[SunRescue] Real ISPs

[Dan Jameyson]

I've been shopping around for an at-home business DSL hookup for the
Institute. I'd agree, most business ISPs are not much better; from what
I've seen, some are many times worse.

For some stupid reason, business ISPs feel the need to supply and
control *everything* involving the network. You have to pay quite a bit
for this "support"... their support staff may know a bit about the kind
of generic setup most normal non-supertech businesses need, but when you
have a real problem involving your personal management of your network,
they will tell you that, had you followed their game plan, everything
would be working fine.

There are loads of good business ISPs out there, don't get me wrong, but
a vast majority of all ISPs, regardless of their marketing nitch, are
geared to bonehead start-bar dependent customers; this does yield higher
profit margins.

The astronomi-cap businesses have their t3s (etc.) and own IS
departments... the general commerce businesses lease all of their
network services... and the mom & pop shops have "web hosting". Sadly, I
don't see there being much of a market for the home brewed experts and
businessmen who demand control of their own little "real" networks.

Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but that's what I'm seeing; our good
buddy Scott McNealy may well be right... we're going to have to live
with Windows for the next 20 years if something doesn't happen. I don't
want my grandkids to even know what "Windows" was. :P

Dan