By Alan Gahtan - Home Page: http://gahtan.com/alan/ - October 17, 1994
You may have been hearing a lot about the Internet lately. There are so many service providers ready, willing and able to get you connected that it's hard to know what to look for. Here are some suggestions.
A number of different alternatives are available for connecting to the Internet. The first is a "shell" account where the caller uses a traditional communication program (such as Procomm or Crosstalk) to connect to a host computer on the Internet. Your PC effectively becomes a terminal to this host computer on the Internet.
A shell account is typically less expensive than other alternatives but has a number of limitations. You will only be able to utilize the Internet access tools available on the host computer and may need to learn cryptic UNIX commands. This is the type of connection is typically available from a University computer system or local Bulletin Board System which offers Internet connectivity.
An alternative popular with many experienced users of the Internet is to link up to an Internet service provider which can provide a full connection to the Internet. This is type of connection is commonly referred to as a Point-to-Point (PPP) or Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) connection. With this type of connection your PC becomes an actual part of the Internet. Any Internet access software available for your PC any be utilized. Commercial software is available as well as shareware or freeware versions which are provided by some service providers. If you run Windows on your PC then you can utilize many excellent Internet access software programs which provide a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). In fact, you can even run multiple programs at the same time so that you can be searching for information from the World Wide Web while simultaneously downloading documents or shareware software from an Internet archive site.
If you want the advantages of a graphical interface but don't need a direct connection to the Internet then another alternative is to select an Internet service provider which provides an integrated GUI-based communications program which can access the common Internet services you may be interested in.
Once you have selected a service provider based on the type of connection you want to obtain, you should ask a number of important questions. Query the proposed service provider on the number of dialup phone lines they provide in your local calling area and the ratio of users to these lines. Is the service provider committed to maintain certain ratio (lower is better)? If you are on the road often then you may want to consider a service provider which can provide local access dialup numbers in a number of major cities.
You should also quiz the potential service provider about the bandwidth of their connection to the Internet. You should make sure that the service provider's connection to the Internet does not become a bottleneck when multiple subscribers are all online at the same time. This is especially important when you are being provided with PPP/SLIP Internet access. A service provider's connection to the Internet will typically be between 56/64 kilobits per second (kps) and 1.4 million kps (also known as T1).
Enquire about the service provider's rates and usage plans. Most service providers charge a monthly fee for a specified number of hours. If you exceed these hours then some charge a lower hourly rate while others charge a higher hourly rate for the additional time. Generally speaking, you should expect to pay an hourly rate between fifty cents and three dollars per hour depending on your geographic location and the usage plan chosen. Don't forget to ask about setup charges, if any.
Lastly, find out what technical support is available from the service provider. Support will be even more important if you are a new user. Does the service provider has a technical support department you can call during business hours? After business hours? Is additional support available through e-mail, on-line forums or Usenet newsgroups?
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