[ale] Speaking of AT&T DSL

[Robert Reese]

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
On 12/12/2007 at 2:28 PM Daniel Kahn Gillmor wrote:

>On Wed 2007-12-12 09:47:59 -0500, Calvin Harrigan wrote:
>
>> That's good advice for any ISP.  Don't install their software!!!  If
>> you can't just setup DHCP and get net access it's time for a new
>> ISP.
>
>To be fair, requiring PPPoE or SLIP or something similar
>(standards-based, please!) is a reasonable requirement from an ISP
>these days as well.
>
>But yes: don't install the ISP's software!  I once saw a friend's web
>browser (IE, natch) completely re-branded as "$ISPNAME explorer" for
>years.

Probably Bellsouth or Earthlink.  Interestingly, back in the 90's I signed up with Mindspring solely because they didn't require any special software nor corrupt your computer in any way (unless you chose to).  Earthlink, OTOH, decided that everyone should be *strongly encouraged* do use their software and even went so far as to tell me they wouldn't give me support without their software.  Naturally, the issue I had at the time had no bearing on software problems.  It wasn't long afterward that I dumped them.



>Even after he dropped their service (i've mercifully forgotten
>the name of the culprit), he was still confronted with their little
>ads in the upper-right-hand corner of the browser.  blech.

Bummer, as that is a quick and easy 30-second fix.  Must not have bothered him much, as the fix isn't hard to find either.  Of course, that tells us the state of his operating system for all those years.  Frightening thought!

Cheers,
Robert~

------------------------------------------------------
   * Microsoft is NOT a standard. *
------------------------------------------------------

SIXIT Consulting
O: (478) 599-1301
Cell: 678-438-6955 or (478) 599-1300
Fax: 866-355-3720 (Toll-Free)

2907-I Watson Blvd
#308
Warner Robins, GA 31093-8535
United States