[iTunes] Querying Gracenote CDDB

[Jeff Carruthers]

On Dec 21, 2007, at 11:41 AM, Becca Price wrote:

> --- Kirk McElhearn <kirkmc at mac.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> No, sounds more like your ISP has blocked some kinds of
>> traffic...
>
> I didn't think we had nannyware on our ISP, but given the
> problems they've given us in the past, it wouldn't surprise me.
> If we download too much in a 24-hour period (like my Friday
> science podcasts!) the ISP decides that I'm either uploading a
> virus or downloading illegal files, and cuts us back to dialup
> speed for 24 hours. It's a real pain, and I understand there
> have been a lot of complaints about the low level they've set
> for this... we can't look at any videos, for example, without
> this "feature" cutting in.
>
> -becca


Becca: our satellite provider does the same thing -- they call it  
their fair use policy, but what it means to me is that they have too  
many subscribers and they can't keep up with the demand during busy  
times. Ironically, they're giving their subscribers a strong reason  
to go somewhere else, once an alternative is available. Not a good  
business model, in my view.

For iTunes, I've found a simple way around it -- I download my  
podcasts and videos late at night, when very few people are on. The  
downloads then come in at full bandwidth instead of being cut back.  
Or you do what we all did with dialup -- start a download and go have  
a full-course meal, read the newspaper or watch a movie. The big  
problem with this approach is time-outs (as it was with dial-up).

Jeff
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"There's no such thing as a dumb question." (Anon)