it in 1, it is much more expensive.  Long distance
calls are surprising distance insensitive (especially at night rates)
- and in many cases an in-state call will cost more than a longer 
out-of-state call.  (This gets very complicated fast!)  

  While I am in favor of optimizing the net (and apple pie, etc.)
I do not think that adding "backbone" sites will help much, if at all.
--henry schaffer  n c state univ