Access4Free and other Low cost and/or free ISPs

[Guest ThunderRiver]

You might consider looking at Access4Free.  For a one-time $4.95 setup fee, you get 10 hours per month with no additional charge unless you go over the 10 hours.  Then you're charged $1/hour up to a maximum of $10.  They've added v.92 and its a straight DUN connection (no more AOL or CS software).  I use Acess4Free as a backup.

Cool! Glad someone else uses Access4Free as a backup ISP ... I knew I couldn't be the only one! LOL!

Back home in Houston, Texas, we are using Access4FreeThe dial up service is so far so good with the nice deal, but I don't think we have this 10 hour per month limitWe used to be a long term WT.NET (largest local ISP in Houston) user, and we are not too happy with its price. So switch

[Ed_P]

You might consider looking at Access4Free.

I just looked at this and it looks promising. There's a local number for it here in Rochester also and I put a link to it on my daughter's notebook that I'm working on.Thanks for the suggestion.

[Cluttermagnet]

CIS ... Boy does that bring back memories! One of my first and most memorable experiences with the brave new Internet  CIS, GeNIE, Delphi ... thanks! They were good memories.

Hey, Fran-I know one of the folks who used to work for GE and specifically GEnie. She and her hubby just retired to one of those golf paradise communities in NC outer banks somewhere. She did online help for GEnie, as I remember. Or was that phone help? Whatever. A little bit before my time.

[Cluttermagnet]

You might consider looking at Access4Free.  For a one-time $4.95 setup fee, you get 10 hours per month with no additional charge unless you go over the 10 hours.  Then you're charged $1/hour up to a maximum of $10.  They've added v.92 and its a straight DUN connection (no more AOL or CS software).  I use Acess4Free as a backup.

Cool! Glad someone else uses Access4Free as a backup ISP ... I knew I couldn't be the only one! LOL!

It just about drove me nuts looking for where on this forum the comments about access-4-free.com were located. I finally remembered they were under the general topic of 'AOL ****'. Took me a while to navigate back here. Anyway, thanks, Corrine for the info. It sounded interesting enough to take a look. I have been of a mind to jump ship on my own present ISP anyway, but had just got burned when I picked out IVW.net from off of the internet and then they went out of business 2 months later (and no, I am not in CA so no help for me). I would have been hotter about losing nearly 1 year's advance moola but I got it for my sister, who then broke her leg and lost her job and other such niceties, so right now I have her computer anyway and she doesn't care very much about the internet (at the moment). So here I was a little bit gun- shy and yet yearning for a reasonably reliable but cheaper ISP- and I think you might have found it for me. We shall see, as I try it out this month. I went for the free option, but the 10 dollar maxout is a nice touch as that is about the price range I figured I could get reasonable service for. Yes, I have been nosing around the Freedom List site the past week anyway, off and on. (Did I get the name right?) I sure want better than Netzero or Juno, but then that's not too hard to find. I have now logged about 11 minutes on access-4-free, and the only hitch so far is I may not have hit upon exactly the correct syntax to address them as a pop server when wanting to check their server for emails under my new account. I tried "pop.access-4-free.com". Is that anywhere near right? It must be, as I have already sent successfully, substituting "smtp" for pop. Sorry for the ramble, but anyway, t'anks for the suggestion. They look like a good possibility so far. Man- I count 16 local numbers at least in my area, with only one not marked as 'preferred'! Pretty good line availability in my 'metro area' of extended suburbs. Fran, sounds like you like it too, at least enough for backup, eh?BTW in some regards, my present ISP is going to be hard to beat. For 18 bucks a month, I have been able to use my dialup as essentially a 24/7 setup, rarely if ever getting dumped. I have racked up 100-150- even 200 hours continuous. So they aren't too shabby. Oh, yes- of course I have a dedicated dialup line for the modem. :lol:One thing that creeped me out about access-4- online registration is that the page was not an shtml type as I remember, and I think I ended up sending my credit card number unencrypted and in the open. I hope all the blackhats were busy elsewhere surfing the matrix at the moment my little packets dashed through. I can't believe they would set it up that hokey- and insecure. Was I missing anything obvious? It doesn't look like a secure site to me.

