????（“我開(kāi)始明白它為什么不同了,，但我仍然不明白它為什么是種更好的連接方式,。”）

????對(duì),，明白了這個(gè)原理,，你也就明白了為什么網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)具有某種顛覆性了。它之所以更好,，就是因?yàn)樗灰粯?，雖然許多人不認(rèn)同這一點(diǎn)。我們不妨看看美國(guó)的網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接問(wèn)題——這個(gè)國(guó)家發(fā)明了互聯(lián)網(wǎng),，但它的網(wǎng)速比起其他發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家簡(jiǎn)直慢得可憐,。大多數(shù)問(wèn)題的根源在于互聯(lián)網(wǎng)是中心化的,，我們的網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接主要是由少數(shù)大公司控制著。此外,，目前中心化的網(wǎng)絡(luò)結(jié)構(gòu)使大型政府機(jī)構(gòu)有機(jī)會(huì)猖獗地竊取我們的數(shù)據(jù)，這樣一來(lái),，去中心化的網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)似乎就變成了一個(gè)更安全的替代性選擇,。

????（“如果你是個(gè)恐怖分子，這一點(diǎn)當(dāng)然成立,。但我不是,，所以……”）

????那你還是應(yīng)該關(guān)注網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)！你可以把它當(dāng)成一個(gè)濃縮的小互聯(lián)網(wǎng),，由一個(gè)像合作社或社區(qū)協(xié)會(huì)這樣的機(jī)構(gòu)管理著?，F(xiàn)在社會(huì)上也已經(jīng)有了很多網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)，它們的速度一般都比主流網(wǎng)絡(luò)更快,，而且毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)也更加便宜,。而且網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)也使那些無(wú)法連接互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的社區(qū)或個(gè)人有了使用網(wǎng)絡(luò)的機(jī)會(huì)——比如有些人住得地方要么太偏僻，要么窮得沒(méi)錢(qián)找網(wǎng)絡(luò)服務(wù)商拉一根光纖入戶(hù),。你不是認(rèn)為應(yīng)該“人人有網(wǎng)上”嗎,？網(wǎng)際網(wǎng)絡(luò)是一個(gè)很好的實(shí)現(xiàn)途徑。跟Facebook高大上的無(wú)人機(jī)計(jì)劃相比,，網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)不那么奇怪,，更加的草根化，更富于DIY精神,。

????（“好吧,，我想下載FireChat。會(huì)發(fā)生什么,？”）

????不過(guò),，當(dāng)下還是不要對(duì)它期望太高。要想讓它達(dá)到任何實(shí)用性的應(yīng)用程度,，首先還得讓其他人下載這款應(yīng)用,、而且還要加入它。目前它只不過(guò)具有一些娛樂(lè)價(jià)值,，也就是大家都通過(guò)傳統(tǒng)的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)連接在這款應(yīng)用上聊天,。它現(xiàn)在還很混亂，有點(diǎn)像早期互聯(lián)網(wǎng)網(wǎng)友那種兩眼一抹黑的感覺(jué),。里面有說(shuō)廢話(huà)的,、約炮的、罵人的,，大多數(shù)人仍然不明白怎么使用這個(gè)東西,?！坝腥藛帷笔呛艿湫偷拈_(kāi)場(chǎng)白。（你可以這樣回答：沒(méi)有,，現(xiàn)在還沒(méi)有其他人,。）

????但是FireChat的前景和網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)的主流是好的。負(fù)責(zé)Android,、Chrome和Google Apps產(chǎn)品的谷歌（Google）高管桑德?tīng)?皮恰伊在今年于德州奧斯汀舉辦的西南偏南互動(dòng)音樂(lè)節(jié)（the South by Southwest Interactive festival）上,，提到了將網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)用于可穿戴設(shè)備的構(gòu)想。另外網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)在物聯(lián)網(wǎng)上顯然可以大有作為,。（你難道不想有一個(gè)友好的,、本地化的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)連接到你的烤箱上嗎？）另外,，筆者計(jì)劃今年夏天和朋友出國(guó)旅行的時(shí)候也使用FireChat,，這樣哪怕在一個(gè)擁擠的街市走散了，又或者我們走到一個(gè)沒(méi)有手機(jī)信號(hào)覆蓋的地方,，我們也能找到對(duì)方,，同時(shí)還不用支付高額的漫游費(fèi)。另外在大型活動(dòng)的時(shí)候,，我們也不用擔(dān)心網(wǎng)絡(luò)阻塞,、變慢或是崩潰了。它也可以用于災(zāi)害中,。

????現(xiàn)在,，全球互聯(lián)網(wǎng)雖然蓬勃發(fā)展，但仍然有一些地方是互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的真空地帶,。FireChat和其它網(wǎng)狀網(wǎng)絡(luò)將會(huì)在這些地方派上用場(chǎng),，而且很快也會(huì)在很多其它地方普及開(kāi)來(lái)。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))

????譯者：樸成奎

????("I'm beginning to see why this is different, but I still don't see how it's better.")

????Yes, well, this also gets at how mesh networks are a bit subversive, too. It's better because it is different, is what many argue. Look at the connectivity problems in the U.S. -- the country invented the Internet, yet has miserably slow speeds compared to most of the rest of the developed world. Most of the issues have to do with the fact that the Internet is centralized, and our connection to it is controlled by a few gigantic companies. Couple that with the fact that our current, centralized network structure allows for rampant scraping of our data by large government agencies, and mesh networks begin to look like a safer, more secure alternative.

????("If you're a terrorist, sure. But I'm not, so ...")

????So you should still care about mesh networks! Think of them more as a boutique Internet, controlled like a co-op or neighborhood association. Of the mesh networks in existence -- and there are many -- the connection is often faster, and definitely cheaper, than its mainstream alternative. It also allows access to communities and individuals who wouldn't connect otherwise -- who live in an area too rural or poor or expensive for a big ISP to lay fiber. Don't you think everyone should have access to the Internet? This is a very good way of going about it. And it's less creepy, more grassroots and artisanal if you will, than Facebook's drones.

????("Okay, okay. I'm going to download FireChat. What should I expect?")

????Well, don't get your hopes up just yet. You'll have to get others to download and join for it to have any really useful application. For now, there is some entertainment value in flicking over to the "Everyone" setting, which shows you -- yes -- everyone chatting on the app, via a traditional Internet connection. It's chaos and like peering into the dark id of early Internet adopters. There's a lot of trash-talking and flirting bordering on harassment and cursing and, mostly, people just trying to figure out how to use this thing. "Anyone here?" is a pretty typical entry. (And to answer: Not really, no, no one else is here yet.)

????But the promise of FireChat and the mainstreaming of mesh networks is great. Sundar Pichai, the Google executive charged with running the company's Android, Chrome, and Google Apps products, mentioned the use of mesh networks in wearables and home automation at the South by Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas this year. There are obvious, and tremendous possibilities for mesh networking as the Internet of Things takes off. (Wouldn't you rather have a friendly, localized Internet for your oven to connect to?) More immediately, this reporter plans to use FireChat this summer when he travels abroad with friends and needs to, say, find them in a crowded street market, but does not want to get hit with a roaming charge on his dataplan. Or again, when he's backpacking and out of signal range. There are obvious uses during events, when networks clog and slow or simply collapse. Or during disasters.

????As it stands, there are still plenty of spaces in between, patches of darkness among the now robust and beaming constellations of Internet across the globe. FireChat specifically, and mesh networks much more generally, will be useful in all these places. And, soon, many more places too.