[ale] Comcast preventing Linux on wireless router modems?

[William Witt]

Daniel Howard wrote:
> I got a call last nite from a teacher I'd given an Ubuntu PC for her 
> kids to use at home.  The Comcast guy was there installing a cablemodem 
> router with wireless and they were having trouble getting the Ubuntu PC 
> on the network, something about the router reporting "This OS not 
> supported."  I've hung Linux PCs off of cablemodems for years now w/o 
> problems, is there something new Comcast Atlanta could be doing to 
> prevent Linux OS PCs?
>
> Best,
> Daniel
>
>   
We got Comcast recently after our local company was bought out.  Once 
the modem is set up but before the modems MAC has been added to 
Comcast's system,  any attempt to browse the web is met with a Comcast 
registration page.  I guess this is so the tech can register the MAC 
without having to call back.   This page does user agent detection and I 
was able to spoof around it enough to find a .exe on the other side for 
registration.  Calling customer service took care of it fairly quickly 
once I got to talk to a geek.  It was complicted by the fact that they 
switched me in the middle of the night without prior knowledge.  I just 
woke up one morning and no internet and Comcast on the TV.

Will