[ale] ADSL???

[Robbie Honerkamp]

On Thu, Oct 29, 1998 at 04:17:15PM +0000, Wandered Inn wrote:
> Robbie Honerkamp wrote:
> > If I'm not mistaken, all PowerPC Macs have built-in Ethernet (AAUI ports).
> > The Intel world has a variety of ethernet NICs. I honestly think that they're
> > doing this not to make money but to standardize- if you're going to hook
> > to their network and they're going to have to support you, then you
> > have to use their ethernet card. That helps keep them from getting flooded
> > with calls from people with crappy or incorrectly setup cards who can't
> > get them working.
> 
> This is bullshit.  Does your current ISP tell you what kind of modem to
> get?  No.  If you have a lousy modem and you have problems, they'll tell
> you to get a better modem.  They could add a disclaimer that they won't
> provide NIC support if you provide your own NIC.

It's not bullshit at all. Many places you might want to hook your computer
to require you use a certain type of ethernet card. A case in example- 
some college residential networks require you to use either a particular
brand of card or that their resnet technicians install their chosen brand
of card in your machine. This makes it easier to troubleshoot NIC problems.

It also makes installation easier and faster- the install tech doesn't have
to wait for you to dig out your card's driver disk or dink with settings.

I'm not defending BellSouth. I agree with you that they should have a 
"no support" policy for those who choose to go their own way with whatever
hardware or software they want(1). And I think BellSouth is generally a complete
bunch of morons. But these are valid reasons for requiring a particular
ethernet card.

> > No. BellSouth intends to serve only those it knows it can support.
> > If you want ADSL from BellSouth then tell them you have a Win95 box
> > and set everything up yourself.
> 
> Hell they can't support ISDN on Wintel.  I have ISDN via BellSouth and
> they didn't have a clue when installing it.  I've been the tech contact
> for my organization for home ISDN installations and Bell South doesn't
> have a clue.  I had 5 Bell South people at my house before they got it
> right.  Similar scenario with other installs.

BellSouth isn't trying to support ISDN on Wintel. They support ISDN on 
copper lines coming into your house (and they barely do that right). They 
test your line and make sure it works. Barring any routing problems on their
network, if you can't get your TA to connect to your ISP or Windows keeps
crashing or your adaptor isn't set up correctly it's *your* problem and
not theirs.

> When then install your phone line, they don't require you to purchase a
> particular phone?  They can add a disclaimer for customer
> configurations.

They _used_ to require that you leased your phone from them- you couldn't
legally connect non-Bell-provided devices to your phone line.

Don't think that I _like_ BellSouth. I'm just playing devil's advocate 
to show that the reason these policies exist might not be because they're
part of some big evil conspiracy or are trying to make life difficult
for you(2).

Robbie

(1): But keep in mind that when you tell someone they're not going to get
any support for their configuration you're not really saving yourself any
frustration- they'll still likely call and try to harass you into helping
them. I used to do ISP phone support, and I'm well aware that the phrase
"No Support For Your Configuration" isn't in the vocabularies of 99.999%
of problem customers.

(2): At least with ADSL. The purpose of everything else BellSouth does is
to make your life more difficult. It's in their corporate mission statement.