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Proprietary ISPs
http://i.imgur.com/d9pKrOJ.png
Back when dial-up internet access was widely used (when broadband service was scarce and impossible to obtain in most areas), there were many competing nationwide internet service providers, with such providers having varying degrees of recognition and popularity. Some of these, including America Online (AOL), NetZero/Juno, and PeoplePC, required (and still do) that their customers use their proprietary software packages to dial a connection to the Internet-oftentimes limiting the customers to using Windows for getting online. What is you experience with 'proprietary' Internet Service Providers? Do you like the idea of being forced to use a proprietary software package provided by the ISP to connect to the Internet? When I first got Internet access at home (March 2002, can't believe it's been that long ago already), my first ISP was NetZero, of which my mom and I were referred to by a neighbor. I eventually found the provider's toolbar to be annoying and redundant, so I tried connecting to the internet using Windows Dial-Up Networking, only to get the infamous Error 691 (Username/Password invalid). It was at that point that I found out that NetZero requires its customers to use their proprietary software to connect to their service. After about three years, I switched to another dial-up provider, which did not require proprietary software to connect and could be used with any operating system and device capable of dial-up connections. Before getting Internet access at home, I had some experience with AOL at my cousin's place-I wasn't all that impressed with the AOL browser and all the extra bells and whistles in its user interface, so one time I opened up Internet Explorer, only to find out it couldn't load any websites. I never liked the idea of being forced to use provider-specific software to connect to the Internet. |
I wouldn't buy it unless it was the only option, and even then, I'd try and find a way around it. I don't even like using my ISP's DNS servers, I use 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4 and 4.2.2.{1-6} as a fallback.
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