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On Saturday 07 July 2001 00:39, you wrote:
> Does anyone have experience with cable internet access around here? I
> live in Media, I guess I would get it from Comcast@Home were I to get
> it. I just moved across the hall to a larger apartment and I'm hearing
> from Speakeasy (whose service I'm *very* satisfied with) that it'll
> probably be two months before I get hooked up. (Wait 30 days or until
> my first phone bill comes before I can even *place* the order, then
> another 2-3 weeks (yeah right, I'll believe it when I see it) for the
> install.)
>
> I'm about to the point of agreeing with a co-worker that DSL is just not
> worth the hassle. I'm investigating the possibility of cable, and I'm
> interested to hear what others here think of it.
I'm going through the same thing with Speakeasy, although I've decided to
wait for my first phone bill and re-up for DSL. They're going to set me up
with free dial-in until I get my first phone bill-- which is nice because my
e-mail address doesn't change. If they didn't tell you about that, ask them.
That's gotta save some hassles.
Also, as I don't have cable TV, Comcast isn't any less expensive for me.
The loss of support for Linux might or might not be an issue for you. No
matter what is wrong, if you even mention you're running Linux, they will
say, "Linux isn't supported" even if the problem has nothing to do with that.
also, if you're running any kind of services (web server, ftp, etc.) they
routinely (i.e. about once a day) portscan your IP address looking for
servers.
<rant>
And if you're going to go for the easiest solution provided by a
government-supported monopoly simply because it's more convenient, and you're
willing to exchange your freedom for a little convenience, then why don't you
just switch all your computers to WinXP while you're at it?
</rant>
Sorry, but as a Linux user who values such things as competitive ISP's who do
support Linux, that's kind of important to me.
The reason Speakeasy has to have that delay is the phone company. The
network provider (not the ISP) doesn't even have access to the information
until the phone company decides to release it. So the PC only updates their
database once a month-- it's not really the ISP's fault.
If you're happy, stay. Deal with dial-up for a month. Since you already
have the modem, they have "self-install" packages which should be a piece of
cake for someone even modestly technical can handle. You probably already
have most if not all of the equipment. Are you line-splitting? they almost
always line-split now (as opposed to last year when I got mine where they had
dedicated lines, which was a hassle to schedule, I grant).
I could relate some of the horror stories my friends have had (mostly the
technical ones who wanted to do their own thing rather than the "standard",
but I'd rather accentuate the positives. But be aware, there are at least as
many horror stories (esp among Linux users) as there are good experiences.
--
"The other day I put instant coffee in my microwave oven ... I almost
went back in time."
-- Steven Wright
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