shopping for DSL...

[dogbert at clue4all.net (Brian J. Conway)]

> I've been lurking here for a few months, and I remember some talk about
> Bell Atlantic's DSL service... but I can't remember any specifics,
> especially regarding their customer service.  I just got a postcard in the
> mail from a place called Telocity, waiving the initiation fee if I sign up
> for DSL service with them before the 19th.  Now, I've never heard of
> Telocity before, so I'm a bit wary.  Does anyone have any opinions on
> them?  While I was planning to go the Bell Atlantic route, I'm wondering
> if I might be better off going with someone else (who else does DSL in the
> area?)  There doesn't seem to be much difference in price, so I'm mostly
> looking for comments on customer service (and of course, whether or not
> they're linux-friendly.)  Thanks!

One thing to be wary of with BA is that they use a PPP-over-ethernet
connection with dynamic IPs.  You can get this to cooperate with Linux
with a bit of work, but it's not as easy as simply specifying eth0 to
use dhcp.  One company that's been getting excellent reviews is
Speakeasy.net.  Looking at their FAQ, they're trying to attract the
Linux/UNIX crowd as much as possible.  They offer up to 4 dynamic or
_static_ IPs per household, encourage domain/web site hosting and
"servers," and are really aiming for the people that want to get the
most of out their DSL line, as opposed to the general attitude of many
cable/DSL companies that provide their service basically for browsing
only and block many ports.  I think they offer 608/128 kbps service for
around $60 per month with free installation and free hardware.  For 30
bucks more you can get 1.5/384.  I'd suggest scoping them out as a
possible provider.

Brian J. Conway
dogbert at clue4all.net
Geek for hire: http://clue4all.net/resume

Microsoft is not an answer.  Microsoft is a question.  The answer is:
No. 
		-- anonymous
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