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Date:      Tue, 20 Aug 1996 11:20:31 +0200 (SAT)
From:      Robert Nordier <rnordier@iafrica.com>
To:        chat@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Microsoft's overwhelmed FTP servers
Message-ID:  <199608200920.LAA01190@eac.iafrica.com>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960819215401.24072A-100000@james.freenet.hamilton.on.ca> from "Tim Vanderhoek" at Aug 19, 96 10:03:54 pm

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Tim Vanderhoek wrote:

> Okay, well here's some more figuring.
> 
> The original post said each Microsoft machine served ~1100 requests per 
> hour.  We'll give each request file as being 4.5MB.  That's probably 
> overgenerous, but that's O. K.
[...]

Actually, the version of IE downloaded by default is nearly 8M.

   msie30m.exe   8057408   (already compressed)

There are also a number of complementary packages, such as NetMeeting
and Comic Chat, which users are encouraged to download during
registration.  Most of these are 1M plus.  Since this is all free
software, a 10M download session for many users is quite probable.

Incidentally, the original estimate of ~1100 requests per hour was
based on the number of users _registering_ the browser.  Since
users are taken to the registration pages only when IE is successfully
installed, this doesn't take into account failed/aborted download
attempts.  And registration can be skipped.

Downloading a 7.7M file with a Windows-based browser also tends to
be error-prone for a variety of server-unrelated reasons.  Beta
versions of (not only) IE would quite frequently die in the attempt.
(And lack 'reget' ability.)

>From a marketing standpoint, I think MS would actually like to say,
"Demand for IE has been overwhelming".  (They are currently claiming
in excess of one million copies of IE downloaded.)

I'd certainly vote for FreeBSD over NT as an ftp server platform.
But there is probably too much dubious information to establish
anything much from the present case.

--
Robert Nordier



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