IXP Graphs are an Eyesore
Too many IXPs (and networkers in general) are using horrible outdated methods of graphing data. These are an ugly eyesore, and should be updated to something from this century. Big IXPs in particular have no excuse: they have the resources to do better.
IXPs: Invest, Spend, Drop Prices?
Two years ago Dave Temkin from Netflix presented at NANOG 67, talking about The Real Cost of Public IXPs (warning: PDF).
This caused a bit of a stir. As El Reg put it:
[According to Dave Temkin] The internet exchange industry is ripping customers off, charging too much for features people don’t need, and spending millions on staff salaries, unnecessary marketing and social events.
You can argue amongst yourselves as to how much IXPs should invest, how closely their port prices should track transit costs, etc. Or maybe you just like all the free drinks, dammit.
I think that if they’re going to spend money rather than reduce prices, they should spend it on something I care about: Data visualization. Most IXPs traffic graphs are an eyesore, they’re outdated, and it’s time they were fixed.
Ugly Eyesores
Here’s some typical traffic graphs from some of the biggest IXPs in the world: