Slow crawl on the Internet; massive amounts of data clog system studded with roadblocks
Article Abstract:
The increasing popularity of the Internet is resulting in decreased performance, placing the use of the Web for commerce in question. The number of home pages on the Web has increased from just a few thousand in 1991 to about 50 million in 1996. Government scientists are now warning that a catastrophic collapse of the Internet is imminent, although the network has outlived many such predictions in its 27-year existence. Today's Internet is a combination of over 100,000 computer networks owned by companies, government agencies, universities and non-profit groups. Traffic is frequently rerouted to avoid bottlenecks and many companies are developing private 'intranets' to connect employees, customers and suppliers. Many problems are related to the routers that are used to send messages. They can be overloaded with heavy traffic and may lose data packets. Internet backbones currently lose over 10% of the packets transmitted during peak periods.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1996
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How can I find what I'm looking for?
Article Abstract:
There are a variety of popular search services to help users navigate the Internet, including Lycos and Alta Vista, but sometimes the usefulness of these search services can be limited. For example, they can give users 20,000 hits for terms, and the matches can appear to have little or no connection to the original query term. In addition, users should be aware that the services do not enncompass the whole Web, almost always avoiding sites that call for a user password. In addition, many search engines are sometimes months behind in logging additions and alterations to the Web because the search engines scan a database created in advance. One option is to utilize a Web-reference service that provides indexes of Web sites created by humans rather than computers. Search service operators know that their sites have shortcomings so users can also utilize advanced search features that improve search results.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1996
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On-line shops: lots to see, little to buy
Article Abstract:
Dozens of retail stores and catalog sales companies offer online shopping via the Internet or commercial online information services such as America Online, but the displays are difficult to see and there are no provisions for ordering online. The online retail industry has grown by an estimated 50% in 1995, a rate much faster than retail in general, but the $50 million in sales generated online pales when compared to the $2.2 trillion US retail trade market. Retail and catalog sales companies such as L.L. Bean, Lands' End, J.C. Penny and Sharper Image all have online shopping sites on the World Wide Web or online service. However, these sites do not include many products, and the images and colors are difficult to seen on a computer monitor. Online shoppers are also forced to call 1-800 numbers to complete the actual order because of security problems.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1995
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