On Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:32:22 +0000 (UTC), Roger Blake
wrote:

On 2008-09-21, mm wrote:
I have dsl for a year now. WRT email and Usenet, the extra speed
means next to nothing. Its good that webpages are faster, but I used
to dl webpages while reading my email or the newsgroups.

I still do almost everything from a Unix shell, so the extra speed would
not be that important to me. Inexpensive DSL is not available in my area
and I'm too cheap to pay for cable service.

I know that's called cheap by others, or you when you are being
self-effacing, but I think you're spending your money wisely. I'll bet
you won't ave to go on welfare when you're 75.

What is nice about dsl is it's easier to play radio; and even tv such
as the political conventions, where it started even earlier than
public tv. But I don't have cable tv

Oh, if cheap DSL were available here I'd probably get it. But to me
the extra speed is just not worth the price of the more expensive-type
broadband connections.

I agree with you. I held off until it was 15 dollars a month. At the
time, I convinced myself that they wouldn't raise it mch when the 2
years were up, but I don't know that.

This is for verizon dsl (the slower of the 2 dsl speeds they offer,
but it's fast enough for me). Comcast cable used to be about the same
price when verizon dsl was much higher. But when dsl went down,
comcast was much more expensive. I think those were my only two
choices except for satellite I suppose which I'mn sure is also very
expensive. I'm intrigued by the cell phone internet, but it was
expensive too, and I would only use it about 2 weeks every ten years.
I have a laptop that I took on a long semi-business trip, where I used
netcafes and the wireless in the dorm I stayed in (at age 60), but
when Im in the US, I only use it for showing tourist pictures to
people. I do all my other computer stuff at home.

They put in fios here about 3 months ago, and based on the colored
dots on teh grass, it seems at least one of my neighbors has
subscribed. I live in a middle middle income townhose n'hood and I
don't think anyone here can really afford it, but some will buy it.

I have nothing against fiber-optic per se but am not willing to
pay for it. The U.S. is pretty much broke at this point and it's hard
to view that as any kind of priority for the use of public funds.

I didn't think the public was paying for any of it, unless a household
signs up!!

--
A tribute to Erols/RCN/Starpower which took away newsgroups,
without giving any notice, in advance or when they did it!!

And a real tribute to https://www.forteinc.com/apn/subscribe.php
which starts at 3 dollars for 12 gigs a month,
including alt, misc, the big 8 and everything else, 12 gigs is
far more than someone who dl's mostly text should ever need.