[Poincare]

You might consider looking at Access4Free.  For a one-time $4.95 setup fee, you get 10 hours per month with no additional charge unless you go over the 10 hours.  Then you're charged $1/hour up to a maximum of $10.  They've added v.92 and its a straight DUN connection (no more AOL or CS software).  I use Acess4Free as a backup.If anyone is interested in more information of this nature, send me a PM.  I could go on & on listing ISPs that charge under $10/month with a minimum of 150 hours service, but that's another forum and not appropriate here!

Thanks for the info. It's always good to know about these services as a back up or for limited use.

[Cluttermagnet]

Wow, Corrine-These guys at access-4 are fabulous! I sent them an email around 3:20AM eastern. Had a reply back within 5 minutes or so. My minor syntax problem is that I need mail.xxxxxx.xx instead of pop.xxxxxx.xx. As simple as that. If they stay this good, they will keep my business! Nice referral! I'm hopeful they will work out for me, though I have to either accept the 10 bucks per month or else radically change my online habits. I have been getting away with treating my main dialup ISP as a 24/7, so I am pretty darned spoiled at this point. They do have an auto- disconnect timed to kick in somewhere between 5 to 8 hours, according to my reading of the TOS so far. (Yes, I run a couple of 'keep-alive' things. Naughty me. I may have to mend my ways.)

[Corrine]

Another IVW.net casualty. Good thing you hadn't moved on to Access4Cheap or you would have been burnt again. At this point, I'd suggest avoiding Kamudi too, particularly based on your usage. A4F (Access4Free), A4L (Access4Less) and JOI are all part of Hawk Communications. They have a good reputation in the business.

I'm hopeful they will work out for me, though I have to either accept the 10 bucks per month or else radically change my online habits.

As I recall, I suggested A4F as an alternative to AOL as a backup involving minimal investment and the added advantage of a monthly cap. If you're considering A4F as a primary ISP, you should look at the "parent", A4L -- $4.95/month (w/$8 setup fee). Another option, which would be a better one in my opinion, would be to keep A4F as a backup since you've already made your $4.95 investment and then select another "cheap" ISP for your regular service. There are quite a few in the under $8/month range that have received favorable feedback by respected members.

I have been getting away with treating my main dialup ISP as a 24/7, so I am pretty darned spoiled at this point.  >_Don't get me going on this topic. In my opinion, if someone needs a 24/7 connection, they don't belong on dialup. Otherwise, it doesn't take much to at least disconnect when eating, sleeping, walking the dog, etc. Note that some networks have hourly limitations.

They do have an auto- disconnect timed to kick in somewhere between 5 to 8 hours, according to my reading of the TOS so far.

Most "cheap" ISPs do have an autodisconnect. Many have a maximum connection time (i.e., 4 or 5 hours) but you can reconnect immediately.

(Yes, I run a couple of 'keep-alive' things. Naughty me. I may have to mend my ways.) 

With most cheap ISPs, if you run programs of that nature -- against the TOS-- they can & will drop you as a customer.

[Guest LilBambi]

I split off the Access4Free specific emails in the AOL Hacking topic to a new 'Security and Networking' topic, since connecting with an ISP is connecting to a network ... the Internet.Another good reason for starting this topic is because alternative and/or backup ISPs are vital to those of us who are truly stuck in dialup world.Finding out what companies are a good choice and which ones are a waste or require ads to be displayed or have intrusive behavior is very good information.Enjoy!

Edited November 2, 2003 by LilBambi

[Corrine]

There's a local number for it here in Rochester also and I put a link to it on my daughter's notebook that I'm working on.Thanks for the suggestion. 

If you're in Rochester, NY, take a look at BlueFrog I've been using BlueFrog since they were free and have had great service with their regional plan. I can't vouch for their new national service ($9.99 with only 150 hours/month) but am very pleased with the regional ("Basic") plan.

[Corrine]

Back home in Houston, Texas, we are using Access4FreeThe dial up service is so far so good with the nice deal, but I don't think we have this 10 hour per month limit.

There is no time limit with Access4Free. However, you will be charged $1/hour for each hour of service used over 10 hours, up to a maximum charge of $10/month.

[Guest LilBambi]

Great info Corrine!

[Corrine]

Thanks, Fran. I guess I've picked up a bit from FL in the past 4 years

[Ed_P]

It just about drove me nuts looking for where on this forum the comments about access-4-free.com were located. I finally remembered they were under the general topic of 'AOL ****'.

