Re: Getting to the internet

[Gil Andre <gandre@arkeia.com>]

Hi Walter,

On Thu, 23 May 2002 09:38:24 -0400, Weber wrote:
> Hi Gil,
> 
>    Wow! it looks like there's enough reading on the sites you mentioned to
> fill my spare time until I get that PC.

Yes, there is a lot of documentation to read on Linux...
<grin>. That's one of the good sides of Linux and other
"free" systems: whatever your problem, you can be sure
there is someone else who has exactly the same problem
and who has found a way to work around it...

If you'd like even *more* information, you can also
read the "man" (Manual) pages of the Linux system 
online. You can do this from the excellent online
"man" system of FreeBSD, at the following address:

http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?manpath=linux

>    Thanks for taking the time [...]

You are welcome!

>    One more small question: when I search for an ISP which will accept Linux
> users, am I asking for a "shell account" or something else?

Well, as far as I know, not a lot of ISPs offer shell
accounts anymore. Those that do offer shell accounts
usually restrict very severely the number of programs
you have access to (lynx/pine and that's about it).

Since your needs may not always be solved by the type
of programs offered by the ISP, I think it's probably
better to search for an ISP that accepts Linux users
and provides good configuration instructions. Once the
connection have been successfully, you are then free
to use the software of your choice, not the one that
was selected by the ISP.

Plus, having a shell account means, basically, that 
all your files and software resides on the ISP server
and not on your own computer. While this may be the
best solution in some cases, it can be severely 
limiting, especially if you are trying to learn Linux.

Shell accounts, for all I know, are a step back to
the "good old times", when the only way to access a
computer was through a terminal. What's the point of
buying a "real" PC to use as some sort of glorified
terminal? <grin>

Hope this helps!

Best Regards,

-- 

Gil Andre          gandre@arkeia.com
         Technical Writer
Arkeia Corp.   http://www.arkeia.com