ISP's

[david at kramer.ne.mediaone.net (David Kramer)]

Richard Royston wrote:
> 
> I would like to get ISP service from AT&T for use at home in my linux box, as
> I shall be moving sometime in the not too distant future, and they have access
> everywhere (at least in the States).

I've heard some pretty bad things about them.  They're a completely
cookie-cutter shop.  Nobody outside the Innter Tech Circle knows where
the on switch is, or why they put a cup holder in your computer.

> When I tried to get a login and a password from a person at AT&T I was told
> that people, as opposed to computers, cannot access this type of information;
> I got the impression that maybe it doesn't exist until it's assigned by some
> program running in a Windows system somewhere in AT&T, and that it will only
> assign it to another Windows program running in my computer. I've received
> hints that if I do that, there are people at AT&T who can tell me where to
> look in my Windows system, once I've done that, and extract this information,
> and that then I could then put it in my Linux box, and, voila!

I think that what she means is that typically AII will ship out a disk
which will install a neatly-laid-out package of very out-of-date
software that is about 90% preconfigured.  On the package is a
crazy-looking temporary username and password.  You type those into the
setup program and it finds the nearest phone number, negotiates the
user/pass with you and the server, then updates all the software.  So
she could not give you one because you need one of the user/pass combos
printed on the mailed-out disks.  She may be under the impression that
you need to use the software they send you, but that is not the case.

I would highly recommend going with someone else.  There are plenty of
other national/international providers.  I use concentric.net (for a few
more weeks; I got a cablemodem and set up my own server), and was very
happy with them.  They even hav 24/7 1-800 tech support.  And I'm not
just saying that because there's a finder's fee if you sign up and give
my name.  I've used them for about 3 years.

Stay away from Netcom, too.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
DDDD   David Kramer                    david at kramer.ne.mediaone.net
DK KD                                  http://start.at/david.kramer
DKK D  I much prefer Clinton's "I can't remember sexual affairs,"
DK KD  to Reagan's, "I cannot remember selling arms to 
DDDD   foreign countries."
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