Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesNode
many of my friends with similar connections have no problems leaving their computers on with file-sharing/torrent-programs 24/7 for months... guess it's different in the states?
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Just because the program is running doesn't mean the packets are getting anywhere.
The _beginning_ of commercial-grade connections is _guaranteed_ (with substantive financial penalties for the provider not meeting that guarantee) of 99.98% uptime, corresponding to less than 9 minutes of downtime in a 30 day period.
A
good connection runs at least 99.99%, or <5 minutes. Higher end you'll see 99.999%, and in some places you'll see contracts requiring 100% uptime, and believe me, when the providers fail to live up to those guarantees, it hits their pocketbook very directly.
This is just uptime. Even the cheapest commercial link also has some basic latency and packet loss guarantees that few consumer connections could ever hope to meet, much less guarantee.