On Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:36:34 -0500, AZ Nomad
wrote:

I generally agree. DSL and cable run neck in neck with cable
typically two to three times as fast for downloading and one forth as
fast for uploads.
....
Nowadays DSL can do 900-1200KB/s; my cable does 2-3.5MB/s.

DSL "can do" much higher than that. In my area, AT&T offers 1.5MB/s,
3.0MB/s, and 6.0MB/s (we have the latter and get around 5.0MB/s
consistently), and I believe there are higher speed offerings in some
areas either now or planned in the future. Which tiers are available
does depend on how far you are from the DSLAM, which might be in a box
down the street or in a central office.

The cable ads that compare their "fast" service against "slow" DSL are
misleading when they compare against 1.5MB/s DSL, since in many areas
much faster DSL that's comparable in raw speed to cable is available
and cheaper than the cable service. Just because DSL offers a lower
speed at an even lower price (which is a good tradeoff for many people
that cable usually doesn't even offer) doesn't mean that it's always
"slow".

It's like going to one gas station that only has premium gas (which
you may or may not need), and then complaining that the station across
town that has all 3 grades (with their premium cheaper than the first
station) is lower octane. .

Not that cable isn't sometimes a better choice for service/speed/cost,
but not always.

Josh