FreeBSD challenged by Internet

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <perryh at pluto.rain.com>
To: <tedm at toybox.placo.com>
Cc: <freebsd-questions at freebsd.org>
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 12:47 AM
Subject: Re: FreeBSD challenged by Internet


> > > 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.  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.

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.

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.  (and
it worked well I think)  Verizon didn't want independent ISPs that
wern't willing to put investment dollars into their interconnect to stay
on their network.  And I really can't say I blame them to be perfectly
honest.  The days of a guy starting an ISP in his garage for $500 and
a pile of old networking gear he pulled out of a Dumpster behind some
tech corporation are over.

Ted