At the top of the page, on the right hand side, in a block on the same line as the forum title is a Search function that will allow you to find postings containing key words anywhere on the site. I haven't tried searching for Access4Free with it but it seems like it would work.

If you're in Rochester, NY, take a look at BlueFrog  I've been using BlueFrog since they were free and have had great service with their regional plan. I can't vouch for their new national service ($9.99 with only 150 hours/month) but am very pleased with the regional ("Basic") plan.

As a matter of fact I am. I've seen the ads for BlueFrog and it's good to hear that they are a great service. The Access4Free is still cheaper for periods when it has no use so I'm still leaning that way for my daughter and her notebook for when she wants to show someone something on the 'net. If she uses it a lot it will cost her $10 if not at all only $5. When she's home she connects to the 'net thru the home network and cable service.

[Cluttermagnet]

I have been getting away with treating my main dialup ISP as a 24/7, so I am pretty darned spoiled at this point. 

Don't get me going on this topic. In my opinion, if someone needs a 24/7 connection, they don't belong on dialup. Otherwise, it doesn't take much to at least disconnect when eating, sleeping, walking the dog, etc. Note that some networks have hourly limitations.

They do have an auto- disconnect timed to kick in somewhere between 5 to 8 hours, according to my reading of the TOS so far.

Most "cheap" ISPs do have an autodisconnect. Many have a maximum connection time (i.e., 4 or 5 hours) but you can reconnect immediately.

(Yes, I run a couple of 'keep-alive' things. Naughty me. I may have to mend my ways.) 

With most cheap ISPs, if you run programs of that nature -- against the TOS-- they can & will drop you as a customer.

