People with Mac's? not dark brown overcoats.
Posted by: Gale 401 on 11 August 2011
Posted on: 11 August 2011 by DavidDever
Nothing to do with Apple - it's a network term used to describe the acknowledgement and re-transmission of network packets.
Posted on: 11 August 2011 by Jan-Erik Nordoen
Antimatter of pong
Posted on: 11 August 2011 by Jan-Erik Nordoen
Half of a table tennis game ?
Posted on: 11 August 2011 by Jan-Erik Nordoen
Prototype of the first electronic game ?
Posted on: 11 August 2011 by Hook
It is also the name of a UNIX command. From a terminal window, you can type:
% ping hostname (or ip address)
The computer will then send out a "ping" request, and report back if it was acknowledged or not.
It's a quick way of determining if there is basic connectivity between two systems.
Hook
PS - The command was named ping because it is similar in concept to a sonar echo reflection.
Posted on: 11 August 2011 by Stuart Marshall
i think he means the social music thing-a-mi on itunes....
and i have no idea what it is.
Posted on: 11 August 2011 by Simon-in-Suffolk
In network terms, Ping stands for Packet IinterNet Groper. It works by sending an Internet Control Message using a special protocol(ICMP) and it's echo ('ping') is sent back from the destination device to the source address, usually the initiator.
It is often used in TCPIP networks to check reachability of hosts and to diagnose asymmetric routing issues.
Most operating systems on computers and network devices including my Mac allows you to ping.
For security reasons, hosts with public interfaces often disable ICMP, so no reply will be issued from the control message, so no response to Ping will be seen.
Simon
Posted on: 11 August 2011 by garyi
In itunes its like facebook, but centrally about music
Posted on: 12 August 2011 by Officer DBL
The concept of ping is nicely illustrated in the film Hunt for Red October when she is on the surface and the Captain wishes to acknowledge the receipt of a visual morse code message from USS Dallas. The sonar is used: "Re-verify our range to target... one ping only.
OK so in the film the sonar is used as a ruse, but the idea is that the retuning sound waves from the object being "pinged" can be used to verify its distance (and a bunch of other info).
In the early days of anti submarine warfare using ASDIC, the sound of the transmission and echo sounded like "Ping..er". This is why using sonar is called pinging and sometimes sonar operators "Pingers". For an example of operators being trained to use ASDIC and the idea of pinging, watch The Cruel Sea.
Brad
Posted on: 12 August 2011 by Tog
And "Voyage to the Bottom of The Sea" - it made that special noise you only heard on that programme.
Tog
Posted on: 12 August 2011 by Guido Fawkes
iTunes Ping is Apple's software-based social network for music lovers. It recommends songs you should investigate and lets you follow artists and see short postings by both friends and artists. Potentially, it is a great idea and similarly to the music room on this forum.
I can ping another user with the latest news about a forthcoming HMHB recording to make sure they don't miss out.
Read all about it HERE
Posted on: 12 August 2011 by RaceTripper
Ping is one of Apple's big misses.
Posted on: 13 August 2011 by jlarsson
We'll know in a year or so if Ping was a hit or miss. I see it more as a part of the new iTunes Apple is starting to roll out in a few months (iCloud-centered, more streaming). Burt now that Twitter is integrated into iOS maybe they'll just use Twitter and drop Ping.
Posted on: 13 August 2011 by Simon-in-Suffolk
It will be interesting to see. I was having lunch with the CTO of a respected new wave media and advertising company last week, and he was telling me how the new generation of web users starting to emerge in the US appear to be turning their backs on Twitter and Facebook and their derivatives, and also starting to turn their back on Apple, specifically smartphones as they are seen as too Corporate, middle-class and boring. (ie how MS was perceived 10 years ago). He says give it 12 months and that will start to happen in Europe and elsewhere. Everyone is looking for the new ascending star to bet on.. And there are a few interesting horses out there :-)
Simon
Posted on: 13 August 2011 by Tog
Interesting - Apple have always been the underdog until now - who knows... which is why like Bowie they keep moving and cha cha ...changing.
Still waiting for the startup Diaspora to get going - they have been in beta (sorry Alpha!) for a long time and have an interesting take on Social Media.
Tog
Posted on: 13 August 2011 by EJS
Originally Posted by Simon-in-Suffolk:
It will be interesting to see. I was having lunch with the CTO of a respected new wave media and advertising company last week, and he was telling me how the new generation of web users starting to emerge in the US appear to be turning their backs on Twitter and Facebook and their derivatives, and also starting to turn their back on Apple, specifically smartphones as they are seen as too Corporate, middle-class and boring. (ie how MS was perceived 10 years ago). He says give it 12 months and that will start to happen in Europe and elsewhere. Everyone is looking for the new ascending star to bet on.. And there are a few interesting horses out there :-)
Simon
I'd have to agree that that is what I think will happen to Apple the fashion toy brand, but not Apple the computer manufacturer. My own reasons for switching from PC to Mac in 2006 was the fact that I grew tired of buggy device drivers, software conflicts, Windows growing ever more obese and the attractions of the revolutionary Tiger OS as a kind of layman's unix. And while Lion is a resource hog compared to Tiger and (Snow) Leopard, the fundamental attraction of matched software and hardware is still there. Even the new iCloud looks to be an updated combination of iDrive and MeetMe, not very revolutionary. Except that it will be a free service now 
As for the new interesting horses... the universal impact of social networks in general should not be overestimated. Apple's Ping is the sort of addition to iTunes that I switched off upon installation and never looked into, but even with the more universal Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social services it's a bit like stepping into a bar with many people who you'd prefer not to join in conversation with. Great for tracking friends who move or switch jobs often, but otherwise... expendable?
EJ
Posted on: 13 August 2011 by J.N.
It's a sales tool. Our Steve needs the money.
John.
Posted on: 13 August 2011 by daddycool
Originally Posted by Guido Fawkes:
... the latest news about a forthcoming HMHB recording ...
Is that ROTF in disguise?
I was not aware of other Half Man Half Biscuit fans here.
Then again I wasn't aware of the band itself either until I read about it on the forum, and I have not been here for a while.
