Re: Getting to the internet

[Gil Andre <gandre@arkeia.com>]

Charles,

On Sat, 25 May 2002 05:48:37 -0500, charles wrote:
> hi listers, ok I have a question here. I don't understand why isps wouldn't 
> alow linux use.  after regardless of what os we use arn't they just a 
> passthrew to the net. I don't understand?
> thanks alot

Really, really really quick answer: Most ISPs suck.
<grin>

Really quick answer: Windows = +/- 98% of all PC. Why
support an OS that only interests 2% of all possible
clients?

Quick answer: they don't want to support Linux, because
Linux, being more advanced than Windows, is harder to
support and requires better-trained (read: better-paid)
tech support personnel.

Long answer: It's a question of economies of scale. And
control. Windows is the most prevalent OS, some even say
it is the "standard" operating system for PCs. Therefore,
this system is well-known, it is pretty well maintained,
and you can find hundreds of people who know it well
enough to be able to help clueless clients.

Since it's well known, it's also possible to work around
its quirks and bugs. Since it is a "standard", this means
your clients will always be able to find adequate software
to do most anything on the Internet.

Finally, a lot of software is available to limit the
bandwidth usage of each and every client. This is very
useful, especially for high-speed ISPs, who don't want
to have clients who network 16 computers and put them
all on the Internet using a single cable/DSL line.

All in all, it all comes down to this: if your ISP
supports Macintosh, Linux, BSD, Windows, whatever,
you can say that it's a little bit above the rest.
If it's a Windows-onl shop, it sucks. Period. To be
able to support multiple OS is a sure sign of technical
knowledge. Then there is the quality of service which
is offered to the clients, but that's another story...
<grin>

Regards,


-- 

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