Hi, Corrine-Your comments and suggestions have been so very helpful, and obviously reflect a strong knowledge of that industry. I might guess that you have at one time worked for ISPs or perhaps you are an IT type, past or present. My last post seems to have opened several issues. It is probably not worth pursuing them all at any great length, however. BTW your suggestion about the 5 dollar per month 'unlimited' flavor with the 8 dollar setup sounds very interesting indeed. I will look into that, and thanks very much for all the great ideas! I might well be willing to cough up the extra 8 bucks for that some time later.Well, I think I can match your "don't get me started" with my own "don't get me started". Fundamentally, a lot depends on where another person is coming from. We should probably not be too hasty to attribute irresponsible or anti-social characteristics to others without first trying to understand their unique situation and their motivations. Let me make three statements about my personal politics of the moment. These may or may not buy you off so far as my present online behavior with my (big company) ISP. Please note that the following should not be seen as directed 'against' anybody, but is rather intended to be a general 'widecast' rant and blowing off of steam, etc.Point number one: due to the death of a family member who lived with me, it has now become advantageous to busy out their former phone line to avoid the relentless, all-out assault of zany, over-the-top debt collectors and other ne'er do wells we never wanted to hear from in the past anyway. We kept the line to be a dedicated modem line, and take particular delight knowing that all the telemarketers and bill collectors are being frustrated and are not getting through. Ever. That really warms my heart. The collection types, BTW, also constantly try to reach me at my own personal number, where they always meet an impenetrable wall of answering machine plus caller ID. These guys and gals are well known to follow the predatory practice of trying to frighten and deceive family members of a deceased person into taking responsibility for their debts. This is in no way necessary with the sole exception of spouses of deceased persons. I was not a spouse. You would be astonished at some of the clever ruses my answering machine has recorded in their machinations to try to maneuver me into getting on the phone with them so they can let me have both barrels and try to frighten me into taking responsibility for anothers' debts. I won't bore you with any of the fascinating details, but let's just say these folks are 'creative'.Point two: my local, large company ISP is very likely seeing usage levels way under capacity for dialup. They offer dialup and also cable, in certain jurisdictions. I noticed this behavior especially during the past year, as switchovers to cable, dsl, satellite, etc. have accelerated. I strongly suspect that many established ISPs now have overcapacity and are actually tearing out modem banks and switches/ muxes from time to time. In the past year, those previously rare 2-3AM disconnects have come completely to an end. As near as I can tell, I can stay connected for 100-150-200 hours plus and they would not bat an eyelash. OK, maybe not IAW my TOS, but probably not a hanging offense, either. Which brings me to point three: my ISP does not offer cable in my neighborhood. Cable is a highly monopolized industry with a well-known reputation for under-the-table graft to create these monopolies in the first place. Even in areas where supposedly 'second source' players have been permitted, we have seen no price reductions. Quite the contrary, prices have only risen, as the industry continues to grease the wheels of various 'representatives of the people' in congress. It is an obscenely corrupt industry. In my particular area, monopolized by a single cable company, high-value optioned cable TV packages weigh in at well over 100 dollars, just for TV. I think bare bones cable TV around here starts around 60 dollars plus. But you get next to nothing with basic service, and virtually no one chooses it. The deal is, subscribe to cable TV, pay an additional 50 bucks a month to add cable ISP service. If you do not subscribe to cable TV, pony up 60 bucks for a digital ISP. Plus connection fees at times, if they are not currently running a special. Now, the arithmetic for all this is fairly simple for me- it costs slightly over twice as much to go cable ISP vs. dialup ISP. For me, DSL is not an option- not enough good pairs in my area, and the telco is not going to upgrade their physical plant. Satellite is out because I am on a heavily-treed lot and have no clear shot at the birds. So that leaves cable and dialup. My politics make it very unlikely that I will ever compromise. Either the cable guys come to their senses and cut their prices to match dialup service with a favorable price point (not AOL, Earthlink, etc. price levels) or I'm sitting this one out. I have lived with dialup for 7 years and I think I can handle it for another 7. So it's a standoff. They won't budge, too many willing to pay their ripoff prices. I won't budge. If I stay with my big dialup ISP, I'm at 36 bucks a month. Still about half. That includes the dedicated telco dialup line.There's actually a fourth point lurking in the background, namely that not everyone is doing all that great in this poor economy today. And yet my area is considered one of those 'rich' ones. You can see the local gas prices rise 10-15-20 cents per gallon as you drive here from 30-50 miles away. Considering what a high percentage of crap is served up on cable TV daily, plus its obscenely excessive price points in my market, I see it as non- essential and definitely _not_ a good buy. Besides, my metro area of multiple cities and extended suburbs provides a good 18-24 over-the-air TV channels including 3-4 PBS outlets and all major non-cable networks. Plenty enough to meet my needs. You know what? I have seen how fast cable downloads are at my friends' houses, and I drooled, but just a little. I just am not downloading all that many Linux distros. Besides, my friends can do that for me if needed. So match the price point of economy dialup ISP service, and I'm all yours, guys. Otherwise, don't bother me because I'm emphatically not interested. I took my life back from these weasels (the entire TV, movie, and cable industry) years ago, and have never regretted it. What little time I do spend with my TV on is now 'quality time', as I am very selective. GIGO. I no longer allow them to put garbage in my mind. Getting back to timeouts, that would be something I have not had to deal with in the past, but I will adapt easily enough. Moreover, I regularly access a legitimate "DX packet cluster spotting" internet service that refreshes about every minute, serving near- realtime 'packet spots' of rare DX stations as reported by amateur radio operators worldwide and aggregated and served from one particular server farm in Finland. A very handy free service indeed, and it legitimately serves the purpose of a keep alive without, in any way, intentionally trying to perform that function. But it has that effect. But that's not why we 'hams' use it. I think that AOL-style 5 minute disconnect nags are reprehensible- but smart for them. They would likely not be having much overcapacity, as cheap and mercenary as those guys are! Out of such boorish behavior were 'keepalives' born. Just one of a thousand instances of 'electronic warfare' that grow up when businesses fail to understand that their customers' best interests are in their own best interests. (See also radar speed traps- but I don't play in that silly game myself- or see also 'national do not call list', a national farce that is not going to work and may backfire on listed persons- or see also imbecilic proposed congressional legislation forbidding spam- LOL!) Just today, I received a letter from an AOL correspondent asking me to resend my email to him. He timed out and lost it mid-sentence in the first paragraph! OK, Rant Off. Sorry. My bad. I get a little carried away on some of these issues.

[Cluttermagnet]

It just about drove me nuts looking for where on this forum the comments about access-4-free.com were located. I finally remembered they were under the general topic of 'AOL ****'.

At the top of the page, on the right hand side, in a block on the same line as the forum title is a Search function that will allow you to find postings containing key words anywhere on the site. I haven't tried searching for Access4Free with it but it seems like it would work.

