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V.T. Eric Layton

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When I first went online it was with Prodigy via a 14.4 Kbps dial-up connection. Prodigy had their own NAPLPS protocol so I used their proprietary browser to access the WWW. When Prodigy left Canada I got a local ISP and they provided a copy of IE. At work we used Netscape but soon IE became the standard for online ordering and company use.

Chrome seems to be the big kid on the block right now, but things can change I suppose. A lot of stuff gets done on smartphone apps today.

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V.T. Eric Layton

It's funny, but when I first came online (officially, with my own computer in my home) around 2000, everyone was offering free dial-up service. I had three or four of them up and running on my Win 98SE. Most were offered by search engines like Yahoo, Excite, Altavista, etc. It wasn't till a couple years later that I actually signed up for a pay dial-up from my phone company (Verizon at that time). Later on (2003 or so) I upgraded to DSL via my phone company. I didn't do the FIOS thing until 2010. Currently, I'm still on FIOS (originally Verizon, but now Frontier).

 

For a short stretch in 1984 or so, I had a Commodore SX-64 (briefcase computer) that I used to dial into local BBS's here in my area. That was fun and interesting, but my real journey into computers, OSes, and the Internet didn't begin until 2000.

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I started out with Prodigy Online, later switched to a local ISP with dial-up. I later migrated to DSL with the phone company, and when I came up to Almonte I got cable Internet. So I have tried most solutions. FIOS has recently become available  here but it really isn't that much better than plain old coax. I'm told the cable guys are fiber to the neighborhood anyway, and it's only the last few yards that is copper.

Speeds:

  • 14.4 and later 28.8 kbps with Prodigy
  • 56 kbps with dial-up ISP
  • 1 Mbps with DSL
  • 150 Mbps with cable and I routinely get 200 Mbps

Even that is pretty slow compared to the speeds I see Josh quoting here.

I just remember how fast and convenient broadband was when I first got it.

 

 

Edited by raymac46
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V.T. Eric Layton
20 minutes ago, raymac46 said:

150 Mbps with cable and I routinely get 200 Mbps

 

There's a VAST difference between cable Internet and FIOS, though... an important one, too!

 

With cable Internet, you share "the pipeline" with your entire neighborhood. If you live in a dense area with lots of school-aged kids, like a pal of mine here in Tampa, your super-fast cable Internet can slow down to dial-up speeds in the afternoons from  about 3PM till after dinnertime. In summer, when school's out, it's even worse.

 

With FIOS, your access to the Internet is a dedicated pipe. You do not share bandwidth with the neighborhood. A year or so back when I had my 100/100Mbps FIOS, it was ALWAYS 100/100Mbps no matter what time of day or what day of the week. Sadly, I had to downgrade a year ago to 50/50Mbps, but still blazing fast. I have no issues with it.

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Well here changing providers means a lot of hassle. I would gave to have the house rewired for FIOS and change phone and TV at the same time. I don't get any slowdowns in the neighborhood with cable. Up until last year if you had the phone co for Internet and telephone you needed a satellite dish for TV and you could only have DSL. Now there is FIOS TV and Internet from the phone co. but honestly I am doing OK with cable.

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I agree. I've been on cable internet for almost 20 years now, varying plans and speeds depending on my pocketbook. My needs are much simpler now than they used to be, and any slow ups seem to come when I'm usually not on line (late afternoon/evening).

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V.T. Eric Layton

Well, like I always say... if it works for you and you're content, stick with it. :)

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On 5/28/2020 at 3:31 PM, V.T. Eric Layton said:

Well, like I always say... if it works for you and you're content, stick with it. :)

In my area, Verizon has a not-so-good reputation. While Comcast is pretty awful, for me it comes down to the devil you know. And I must say, my last encounter with Comcast's off-shored Customer Service was actually pretty good.

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V.T. Eric Layton

Well, I didn't have any choice going from G.T.E. to Verizon (phone service) and my only options when I decided to do something more than dial-up back in 2002 or so were Brighthouse Cable and Verizon's DSL. I didn't have a relationship with Brighthouse and I don't care for cable Internet, so that left Verizon as the only option.

 

I never really had any complaints with Verizon as a phone provider or DSL. Unfortunately, a couple years after stringing all their fiber in Tampa and me being on their FIOS system for some while already, they sold the entire shebang to Frontier. I hadn't heard any good things about Frontier, but again... not many other options to be had.

 

I haven't had any real issues with Frontier, actually. Their changeover from Verizon to their control was a giant cluster screw, but I have sympathy for Frontier in this instance because I found out from friends (Verizon techs who were "sold" to Frontier) that Verizon just literally dumped their FIOS network on Frontier and ran away as fast as they could. Unfortunately, Frontier's hardware and software wasn't compatible with the Verizon system.

 

It took some SERIOUS work from Frontier engineers and techs to work out all the kinks. They managed it in just a couple weeks after going live on Verizon's network. I thought that was an amazing job! Since then, though, no issues with Frontier. Their customer support is OK; their tech support is outstanding, though.

 

All's well. :)

 

 

 

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Unfortunately, Frontier's hardware and software wasn't compatible with the Verizon system.

You'd think that might be something someone might have thought about before the sale actually took place.

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In Canada when it comes to home communications one normally has a choice between Rogers cable (Uncle Ted) or Bell Canada (Ma Bell.) When I first looked into broadband there was no all in one solution and in fact no choice at all in Georgetown. I had to go with Ma Bell and DSL. When I moved to Almonte only Uncle Ted offered broadband Internet. I got cable TV and Internet on the same piece of coax. I had a landline with Ma Bell.

Uncle Ted was the first to offer home phone, Internet and TV all in one package - so I went that way. As of last year both Ma Bell and Uncle Ted can hook up your phone, Internet and TV all through one IP modem. I still have separate connections and 2 modems with Uncle Ted as it's a legacy system. With Ma Bell I would have previously had POTS cable pair phone line with DSL and a satellite dish.

Although I prefer Uncle Ted his tech service sucks and it's almost impossible to figure out your monthly bill. Also I have to threaten to go over to Ma Bell every couple of years to get a new contract with Uncle Ted at reasonable rates. Add to that the fact that we pay the highest mobile phone rates in the world here and it's not a pretty picture.

Edited by raymac46
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V.T. Eric Layton
2 hours ago, ebrke said:

You'd think that might be something someone might have thought about before the sale actually took place.

 

You'd think. However, the biz execs and bean counters of both companies probably didn't consider the technical side of it at all. They just assumed it would be an easy changeover. The saddest part of all was that I believe Frontier thought they'd get some cooperation from Verizon, but Big V high-tailed it... ZOOM! It fell on Frontier's engineers and technicians to get it working.

 

Having worked in electronics service for so many years, I can't say I'm surprised it happen this way. I've seen many manufacturers sell divisions and not support anything after the sale, leaving the purchaser to sort it all out. This is why technical folk usually can't stand the execs or bean counters. They just have NO CLUE how things work. Their only concern is stockholder dividends.

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