Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2007 15:51:21 -0800 From: perryh@pluto.rain.com To: tedm@toybox.placo.com Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD challenged by Internet Message-ID: <45b2aaf9.V2NP8H4RCXmKwvIZ%perryh@pluto.rain.com> In-Reply-To: <003001c73c6e$87665c10$3c01a8c0@coolf89ea26645> References: <45AC719A.1020809@bobmc.net> <008401c73adc$aab2a900$3c01a8c0@coolf89ea26645> <20070118154349.587b2673@gumby.homeunix.com> <010601c73b99$78bd1080$3c01a8c0@coolf89ea26645> <45b085ad.bj2Z1G8SQNxJ0p6O%perryh@pluto.rain.com> <003001c73c6e$87665c10$3c01a8c0@coolf89ea26645>
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> > > > I doubt there is any reasonably priced ISP that will help in > > > > troubleshooting a problem that's not reproducible on Windows. > > > > > > $19.95 a month for DSL (ISP charges) is not reasonably priced? > > > WTF? > > > > Dunno about your neck of the woods, but last time I checked around > > here Verizon was charging something like $5 or $10 a month more for > > just the DSL line to connect to a third-party ISP than for the whole > > package using their own ISP. Makes it difficult for independents to > > compete, at least on price :( > > Well, if your not willing to pay the extra $5 or $10 a month > to connect your FreeBSD system to DSL then I have to seriously > question your leel of commitment to decent Internet service. It was an extra $5 or $10 to Verizon, *plus* the otherwise-reasonable $20 (or whatever) to the third-party ISP. Overall, about double the cost. What really grates is that I have to pay Verizon *more* if I want *less* from them! Would you pay $40K for a pickup, if you could get the same truck, from the same dealer, for $35K including a camper? That sort of pricing, by a monopoly, is supposed to be illegal (at least in the U.S.). > What I don't get is I > see guys walking in dropping $1000 on associated Mac hardware crap > without blinking, then they squawk about paying an additional $9 > a month on DSL? That grand on Mac crap will pay for 9 years of > DSL at this so-called "unreasonable" rate. The most expensive system around here is a Mac Sawtooth that cost $225 -- including a 17" monitor -- last September. The (Dell) FreeBSD box I'm using at the moment cost $10 at a flea market, plus something like $40 for a 160GB hard drive to replace the original 10GB that failed after a few months. The one I'm going to be installing 6.2 on -- also a Dell -- was less than $5 at a yard sale. > In any case, that pricing delta only exists if the independent > hasn't signed a wholesale agreement with Verizon. If the > independent has, it's a whole different ball game, pricing is > completely different and quite a bit less. When I was looking, I couldn't find any for much less than double, but it has been a while. Do you happen to know of any low-cost DSL providers who offer service in Washington County, Oregon, and who will actually support (as opposed to tolerate) FreeBSD and/or Linux? It would also be good if they knew what a firewall is -- last time I had a problem after a Verizon "system upgrade" the only arrangement that Verizon was willing to troubleshoot was a Windoze box connected directly to the DSL modem. This does not strike me as an acceptable level of security. > Basically IMHO the Verizon pricing program was designed to push > the really tiny independents, ie: the guys that might have a > grand total of 5 or 10 Verizon DSL customers, off of their network. That would have violated at least the intent, if not the letter, of the antitrust laws. My suspicion is that they wanted no competition whatsoever (also an antitrust violation).
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