Thanks, EdP. I had this site's Search vaguely in mind, yet in the clinch, I did not bother with it. I guess that speaks to previous disappointments with a lot of site-specific search engines. But, as an exercise, I did just the search you suggested, and asked it to search the entire forum, not only in Security and Networking. This particular search performed flawlessly, finding both threads where "access4free" is mentioned. So kudos for your good suggestion. I will try searches on this forum a little more often.Just one counterpoint to illustrate why I am probably overly rejecting of local site search engines-In one of my favorite reflectors (newsgroups), they have an engine that will search their archives going back some 6-7 years. Trouble is, it pulls up about 50 percent 'junk' hits where the only way a particular post is 'on topic' is that the name of the desired thread is mentioned as a previous post or a subsequent post. Such an inconvenience that I saw an opportunity to serve my fellow amateur radio operators by setting up a links page on one particular, unique antenna topic which contains preselected, 100 percent relevant links with all the junk weeded out. This particular page has been one of the most visited on my modest site, with nearly 45,000 hits on that one page in the last two years or so. (This is a big number for a 'ham' radio site, which is, after all, a bit of a 'backwater' and not at all a 'mainstream' topic)In other words, their site-specific search is an underperformer, though not entirely useless. But again, when I do archive searches over there, I don't even bother with their engine. I just manually scan through month by month and year by year. Besides, I find a lot of other stuff serendipitously, surfing that methodical way. Besides, what do you do if you can't remember what the keywords should be? About half the time, that is my situation anyway.

[Cluttermagnet]

If you're considering A4F as a primary ISP, you should look at the "parent", A4L -- $4.95/month (w/$8 setup fee).  Another option, which would be a better one in my opinion, would be to keep A4F as a backup since you've already made your $4.95 investment and then select another "cheap" ISP for your regular service.  There are quite a few in the under $8/month range that have received favorable feedback by respected members.

Thanks, Corrine-They have increased from 4.95 to 5.95 per month, according to their website. That is still an exceptional value, and the signup fee remains at 8.00. I may end up with that one. Their list of access numbers is obviously 100 percent the same list as for Access4F, or darned close, anyway.

[Guest LilBambi]

Here in this small area in Virginia, there are two cable companies ... Charter.net and Cox.net.There is only one main road that comes into our town, and on that ONE road:[*]Charter.net comes as close as 6 miles away[*]Cox.net comes as close a probably no more than 3 miles awayNEITHER one has plans in the foreseeable future of coming through our little town. It is like a deadzone here.So dialup and satellite are our only options ... and as a price point, only dialup is truly an option.It is bad enough that we must pay $44-$45 per month for extended local calling just to call where our local clients live AND to connect to an affordable dialup service. Basic local calling is within our little town only and the little town 3 miles away on one side and 6 miles away on the other side ... reminds me of the very same cable scenario!This $44-$45 does NOT include our dialup. But whether we pay for an alternate means of Internet access or not, the $44-$45 for the extended calling area will still be necessary.It is truly a catch 22 in this area. :'(That's why Access4Free is a great dialup service back up as well. There are times when one dialup service is down and we are online 24/7.

Edited November 3, 2003 by LilBambi

[Corrine]

Thanks, Corrine-They have increased from 4.95 to 5.95 per month, according to their website. That is still an exceptional value, and the signup fee remains at 8.00. I may end up with that one. Their list of access numbers is obviously 100 percent the same list as for Access4F, or darned close, anyway. <_>Actually, the $4.95 with $8 setup fee is only available from this link: http://access4less.net/indexgo.htm. And, yes, A4F and A4L are part of the same company. As far as the numbers being the same, yes, they use the Hawk network, as Hawk is the parent.

[Corrine]

Hi, Corrine-Your comments and suggestions have been so very helpful, and obviously reflect a strong knowledge of that industry. I might guess that you have at one time worked for ISPs or perhaps you are an IT type, past or present.

Thanks, but I've never worked for an ISP. I did, however, start visiting Freedomlist about a month after the site became available. Not only has the site expanded, but I'm now a site Administrator. As a result, I've gained a familiarity with some of the more popular "cheap" ISPs. It is specifically because of my association with FL that I was hesitant in providing too much information -- I wouldn't want anyone to think I was spamming this site. (FL is like this forum, just a place for people to get help, nothing to sell, no advertisements, run by volunteers, completely nonprofit.)

My last post seems to have opened several issues. It  is probably not worth pursuing them all at any great length, however.

