How to Get Connected

by James M. Ennes, Jr.

In looking for an Internet service, as with most things in life, easiest or cheapest is not necessarily best. Sometimes it’s wisest to settle for what works.

The three big “proprietary” Internet services”—Prodigy, Compuserve and America Online—may not be the fastest or best way to reach the Internet, but they are all readily available, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use.

The three services are slugging it out in a fight for survival. As a result, prices are getting better and the services they offer are expanding.

For years these services have offered a few hours of connect time for a small basic fee. Exceed the few “free” hours and the price escalated to about $3 per hour. That never made sense, as it penalized the best customers. Heavy users sometimes found themselves paying $200 per month and more for the service.

Along came the small, usually independent, “full-service” Internet service providers (ISPs) like Halcyon, Olypen, Westnet, Earthlink and hundreds of others, usually offering unlimited connect time for as little as $20 per month.

Some of these, such as AT&T World Net, are huge. Others, like tiny OlyPen on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, are essentially one-person operations operating out of a closet in the back room of a real estate office. Suddenly, the big three were in trouble.

The huge proprietary services are easy to set up. A call to an 800 number brings the software, free, by regular mail. Another call and a friendly technician guides you through the setup process.

Once installed, the services provide ready access to e-mail, chat, reference, software downloads, technical forums, stock price updates, specialized databases, and other things within the system, plus Internet and World Wide Web service outside of the proprietary system.

The smaller services tend to be less userfriendly. They usually offer little more than direct access to the Internet. They cater to more experienced computer users who already have or know how to get the necessary software and can understand the often-difficult setup procedures.

These smaller ISPs tend to be faster and, until recently, less expensive for most users. Because they are small, they are often eager to please and easier to reach when you need help. They also usually offer flexibility not available from the big services, such as the ability to use software of your choosing.

The ISPs have no need to provide their own special services. ISP users can find anything they want on the Internet.

Now many of the distinctions are disappearing. The proprietary services now offer World Wide Web access using a version of either Netscape or Microsoft’s Explorer software. Each is fighting fiercely to hold or improve its position.

•The clear leader at this time is America Online (AOL), which claims to have 7 million subscribers. AOL, the first to see the light, recently dropped its price to $19.95 for unlimited connect time and as low as $5 for limited service.

A phone call to (800) 827-6364 will bring free software by mail with a free 50-hour, one-month trial. AOL also allows members to use a special version of the popular Netscape browser in place of its own adequate but limited proprietary browser.

•Prodigy recently met AOL’s challenge, also offering unlimited connect time for $19.95 and lower rates for limited use. A call to (800) PRODIGY will bring free software and a 30-day free trial.

Prodigy users may use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser program.

•Compuserve offers a 30-day free trial and thereafter charges $9.95 for five hours plus $2.95 each for additional hours, or 20 hours for $24.95. Compuserve users may use Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. For free software call (800) 524-3388.

•Among the larger national direct access services is Netcom, also offering unlimited connect time for $19.95 and unlimited trial time the first month for $5. For free software call (800) 638-2661. Use any browser software of your choosing.

•Even AT&T now offers direct Internet service, five hours a month free for the first year for AT&T customers, and unlimited connect time for $19.95. For free software call (800) 400-1447.

Before calling any of those numbers, however, ask a friend who is already using the service. Most services offer benefits to members who bring friends. Stay with AOL for 90 days, for instance, and the friend who referred you gets a check for $20.

My personal preference, however, is to find a small, local Internet service provider that can provide a direct Internet connection without all the software overhead and inherent delays of a huge proprietary service. Check your local newspaper or ask any computer retailer for a phone number.

What Hardware is Required?

Most Internet services suggest a machine with a 386 or higher processor, SVGA color monitor, 8MB RAM and at least a 14.4 kbps modem for minimum performance. A 486 or Pentium machine with 28.8 kbps modem is usually more satisfactory.

A More Cautious Start

For a more cautious entry to cyberspace, call 1 (800) 654-5866 for a free copy of the Juno e-mail program. No cost. No obligation. No Internet service is required. Just install the software in any 386 or better computer running Windows. Then let your computer call the Juno service to send e-mail anywhere in the world, usually using a local phone number in your area.

Until recently, Juno provided toll-free service for the rest of America not served by local Juno numbers. That stopped the first week of January. But even for callers who must make a toll call, the connections are fast—usually a minute or less—allowing exchange of several messages for much less than the price of a postage stamp.

What’s the catch? None. Juno displays small banner ads in a corner of the screen while you read your mail. The ads cover all the costs.

The Changing Face of Cyberspace

•Jerusalem Net by E-mail: A new mailing list offers a forum for news and discussion concerning the status of Jerusalem. To subscribe, send e-mail to Majordomo@palgate.com with “subscribe jerusalem.net” in the text. To unsubscribe, place “unsubscribe jerusalem.net” in the text. To send public mail to the full newslist, address your mail to jerusalem-net@palgate.com

•E-mail access to the World Wide Web: Curious about the World Wide Web but lack access or the necessary hardware? That’s no problem. Address e-mail to agora@lanic.utexas.edu, leave the subject blank, and specify a Web site address in the text in the form “SEND (URL)”, for instance, “SEND http://www.birzeit.edu”. Up to ten URLs can be listed in each message.

In a few seconds you will receive an e-mail message from Agora containing the text of the Web site specified in your message. Appended will be a list of all URLs named in the site, limited only by size limitations of your e-mail reader.

For more about the Agora service, send e-mail to agora@lanic.utexas.edu with the word HELP in the text.

•Point Communications: Said to be the hottest item in the Internet is the Pointcast News Service which sends daily news reports in a customizable format to more than 2-million computers daily, totally without charge.

Pointcast invites users to specify the news and information they wish to see and which publications they wish to read. Available are CNN News reports, several major newspapers and magazines including WIRED, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, custom weather and stock reports and sports scores.

Download the free software from http://www.pointcast.com. Once installed, the news you wish to see is updated in your machine as often as you specify.

•E-mail fax service from Faxaway: Visit http://www.faxaway.com for a cost-cutting service that provides delivery of e-mail to fax machines anywhere in the world. A typical one-page fax is delivered in less than a minute. Typical domestic charges are about 20 cents per page. The first usage is free and the first $5 in charges is waived. To sign up by telephone, call 1 (800) 906-4329.

New Web Sites

The Morris and Morris “Political Risk and Crisis Mitigating Consulting Service” at http://www.morris2x.com offers many useful Middle East Links. Among American Middle East organizations they link to:

•http://www.washington-report.org American Educational Trust

• http://cni.mynet.net Council for the National Interest (CNI)

•http://www.cafearabica.com/ Cafe Arabica, Arab-American Online Community

•http://www.steele.com/naaa/ National Association of Arab Americans

• http://www.cair.com Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

•http://www.mepc.org/ Middle East Policy Council