Back Online!?!

[silver-eagle]

I've been around computers for many years and have gone through accustic couplers, 1200 baud modems, 2400 baud, and various other dial ups (thru the magical 56Kb. A few years ago, I had a chance to try out ISDN. Since it was connected directly to the home office, I really didn't get to see the rest of the world, if you know what I mean.
I then tried out a CABLE modem connection. Well, that just hauls like you wouldn't believe. This I know because I just replaced it with DSL. Oh pardon me for saying but... less than half the speed (although still beats dial up) isn't quite as good as CABLE.
Given a choice, I'd do cable. Maybe I still can.
Oh, did I say, I JUST connected to DSL. Speed and the 4 weeks they took to connect it is rather remarkable too.

 

[SkyHog]

Cable internet rocks!!

<--- Gets it for free from Comcast!

 

[fgcason]

I've been around computers for many years and have gone through accustic couplers, 1200 baud modems, 2400 baud, and various other dial ups (thru the magical 56Kb. A few years ago, I had a chance to try out ISDN. Since it was connected directly to the home office, I really didn't get to see the rest of the world, if you know what I mean.
I then tried out a CABLE modem connection. Well, that just hauls like you wouldn't believe. This I know because I just replaced it with DSL. Oh pardon me for saying but... less than half the speed (although still beats dial up) isn't quite as good as CABLE.

Magik isn't it?

I'm just a caveman computer old days hacker. Heck, just a year ago I finally went from 66mhz 80486 (borrowed machine to outrun my 80286) to 2ghz athlon. Just...culture shock...still.
I remember 150 baud acoustic modems in college. I recall doing some homemade modem stuff at 15 baud (that's the number that comes after fourteen and before sixteen, NO "K" and zeros attached) with my Apple and thought that was very useable. 2400 baud was pure magik!
Funny how 2400 was so fast and nowadays 56,000 is painfully slow. The fastest thing I've ever seen was a Vax plugged directly into a dedicated T1 connection. OMG!!! You practically got your reply two days before you started thinking about what you wanted to type.

For now it's 56K here until further notice... I'll probably make the next computer/connection upgrade when people look at cable modems the way they look at 300 baud acoustic today.

 

[Greebo]

DSL is generally available on a sliding scale, where the faster you want, the more you pay. Rates vary by locale and competition, of course. The speed you get is the speed you'll always get.

Whereas cable is pretty much a fixed speed, except that the more people on your block using the same service, the slower it gets, because you're sharing the same bandwidth pool with 1 to n of your nearest neighbors.

Personally if I could switch to DSL (we have an old, old, old phone system here, my neighborhood is 60 years old), I would. I hate comcast.

But to each their own.

 

[SkyHog]

yikes!!

I only work there, don't blame me!!

 

[corjulo]

Now Verizon is offer Fiber to your home in some markets. Keep it coming boys

 

[poadeleted3]

Cable internet rocks!!

<--- Gets it for free from Comcast!

Yes, it does rock, but if Verizon comes up with something competitive I'll certainly consider it since I've always been pleased with their service.

<--- Pays out the butt for Comcast cable connection, only to have it go down 2-4 times a month... no kidding.

 

[gismo]

The local phone company keeps promising DSL (they've pulled all new cable and installed digital relaying in the past year in the area) and I will probably switch to it if for no other reason than to cut the expense of a separate phone line (considering we now pay for both a phone and the satellite, the DSL would run about what the satellite alone costs).

Or you could ditch the phone line and go with VoIP on the satellite.

 

[wsuffa]

Now Verizon is offer Fiber to your home in some markets. Keep it coming boys

Verizon is supposedly offering naked DSL in some places, too. If you use VOIP, that's a better deal than having to put DSL on a POTS line.

 

[PoAdeleted5]

I live smack dab in the middle of Silicon Valley and couldn't get cable or DSL in the house we bought.

I wound up with a microwave internet link. It's fast, 8 megabits symmetric, meaning uploads are as fast as downloads and has static IP's. Weirdly enough, it doesn't cost a lot more than DSL or cable.

 

[SkyHog]

hmmm....

/me runs to change my signature to avoid offending people

 

[Henning]

Yes, it does rock, but if Verizon comes up with something competitive I'll certainly consider it since I've always been pleased with their service.

<--- Pays out the butt for Comcast cable connection, only to have it go down 2-4 times a month... no kidding.

I've been pretty pleased with my Verizon Wireless Broadband. It's not cable speed, but it's DSL or faster. The markets for it broadband are limited, but I still get a connection which beats a dialup where ever the Verizon CDMA network is....Can You Hear Me Now? Pretty convienient for me.

 

[Lawreston]

Verizon is supposedly offering naked DSL in some places, too. If you use VOIP, that's a better deal than having to put DSL on a POTS line.

It took VONAGE waaaaayy too long to get my "old" # transferred to Vonage service, but as a result I got nearly three months of FREE service. It's incredibly less expensive, many more included features, than my old Verizon land line; and I'm very satisfied with 500 minutes a month for $16.94(taxes included). I do have 911 service, but it's not a direct to the 911 operator(but the courts have ruled that will change). Of course, if my power goes out, so does my telephone service. Only one month has exceeded my 500 minute plan. Communicating with Florida about examining/buying an airplane is a time-consuming endeavor.

HR