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To: Ed Forrest who wrote (16109)	5/9/1999 3:57:00 PM
From: gridiron 99	Respond to of 41369

In the very near future, PC makers will ship out DSL-ready computers that have Network Interface Card, DSL modem, and DSL account pre-installed. I suspect that behind the scene, Steve Case has been working with PC makers on major deals so that the first message the consumer will see when he/she brings the system home is something like this: "WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIGN UP FOR DSL AOL SERVICE VIA YOUR PHONE COMPANY ?" If the consumer clicks YES, AOL will take care of everything, that is including contacting the local phone company. I found this article on the local newspaper, the Seattle Times, I thought you folks would enjoy it. seattletimes.com User Friendly Going online getting simpler on new PCs Simplicity is the current watchword for personal computer enhancement, and rightly so. Computers are still too hard to figure out and use. But those who thump the tub for simpler computing often forget that considerable progress has been made. One of the biggest leaps forward has been in an area of increasing significance: getting connected online. My initial online experience, 15-plus years ago, was a debacle of Jobian proportions. Configuring my first Hayes SmartModem required setting a series of tiny dip switches either up or down. As it so happened, the manual listed the wrong settings for my computer. It took me a couple of days to figure that out, and then it was a tedious process of trial and error to see what the correct settings were. Contrast that teeth-gnashing fiasco with my encounter a few weeks ago with Apple's new Macintosh G3. Because the G3 comes with an Ethernet connection pre-installed, and my high-speed DSL Internet account had already been set up, I simply plugged the Ethernet jack (a fat telephone connector) into the back of the G3 and I was rolling. Now Dell has taken the process a big step forward, offering a pre-installed DSL modem. When you order a Dimension XPS series PC, the Dell technician will tell you if your household qualifies for DSL - or digital subscriber line, the high-speed service offered by telephone companies - and give you a number to call to order service. Once you have DSL installed, you should be able to plug the Dell into the Internet as easily as plugging a lamp into a wall socket. Other PC makers are following suit. Compaq does not have Dell's custom database for determining whether you qualify for DSL. But it raises the bar in another way, offering a Presario 5600i with built-in home networking. Compaq will even sell you a second PC to network with, for an additional $929 (which includes a 17-inch monitor). This kind of automatic Internet configuration and hookup, a little-acknowledged innovation for which Microsoft paved the way with Windows 95, offers not only a simpler way of computing but the keys to enabling a whole raft of devices to plug into the Internet any time, anywhere. And home networking means you can run more than one computer off a high-speed connection, saving the cost of an additional account. (Dell's Web site has a white paper on the subject and indicates it will begin offering preconfigured network computers as well.) Dell supplied me with a screamer, an XPS T500 Pentium III 500 MHz, to test the DSL configuration process. As it turned out, I hit a slight speed bump. Although Dell had sent me a PC, I called its 800-WWW-DELL order line to test the DSL process. Because I already had DSL, I used my daughter and son-in-law's phone number for my inquiry into whether my phone line qualified. I had been told the response would take a minute or less. It took around five minutes, but my kids will be happy to know their Shoreline-area number does qualify. Plowing through voice-mail menus, determining the DSL qualification and ordering a computer took just under 12 minutes. So far, so good. The Dimension came with a standard telephone jack. The back of the computer had two jacks, one for the phone, the other marked "wall." I connected the line, booted up the computer and waited for the magic to appear. Nothing. Windows 98 was recognizing the hardware but would not establish a Net connection. After fiddling around with some settings that the average person should never have to see (winipcfg, dial-up networking, Windows logon), I gave up and called Dell. It turned out that the Dimension expected a PPP connection, the type that US West has been installing in new DSL accounts since the latter part of March. But my DSL account was installed last summer, when the default was what is called a "bridged" system. Dell had included the software for my type of account in the Dimension box. I quickly installed it, and was up and running. Without the glitch, I should have been able to plug the phone jack in and have instant Internet-on. But it is worth noting for "legacy" US West DSL customers that they should determine what kind of account they have before ordering a preconfigured setup from Dell (or other PC makers). With rates for DSL expected to drop soon, it would be a good idea to order your next PC as DSL-ready (the modem may add $50 to $80 to the cost). Getting online is one PC function that gets simpler as you go faster. Copyright © 1999 Seattle Times Company

To: Ed Forrest who wrote (16109)	5/10/1999 9:56:00 AM
From: larry	Respond to of 41369

Ed, I am not saying that cable needs a second telephone line. I am just saying that you can get much faster service at a very competitive price from T in the very near future. 44-46 bucks monthly for a combo service with ATHM cable service plus a second telephone line. You pay similar price for a slow AOL service plus a local second phone line. If T does roll out the service to 80% of the areas they cover by the end of the year, AOL and baby bells will be big losers assuming that they don't do anything. larry