I should have been more careful in my wording. I didn't mean anything personal in my post. There are so many people who subscribe to the "cheap" ISPs who expect the same service for $5/month as what would be expected if they paid $25/month. There are people oeprating a businesess off the cheap services and complaining when they are disconnected after an hour of idle time yet the ISP specifically indicates in the TOS that the service is not intended for a user to operate a small business. Many of the "cheap" ISPs specifically prohibit the use of "keep alive" software and we're just very sensitive at FL to anything that would be a violation of the TOS or user agreement.

[Cluttermagnet]

Thanks, Corrine-They have increased from 4.95 to 5.95 per month, according to their website. That is still an exceptional value, and the signup fee remains at 8.00. I may end up with that one. Their list of access numbers is obviously 100 percent the same list as for Access4F, or darned close, anyway. 

Actually, the $4.95 with $8 setup fee is only available from this link: http://access4less.net/indexgo.htm. And, yes, A4F and A4L are part of the same company. As far as the numbers being the same, yes, they use the Hawk network, as Hawk is the parent.

Tooooooooo funny! Thanks again, Corrine. Wouldn't you know it- an unlisted url. Being my usual indecisive self, I will probably fritter away that opportunity and the 4.95 rate will go away, but even at 5.95 that is pretty darned good service. Already I have in mind a friend who I am doing some computer maintenance for currently. I'm going to suggest they try either access4F or access4L. BTW she is a former AOL user, and for some reason has decided to move away from them. Possibly simply due to the near- 24 dollar per month cost. I will educate her and her son as to how to navigate the net and their Windows box without AOL. This is my personal way of 'giving back' in gratitude for all the help others have given me over the years- I do free maintenance with a friendly tutorial approach, and my friends learn a little from watching me do my thing with their computers.BTW she left AOL of her own volition, and currently has no ISP. I had nothing to do with that decision. They had a working Win98 OS but then her son got the bright idea to install Win2000. Windows can no longer find their PCI modem. After that happened, I was first called in to help. She wanted Win98 reinstalled, and I was happy to oblige. I will have to do some troubleshooting and find what has gone haywire with their modem, as Win98 is also not finding it. As an expediency, she is going to have another PCI modem on hand. It will probably end up getting returned, however.Yes, I can understand how users might become jaded and have unrealistic expectations of the cheaper services. No doubt these ISP's run on slimmer profits than the top tiers of 'big' ISP companies. I doubt they can be viewed as having any 'excess' capacity like the big boys. I think a lot of them are actually buying inet connectivity from some big, national backbone providers, and don't actually own major server farms with big modem banks, etc. I will definitely 'recalibrate' my expectations when dealing with the 'little' guys. My very first ISP was in fact a small 'mom and pop' company in a nearby town. They did advertise 24/7 unlimited service. It was far from seamless, however. At times, I would lose email connectivity, and occasionally I would even get dumped unceremoniously in the wee hours. I found out they were doing server maintenance at those times. They foolishly assumed that no one in their right mind would be on at 2-3-4AM. Wrong! Their "24/7" actually worked out to be 21/7 some of the time. Keep up the good work with FL. Scot's Forums succeeds pretty well in being a friendly, welcoming, and helpful place. Naturally, it attracts folks with that same attitude, and we end up getting that nice synergy where the whole exceeds the sum of the parts. This is in the best tradition of the original internet, where folks always had a strongly ingrained attitude of "how can I help?"

[Corrine]

Wouldn't you know it- an unlisted url.  Being my usual indecisive self, I will probably fritter away that opportunity and the 4.95 rate will go away, but even at 5.95 that is pretty darned good service.

The link is available from FL, as is the FL special link for $5.95 w/o setup fee.

Already I have in mind a friend who I am doing some computer maintenance for currently. I'm going to suggest they try either access4F or access4L. . . .This is my personal way of 'giving back' in gratitude for all the help others have given me over the years- I do free maintenance with a friendly tutorial approach, and my friends learn a little from watching me do my thing with their computers.

Cool!

Scot's Forums succeeds pretty well in being a friendly, welcoming, and helpful place. Naturally, it attracts folks with that same attitude, and we end up getting that nice synergy where the whole exceeds the sum of the parts. This is in the best tradition of the original internet, where folks always had a strongly ingrained attitude of "how can I help?" 

You got that right! Having subscribed to the Newsletter, I decided to check out the forum, liked what I saw, signed up and was immediately made to feel welcome here.