« previous next »
Pages: 1 [2]   Go Down

Author Topic: Bulletin: From MrsLop  (Read 5619 times)

Offline Dreambird

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 5191
  • Meet The New Boss
    • View Profile
Bulletin: From MrsLop
« Reply #15 on: June 22, 2003, 02:04:40 PM »
G'Day Mrs. Lop... biggrin.gif

Boy, sounds like you're doing great! I fire up my computer and look to see what's new with you and just about have trouble keeping up with you! You are such an inspiration for me as I have some "issues" I deal with too... reading you is encouraging to me...  wub.gif

So... as for ISP, I'm on cable myself, the prices you mention aren't so bad for me, but I'm in Canada and prices are higher here... but I'm so spoiled now on cable that I find even when I take one of the PowerBooks to visit someone like my sister where I have to use her 56k dialup I generally manage to connect at around 46k to 48k which is very good but it's soooo slllloooowwww to me...  blush-anim-cl.gif

I'm with Shaw cable here which is the only cable option in town and it costs $42.95/month but if I buy the modem which I only rent right now they'll take off $5/month and give me a five year warranty on the modem... I may do that. The modem would be $60, from them or I suppose I could try and find one elsewhere if it'll work and the warranty is as good.

My installation... are you sitting down? wink.gif was $100 at the time, but they supplied the ethernet card (NIC).

For me it's an expense I probably shouldn't have... but that and an excellent phone calling plan I've found are the two things I "allow" myself. Also my cable company gives me a better rate on the cable TV with the internet included.

A lot of people here choose DSL through our phone company Telus... but there is more competition for DSL so there are more choices. This might just be "my" experience but others have said they find the DSL not to be as consistant as the  cable... I dunno just going on heresay...

Oh... one more thing to consider... I might write a book here... sorry! But tech service... I will say I feel I have the best... it's 24/7, call anytime and no charge for that. My cable company about 3 years back even helped me set up Windows 3.11 for workgroups on  my PC even though they didn't support below Windows 95... the techies on the night shift tended to get a little  bored on slow nights and were great... wink.gif I had trouble because on that OS everything pretty much had to be manually configured, I only did it because I wanted to... learning experience. My Mom was down here at the time for surgery and had to stay for over a month... this gave me something to do where I could keep busy and be just around the corner and she could still hear me and talk to me.

*LOL** The techies at the cable company thought I'd flipped  though, couldn't understand why someone wanted to backup so much in OS's... I had fun with it!
« Last Edit: June 22, 2003, 02:12:22 PM by Dreambird »
Logged
******
On permanent walk-about... ;)
MacBook Pro Retina, mid-2012, SSD 500GB, 16GB RAM, High Sierra 10.13.6, iPad Air 2, iOS 11.4.1

Offline jepinto

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 6195
    • View Profile
    • http://
Bulletin: From MrsLop
« Reply #16 on: June 22, 2003, 06:42:45 PM »
Evening, MrsLop!  Does your phone company offer DSL?  BellSouth, the only game in town, offered DSL, if I signed up online, for $20.00 per month for the first three months, free modem, a $50 rebate, and since our Macs are "plug and surf", no installation charges.  I only had to double click the "install me now" icon and 'twas done.

AND I live in a town of 700 people with no competition!  Our cable company offers 11 channels as basic, to give you perspective.

I'd check around, give the competition a call....

Check out http://www.dslreports.com/prequal to see who offers DSL in your area, and what prices, and particularly the modem and installation fees.
Logged
Do not fear your enemies.  The worse they can do is kill you.  Do not fear friends.  At worst, they may betray you.
Fear those who do not care; they neither kill nor betray, but betrayal and murder exist because of their silent consent.
~Bruno Jasienski~

Offline MrsLop

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 630
    • View Profile
    • http://
Bulletin: From MrsLop
« Reply #17 on: June 22, 2003, 10:43:19 PM »
Good Evening All,
So far, the reports about various services have indicated that
1- there are quite a few services out there (that I haven't investigated)
2-Cable subscribers have a very high rate of satisfaction- despite the higher cost of service
3-promotions from services can = $$$ savings

Oh, I learned something new today.  Can you say Firewall, boys and girls?  It seems that when using Cable service, nosey neighbors can get into your computer, if they live in the same area and are also cable internet subscribers. Mac Bible suggests a Firewall, turning off the computer and turning off the modem ( if possible) There was one other thing too ( sorry, I don't remember what.)  
The problem seemed to revolve around having the one line, always on.  Oh, and something about DSL having the same problem because it's easier for hackers to get into because of the one line.
With dial up services the number dialed to connect you to the internet may be more random and so lessen the possiblity of someone getting into your computer to "nose around".  My husband pointed out though, that the number of people capable of perpetrating those acts are a very small percentage of those subscribers.  Now people,
I didn't think of this earlier, but consider what we are likely to do with our computers: prepare taxes, pay our bills online, the amount of personal information we would have in our online files can be gotten by people who don't have our best interests at heart.  Heaven knows what they could and would do with it!  Anyway, it was food for thought for me.
Logged

Offline kbeartx

  • TS Addict
  • Posts: 6772
    • View Profile
    • http://
Bulletin: From MrsLop
« Reply #18 on: June 22, 2003, 11:08:34 PM »
Myrna -

you really do not need to be concerned about this kind of 'intrusion' because you are using a Mac, and the dastardly hackers who are trolling the internet, looking for 'unprotected' DSL / Cable users, are, in virtually every instance, seeking peaseas upon which to practice their craft.  

