If the network is always down, how come I can post a message

[Sean Donelan <sean () donelan com>]

Discussing network reliability for the last week, I've been beating my
head against the "phone system is 99.999% reliable, but the Internet
crashes all the time."

One anecdotal data point, I've been reporting about Internet problems
for the last five years or so. Over the last 5 years no Internet network
event has been so severe it prevented me from reporting about the problem
on the net.  In a strange way, my postings about the problems on the net
are proof of the reliability of the same network.

In the same time period, I've lost my telephone service several times.

   1. The Ladue, MO central office was struck by lightning, and the generator
failed
   2. The Rochelle Park, NJ central office was flooded by a hurricane the
week I started work in northern New Jersey
   3. I moved to Pacific Bell country, enough said

I've lost my pager service multiple times
   1. Galaxy IV died
   2. Pagenet network problems

Even the Associated Press has gone down in the last five years.


So I'm sick and tired about hearing the telephone network is 99.999%
reliable and the Internet isn't.