Please learn the difference between bandwidth and data transfer.
Bandwidth is a speed, data transfer is an amount of transferred data.
Yes I’m aware that a lot of hosting companies show it as “bandwidth”. That doesn’t make it right.
Bandwidth is like the diameter of the water pipe coming into your house. Data transfer is the like the number of litres/gallons sent down that pipe, and measured by the water meter.
It’s baffling and depressing to me that so many people in this industry get this wrong. It’s like the tech equivalent of the word irony.
I appreciate and understand the difference but like you said, most hosting companies use the term bandwidth to describe their data rates. So it makes more sense to discuss it using their nomenclature.
Also, if you want people to listen to you, try being a little less condescending. You can be informative while not sounding like everyone else is dumber than you. Your approach to "educating" makes anyone who didn't know what you are trying to explain feel incompetent. I'm not sure what the benefit of that is for you, but you might want to reassess your approach.
The tech industry is difficult enough to navigate. Why not try and be a little more welcoming?
most hosting companies use the term bandwidth to describe their data rates. So it makes more sense to discuss it using their nomenclature.
a) if you said to any hosting company, "I need X GB/TB of data transfer allowance" they would know what you mean.
b) given that you're talking about a video hosting site, where data transfer speed is likely a large contender in performance, I'd be surprised if you don't factor actual available bandwidth into the decision making process.
So how do you have a technical discussion about the cost of your IP connectivity, when you're using the same term for the speed and the amount of data?
try being a little less condescending
You asked about a technical aspect of hosting a web site, using one very specific technical term, to refer to another, related but different aspect of the matter.
In response, I asked you to learn the difference between what you wrote, and what you likely meant, explained what each means, and gave an analogy using plumbing references.
I have zero idea who you are, or what your background is. If you are primarily involved in the business or even the finance side of a company, it's likely you wouldn't know that 'bandwidth' means speed not an amount of data.
Your approach to "educating" makes anyone who didn't know what you are trying to explain feel incompetent.
Given that you claim to know the term is incorrect, and still use it incorrectly, I accept no responsibility if you feel incompetent.
The tech industry is difficult enough to navigate.
And deliberately using technical terms incorrectly is the way to fix that, is it?
I'm not debating whether you come off as condescending. I know the answer to that question. Even if you were right, which you are, I don't appreciate your input because of the way you present yourself.
See how that works? You could be the smartest guy on the internet and I still would't listen to you. Because I don't like the way you conduct yourself.
It’s baffling and depressing to me that so many people in this industry get this wrong. It’s like the tech equivalent of the word irony.
People like you make the industry worse for everyone.
You could be the smartest guy on the internet and I still would't listen to you.
That's fine, you don't have to listen to me. You've acknowledged that my point is correct, and that you're more worried about how you feel I said something, than the substance of what I said.
Given that you asked a technical question, I'll take "correct" over "warm and fuzzy", Every Fucking Time.
People literally pay me for advice and some then choose to ignore it, why would I care that you choose to ignore it when I offer it for free?
People like you make the industry worse for everyone.
No, people like me make people like you feel worse, because I follow this crazy idea that words have specific meaning.
It's people who shy away from telling someone they're wrong, or that their idea is fucking awful, that make the industry worse.
Comments
Please learn the difference between bandwidth and data transfer.
Bandwidth is a speed, data transfer is an amount of transferred data.
Yes I’m aware that a lot of hosting companies show it as “bandwidth”. That doesn’t make it right.
Bandwidth is like the diameter of the water pipe coming into your house. Data transfer is the like the number of litres/gallons sent down that pipe, and measured by the water meter.
It’s baffling and depressing to me that so many people in this industry get this wrong. It’s like the tech equivalent of the word irony.
I appreciate and understand the difference but like you said, most hosting companies use the term bandwidth to describe their data rates. So it makes more sense to discuss it using their nomenclature.
Also, if you want people to listen to you, try being a little less condescending. You can be informative while not sounding like everyone else is dumber than you. Your approach to "educating" makes anyone who didn't know what you are trying to explain feel incompetent. I'm not sure what the benefit of that is for you, but you might want to reassess your approach.
The tech industry is difficult enough to navigate. Why not try and be a little more welcoming?
a) if you said to any hosting company, "I need X GB/TB of data transfer allowance" they would know what you mean.
b) given that you're talking about a video hosting site, where data transfer speed is likely a large contender in performance, I'd be surprised if you don't factor actual available bandwidth into the decision making process.
So how do you have a technical discussion about the cost of your IP connectivity, when you're using the same term for the speed and the amount of data?
You asked about a technical aspect of hosting a web site, using one very specific technical term, to refer to another, related but different aspect of the matter.
In response, I asked you to learn the difference between what you wrote, and what you likely meant, explained what each means, and gave an analogy using plumbing references.
I have zero idea who you are, or what your background is. If you are primarily involved in the business or even the finance side of a company, it's likely you wouldn't know that 'bandwidth' means speed not an amount of data.
Given that you claim to know the term is incorrect, and still use it incorrectly, I accept no responsibility if you feel incompetent.
And deliberately using technical terms incorrectly is the way to fix that, is it?
I'm not debating whether you come off as condescending. I know the answer to that question. Even if you were right, which you are, I don't appreciate your input because of the way you present yourself.
See how that works? You could be the smartest guy on the internet and I still would't listen to you. Because I don't like the way you conduct yourself.
People like you make the industry worse for everyone.
Cheers!
That's fine, you don't have to listen to me. You've acknowledged that my point is correct, and that you're more worried about how you feel I said something, than the substance of what I said.
Given that you asked a technical question, I'll take "correct" over "warm and fuzzy", Every Fucking Time.
People literally pay me for advice and some then choose to ignore it, why would I care that you choose to ignore it when I offer it for free?
No, people like me make people like you feel worse, because I follow this crazy idea that words have specific meaning.
It's people who shy away from telling someone they're wrong, or that their idea is fucking awful, that make the industry worse.
You can tell people they're wrong without being a douche about it. That's all I'm saying.
There was no 'douche'-ness intended in the original comment.
If you've misread my text as having some non-existent emotion or tone, I'm sorry but I can't help that.
Tech people often cannot also tell the difference between megabytes and millibits, MB and mb, so it's not that surprising.
I find that confusion easier to understand. Its often a slightly different prefix or one character case difference.
I think if you always wrote it out as megabytes vs megabits you’d see much fewer incidents of confusion