Access

Getting on-line has really changed since I got my first computer in 1994. Web browsers have many more functions and continue to improve. Computer manufacturers and retailers offer internet package deals with purchases.  Free internet services supported by advertising came & went - only a few remain.  Most people want the high-speed access that you can get with cable modem, DSL and satellite broadband, but these can be costly. Once cable modem came to our area, we set up a home network - which actually costs less than what we were paying for 2 ISPs and a 2nd phone line. And we can all be on-line at the same time.

 Internet Provider Reviews

• AOL - when I tried AOL in 1994, I hated it. Used my free month and immediately cancelled. I tried it again in 1997 and found a much improved service. It's very good for beginners - easy to use, with generally stable connections. I outgrew it.
• Cablemodem - Comcast, Road Runner, Adelphia, and  Cox are the major cablemodem providers that I know of.  Cablespeed  is my provider.
• Compuserve - is the oldest continuously running internet provider - and still offers support for DOS.  It was the first place I tried out chat - in their old CB simulator. I also tried the short-lived WOW service.  AOL bought Compuserve and continues to provide the service. Their forums are now open to the web.
• Juno - Free Juno limited to 10 hours per month, and also offers discount plans without the ads. Juno started out as an e-mail only service.
• MSN - MSN has open content - an excellent portal, chat, and groups. Through sheer persistence, they became a major ISP.
• NetCom - was my first true ISP. It came with it's own browser, but Netscape and Internet Explorer became very popular at that time. It had irc, telnet and also things I don't hear about anymore like Archie and Gopher. NetCom has since merged with - Earthlink
• NetZero - Limited to 10 hours per month free, with discount plans to remove the ad bar.  NetZero & Juno are both the same company - United Online.
• Prodigy - This was the very first on-line service I tried. I liked the organization, ease of use, great content and especially the Bulletin Boards. Prodigy Classic's old programming language limited web browsing to a small proprietary browser that did not provide the capabilities available with Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer. The Classic service, which was once #1, shut down in October 1999. I was part of the beta test  for Prodigy Internet in 1996-97, and remained a happy customer for a long time. Prodigy was bought out by SBC Communications in Nov. 2001, and was replaced by SBC Yahoo, then merged with AT&T Worldnet - offering both Dial & DSL. In the process, they closed down my favorite Prodigy feature - the Communities & BBs in 2003.
• Verizon - offers both Dial-up and DSL.  Verizon is the main DSL provider in my area.  They have a pretty good offer, but I'm happy with my cablemodem. It seems that ISPs have quietly switched their own DSL services to partnerships with the phone companies.