The question of speeding up Internet access will be with us for a long time. It may, in fact, never disappear until we are all on fibre-optic cable connections and even then, someone will think of some use that will require even more speed.
For now, however, most of us have connections that we wish were considerably faster.
The quest for speed follows many paths, the best of which usually is to get a faster modem, leased line or whatever - hardware solutions, which are expensive and for some, like those who live in the outlying islands, impossible. That leaves software solutions.
I have looked at many and found them of limited value. One big problem is the inability of even the smartest Web surfer to know where the problem lies.
Enter Net.Medic from VitalSigns, a specialist in software that analyses networks. Net. Medic is something I had heard about and friends had recommended.
Basically, it attempts to find all possible problems in using the Web and report them. It will even try to solve some of the problems. This is the company's description of what it does: 'By continuously monitoring activity along your end-to-end connection, Net.Medic tells you exactly what is happening at every critical juncture. Net. Medic reports your throughput, retrieval time, the Web server load and efficiency, as well as network delays and congestion levels. Net.Medic also monitors your PC and modem, ensuring optimal configuration for real-time Internet pathway conditions and providing historical trend information that enables you to make educated decisions about your Internet use.' I downloaded the application, installed it on my Dell Dimension XPS 266H and watched it wiggle and weave. It certainly makes you think it is doing a awful lot, even if you do not quite understand what it is.
It gives you some floating windows with what seems a lot of information, including real-time views of network activity.