RE: Max length of a VARYING field

["Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: Bob Cozzi
>
> Not a direct quote, but...
> "640k is more than anyone will ever need" - Bill Gates.

I did say one field, Bob.  I don't see ever needing 128TB in one field.  Not
in my lifetime, not in my grandkids' lifetimes, probably not in their
grandkids' lifetimes.
 

> What about when instead of a photo of Joe Pluto on the FBI's most unwanted
> list,

My name is spelled PLUTA.  With an "A".  As in Pluta Brothers Design.
That's http://www.plutabrothers.com.  <smile>



> we decide to store high-definition video and need to blast that out to the
> display?  <tic>

Exactly how many hours of HD video do you plan on putting in a single field,
Bob?  While I do see the need for perhaps someday having exabytes of storage
online, I really wonder how many bits you're planning on sending to someone
at one fell swoop.

Unless my calculations are off, even on a 1GB LAN with 100% utilization and
no overhead, 128TB would require nearly TWO WEEKS to transfer.  Internet
speeds?  A 6MB line would require about six years to send that much data.
And that's without any overhead.

Move ahead to the year 2100, where we have 100GB Internet access (that's
roughly 15,000 times today's speeds).  A 128TB buffer will STILL hold three
hours of transmission time!  At that point, IBM (now known as Intergalactic
Business Machines) can add the *MAX8EB type <smile>.

Me, I'm comfortable with a 128TB limit on a single field.

Joe