[geeks] Cable Internet suggestions...?

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Thu, 5 Dec 2002, Andrew Weiss wrote:

> Am I better off buying a Cable/DSL Router (the Linksys 4 port switch
> flavor)... or should I just buy a PCI ethernet card for my G3 and use
> it as a router (I can do PPPoE in OS X if need be...

It's typically a Bad Idea for your NAT box to be one of your
workstations, if you're concerned about security.  I couldn't be happier
with using a SPARCclassic as a firewall.  I tossed in a Big Mac Ethernet
card, loaded NetBSD, and it Just Works.  Plus I can use it as a
web-cache to block those annoying pop-up ads and a nameserver so speed
up name resolution.

However, two friends of mine are quite happy with the little Linksys NAT
boxen.  They're not the most feature-rich devices in the world, and
certain late versions of the firmware are -exceptionally- dodgy, but, on
the whole, they work.  You won't be able to wedge a nameserver or pop-up
stopper on it, though. :)

-- 
Jonathan Patschke
  "Albert Einstein nailed space-time, but the wild thing had him stumped.
   Al, baby, two and two make five-and-a-quarter; that's why people fall
   in love." -- Thomas Dolby, "That's Why People Fall in Love"