If you have a DSL line or cable modem and have never heard of Broadband Reports (formerly DSLreports) you are missing a great resource. We interviewed Justin Beech the creator and webmaster about his site and his vision of the future.

DJ: Can you give a brief history of DSLreports?
JB: I started it mid 1999 during the y2k development freeze that left me too much time on my hands in my position as developer for an investment bank. DSL was a "hot thing" back then and covad and northpoint were gearing up. The few sites on the web that concentrated on ISP directories did not seem to offer much information for those who wanted broadband.

I also wrote a complaint piece for slashdot about the difficulty of finding broadband in the big apple, and received feedback that led me to believe the story was remarkably different in different parts of the country.. so a lot of information one needed really depended on where you lived.

DJ: What do you think makes DSLreports so popular?
JB: I don't know that its that popular.. there are millions of broadband users now and most treat it like a water or gas .. it either works or it doesn't, they have little interest in reading or posting about it after installation. My friend with cable is a prime example: he has no clue why anyone would want to review their ISP or explore the rest of the site.. his cable works 'well enough' and thats it. There is only a fairly small percentage of users who are interested enough to hang around and continue to swap information about providers service levels and security - those users, some of them anyway, are most likely the ones who draw in others. So any success we have is really down to the few who do hang around: as they spend the time to help out other users, update information and think about what else the site needs to do.. in a way I'm more like a librarian than any broadband expert.

DJ: DSLreports looks like a very highly configured site. Is that so? What tools have you used?
JB: Its probably "highly confusing" (lol). But most of it is dynamic, in other words, pages constructed on demand. This gives me a lot more flexibility than creating a huge pile of static pages that are instantly out of date. Almost all information can be edited or removed online, so I, or anyone I grant permissions to, can work from any browser. I've maintained the site from internet cafes and from laptops in hotels on holiday.. behind it all is just a big ugly SQL database. Probably my main inspiration are sites like www.imdb.com or slashdot, which was also built using similar tools (modperl, SQL) and creates content out of user submissions. The obstacle that most sites have to adding more dynamic content is fear of poor performance.. if you use the web frequently you'll find lots of places where some function that is interesting looking and probably dynamic, hangs or takes ages to come back. But my background is more sysadmin so I'm always worrying that new features do not slow down the server or the database.. nobody wants to use a site that takes 10 seconds to produce a page, especially not those on broadband!

DJ: What are the most popular sections of DSLreports and why?
JB: Uh I guess for new users just looking for service in their area.. Its such a basic question: ok, who can provide me service? and yet is hard to answer. We don't answer it very well either because the telcos refuse to open their databases to any kind of access unless you are a multi-million dollar partner who has signed some kind of expensive agreement with them to sell loads of their services. Some providers like SBC even require your account number from your phone bill before they will tell you whether or not they can provide you DSL service (over an encrypted connection of course!). Until telcos change attitudes like this I'll always take pot shots at them. (hello SBC are you there?) It would be so simple for them to provide a basic qualification API to anyone willing to sign a legal agreement, but they are dinosaurs in that regard.

DJ: Can you list a few things you have learned about DSL that would help a typical home user?
JB: Yeah I've learned that unless you are known as a geek to your friends, you should order cable if it is available. Its not great, but it probably doesn't totally suck either. Going for DSL is more of a lucky dip and the process of getting it can still reduce even grown up nerds to tears although Covad and the Telcos have got a whole lot of the bugs out of their installation systems compared to last year. On the other hand, when DSL is good, it is wonderful, especially if you're hooked on using the net..

DJ: What is the configuration of your primary PC and network?
JB: I'm not sure how to answer this one? at home I have a linux firewall and another PC.. on the site we have a bunch of linux boxes doing various things clustered around one "MySQL" database. Our costs are basically nil because we use open source software, I know that even the most frugal Microsoft based sites have to pay a good amount of licensing fees for all their various services and addons. I'm quite proud of the fact that I can run a busy site on less than 10 grand worth of servers running entirely open source software and that any software problem with the operating system or the underlying tools that does pop up can be researched and fixed 24/7 by use of online communities.. whereas those on commercial packages are spending fortunes trying to integrate them and/or wait for patches or fixes.

DJ: What are some of the future plans for DSLreports?
JB: Change the focus to broadband in general. I don't want to be typecast. But I have no massive expansion plans.. it seems silly to add staff and services when there is no demand for it, hoping one can create demand by then adding marketing and advertising costs as well... seems like thats the problem with most of the dotbombs.

DJ: Do you feel that the DSL technology is here to stay or will it be surpassed by something else? IE: ISDN passed by DSL.
JB: DSL in one form or another is here to stay. It is basically the technology used for T1 lines anyway.. so this is just watered down carrier class copper communication technology for the home and small business. There may be speed improvements and so on, but fiber to the home is years away (unless you plan to move to a new estate with a techie type land development company, or live in one of the telco "test" areas).. Broadband wireless needs further refinement as well, digital cable is obviously the main competition and satellite will always be a distant last until they get something into low earth orbit.

DJ: What is the most challenging aspect of running DSLreports?
JB: Protecting the communities (forums) from psychopathic users and corrupt ISPs.. the more freedom one provides to leave feedback on a site the more chance one determined crazy can do a lot of the equivalent of electronic graffiti. Detecting and protecting against this, and sharing out editing and censorship powers among trusted users is the hardest part of any online community. At the moment the Internet allows one to be completely anonymous (to a point: try threatening the whitehouse online and see how anonymous you are), but nobody (ISPs, carriers) are interested in helping sites prosecute or block milder forms of harassment - repeated postings, spam, postings of filth or racially hateful speech, or more subtle harassment of the site or other users. I suspect that the reason sites like the Washington post, CNN and so on have such pathetic facilities for public user discussion and interaction is that they cannot decide what to do to wash the noise and leave the signal.. with no accountability and no system for "graffiti washing", any forum, especially higher profile ones, are filled with the electronic equivalent of road rage within days..

DJ: What is the most rewarding aspect of running DSLreports?
JB: Not having to wake up at 8am and go into the office to listen to what the management wants you to focus on this week. Getting emails that thank the site for helping in some way.

Justin had a few more thoughts:

I think the thing I've most learned in setting up the site is that one shouldn't start a website with the expectation that every visitor wants to help.. every single avenue provided to visitors to do anything other than just read, is a double edged sword. Put up a "email us" link and you'll get advice, but also get dumb questions, or get flamed. Add a "leave comments" link and someone will advertise their own website or services. List email addresses, and they'll be added to spam lists within days.. provide a phone number, and you will get calls at 3am from a crackpot, or someone expecting to get help. Don't filter out html from postings, and your boards will be blown up by html jokesters. Be at all lax on security, and the site will be hacked. Don't read the logs, and your images or tools or whatever will be used in other sites illegally.. Its hard work!

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