Back in june 1999, we opened a snack bar which we called CG Snacks & Xerox.

Whilst the snack bar was popular, the photocopying side of the business just didn't take off. So, given the chance of selling the machine for almost what we had paid for it, it went off to the city to make its fortune. Just about that time, the Internet arrived in Tagum (previously it was available, but only via a long distance telephone call which made it too expensive), and after a couple of months, we decided to use the space to open a small Internet cafe. This was November 1999.
As we were tight for space, we only had room for four computers so that's what we started with. First mistake. As the business would be predominantly Internet, I specified, Celeron 433, 32MB RAM, 6.4 GB HD, everything built in including the video. Second mistake.
The cafe was an instant hit, I just wish I had been brave enough to use all of the space available and close the snack bar completely. I also misjudged the market somewhat. It appeared that only about 25% of the business was Internet related, the rest was games, some of which my low-spec computers couldn't quite handle.

I immediately upgraded the RAM to 64MB which made a difference, but the graphics performance was still limited. This was due to the built-in AGP video, which steals RAM from the system rather than using its own (so my original 32MB became 24-28). Still, business was good so I didn't worry too much. Soon after I opened, two more cafes opened on the same block (well, we are opposite the local college, so it's a good spot to have) and I now had some competition.


Early in 2000, we had a chance to move to a new building which was under construction next door, so we jumped at it. Another four computers went on the shopping list, this time they were to be higher spec (well the video was anyway). I chose 32MB TNT2 AGP video cards for these, as that's about all I could get off the shelf. I also had to buy an 8 port hub.

The new CG Internet opened its doors in March 2000


Only the four new computers were installed initially, but they were occupied as soon as I switched them on! At that particular moment, the original four in the old place were still in use so I had to wait about one hour before I could transfer them. There was no glass in the windows, no air conditioning and the decorating was still going on but that didn't put them off. I transferred the other PCs later, but the network was not installed until the next day.
The new computers proved to be much better than the original four, so I started looking at ways to upgrade their video performance. The problem here was that they only have one expansion slot, and it's PCI, so my options were somewhat limited. The answer came in the form of  16MB Voodoo3 2000 PCI video cards which made a huge difference. These were as rare as hen's teeth, but luckily I had a contact in England who found four for me.
Since I installed them I heard comments that my computers were faster than the PIIIs of my competitors, because they didn't have 3D accelerators. It just goes to show, it's no good having a fast CPU and built-in video, you need to get the right balance.
I added another two computers recently, one for use as a server for printing, scanning, timekeeping, dialling up the Internet and running the webcam whilst the other one is for customers.

Update, August 2001.
Having operated with nine computers for over a year, the time came to expand again. Originally the plan was to build a second storey and use this as a snack bar/internet cafe, whilst downstairs would be the games room. This plan was revised, and instead we extended the front of the building by 2 metres. This doesn't seem like much, but with a new layout, I figured I could fit in up to twenty computers. The original desks looked nice, but weren't economical in terms of space. They had to go, in favour of two long benches, with computers along both sides. This created four rows of computers, and has proved to be a much more effective use of the available space. A 50% increase in the room size has allowed a 122% increase in the number of computers.

See the expansion work here.

As I write this, there are only sixteen computers installed, although there is space for another four which I expect to buy later. Previously I had been using an 8 port 10 Base-T hub, but with plans for up to twenty, this would have to change. I could have bought a 24 port 100Base-TX hub, but as I already had an 8 port hub, and I was planning to have some computers exclusively for internet or typing, I came up with a more elegant solution.
I bought a 16 port switch (which cost about the same as a 24 port hub) and I use 15 ports of this for the games side, with the 16th (uplink) port connected to the original 8 port hub for the internet and admin computers (confused? take a look here). The switch ensures that the noise from the games does not interfere with the internet data, and it's all one big happy network. So far it seems to be working well. Of course, the Internet is available on all the computers.

Update, July 2004,
Wow, has it really been three years since I wrote that? Not a lot has happened since then, apart from one major upgrade to my internet connection. I finally got connected to a fast dsl line. what a difference compared with 20 computers sharing one 33.6k dial-up. That's right, 33.6k! The modem was rated at 56k, but the phone lines out here just aren't up to that kind of blistering speed.

The network has changed slightly, with the addition of another 8 port switch. This wasn't entirely necessary, but it means that all the computers have the same connection to the router.

Since the introduction of the dsl, the market has shifted slightly towards more internet and less games. This suits me as I can charge more for net use, and the games can get noisy. If I had my way there would be no games at all, but I have to give them what they want, and some of them want to play games.

What about the future?
Well, the sentence just below August 2001's update still holds true. I would like to make it two storey, and make a more peaceful environment upstairs just for internet use. That way customers can check their email or whatever whilst listening to relaxing music rather than hearing "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" every few seconds!

And coffee. I like coffee, and it would be nice to offer it for sale, then I could drink it all day.
Who knows, it might evolve into Tagum's first decent coffee bar . . .

(I wonder what I'll be typing here after another three years)

June 2006
Two years later, and CG Internet has been sold. :-( The end of an era? Well, there are various reasons but circumstances change. Too much competition driving the prices down. I'm barely making a profit these days, if at all.