The Mac OS is not riddled with security flaws (as is Windoze) and there are so many fewer of them around, that the hackers simply go where the pickins are easy (and numerous) and leave the Macs alone.

If this is not enough reassurance, the simple installation of a $30-40 Router will provide a very effective Firewall and also allow you to hook-up additional computers to your single internet connection in the future, or if a visiting friend or relative wants to connect a portable computer temporarily.

 - kbeartx
Logged

Offline Paddy

  • Administrator
  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 13797
    • View Profile
    • https://www.paddyduncan.com
Bulletin: From MrsLop
« Reply #19 on: June 22, 2003, 11:22:11 PM »
Myrna, I generally recommend a hardware router for cable users, for that reason. They've gotten much cheaper lately - I saw some (Best Buy or CompUSA) today in the Sunday ads for less than $40. They're incredibly easy to set up and give you very good security. They accomplish this by using what is known as DHCP - (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). Basically what happens is that your ISP assigns you an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which tells the server where to send your email and any web pages when you connect to the internet. Most service providers use DHCP, but the address you get doesn't change all that often. Your IP is visible - and if the hacker knows how, potentially he/she could hack your system. With a router however, the only thing that is visible is the ROUTER - it takes the IP address, but acting like the local post office with a bunch of post office boxes, assigns you (your computer) an entirely different address, not visible to the outside world. Any requests for web pages that you make, look like they're originating with the IP address used by the router - not from your computer's IP address as assigned by the router.

You would install the router between the cable modem and the computer. You can hook up multiple computers to share a cable connection with a router too, which is another major advantage of a router in a multiple-computer household.

http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=111617...t=540&scat=1574
My router is a D-Link (though the wireless version) and with the rebate, this wired version is $39.

Or same thing, refurbished:

http://www.comready.com/dlindi7mul5g.html for $19.95!

There are other software solutions, most of which are listed here:

http://seaotter.berkeley.edu/cab/mac-firew...s-macos-classic

Other than IPNetSentry, they're all more expensive than a router however - and even IPNetSentry is more than the refurbed D-Link router.
Logged
"If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into committees. That'll do them in." ~Author unknown •iMac 5K, 27" 3.6Ghz i9 (2019) • 16" M1 MBP(2021) • 9.7" iPad Pro • iPhone 13

Offline Bernie

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 715
    • View Profile
    • http://www.techsurvivors.net
Bulletin: From MrsLop
« Reply #20 on: June 22, 2003, 11:37:43 PM »
Evening Myrna. Kbear is right. You don't even have to worry about being hacked. It's one in a million. With a router with built-in Firewall. No way Jose !  I really don't think you even need a router unless you have mulitple computers that are networked like me. A computer in every room  wacko.gif First things first. Get used to the Os. Then get  a nice Video card for the  PCI slot in the 4400 This will increase the speed or should I say Load website Pages faster  then your onboard VRam,
http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Item.cfm...em=ATI100430237
sleep1.gif  Time to  hit the sack
Have good one smile.gif
Logged
B MacHappy! TS makes you that way!  ® < And don't forget it!

Offline Dreambird

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 5191
  • Meet The New Boss
    • View Profile
Bulletin: From MrsLop
« Reply #21 on: June 23, 2003, 03:03:23 AM »
I use a free for personal use firewall called ZoneAlarm on the PC, don't even worry about it on Mac Classic OS's.
 
I believe sometime in about a year when I dare to get into OS X, it might be a different story.
Logged
******
On permanent walk-about... ;)
MacBook Pro Retina, mid-2012, SSD 500GB, 16GB RAM, High Sierra 10.13.6, iPad Air 2, iOS 11.4.1

Offline MrsLop

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 630
    • View Profile
    • http://
Bulletin: From MrsLop
« Reply #22 on: June 23, 2003, 07:07:41 AM »
thanx.gif Good Morning All,

It's nice to know that Macs aren't being targeted. Whew!  I wonder
why it was mentioned in the Mac Bible, though?

Hi, Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to Rad I go!

I'll try to check in later.
Logged

Offline MrsLop

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 630
    • View Profile
    • http://
Bulletin: From MrsLop
« Reply #23 on: June 23, 2003, 06:35:50 PM »
thanx.gif

To all of you who took the time to answer  my questions about ISP's.

I called today to cancel the Cable Company Installation that I had scheduled for tomorrow.

After reading your replies, I have decided to do a little more research about providers
and costs before I make a decision.

In my heart of hearts, I would really like to go with Cox Communications, but for now I am thinking Dial up. Cox is the only Cable Company in RI and they don't do too many special offers. My plan is to wait until I can get a reprieve from having so many doctors visits and co-pays, and prescriptions.It may take me until August or even September, before I can afford it.  I remain ever hopeful that everything will work out in time.
Logged
Pages: 1 [2]   Go Up
« previous next »