Reflections of a ModemJunkie
                       by Leonard Grossman

     There have been a few changes around here- new machine..
Windows..and at last--TA DAAA-  full access to the Internet.  What
more could I ask for besides someone to pay for my next meal? 

     Actually, there's a lot I could ask for.  The new machine
isn't that screamin' 486 but a used 386 DX 40 from a pawnshop.  I
was torn between a custom, solid, reliable machine put together by
Howard Frank and a bargain basement job from a boiler room in the
Loop when I heard the springs pop in our 25 year old king size bed. 
Would you believe Field's had a sale on that day?  So with the
better part of a thousand bucks less to spend, I happened to pass
by my favorite pawn shop.  (My only previous purchase there had
been a camera for $75.) There on the counter was a bargain, indeed. 
If it worked.  It wasn't a screamer--but it would run Windows.   If
it would anything at all.  I won't repeat here what my wife said
when I told her what I had done. 

     I'll spare you the gory details,  but after a day or so of
torn hair and self recrimination and the infinite patience and know
how of Ron Black and Ed Nelson (not necessarily in that order) it
was up and running.  Thanks also to Vic Radin, who helped smooth
the agony of reconfiguring Windows and to Peter Hru and Frank
Delattre, who, when they stopped laughing, explained what I had
done wrong when I examined the SIMMs and the machine wouldn't
reboot.  It's amazing how much you can learn through adversity.  

     Now I was ready-- a quick call to InterAccess and a week later
I had a couple of floppy disks with their Plug 'n' Play Internet
package.  I eagerly tried to install it only to discover a new set
of error messages (the joy of upgrading to DOS 6.x).  The disks
were defective.  A few calls to InterAccess yielded new disks and
an agreement to delay the start of my trial period.  Another half
an hour and WOW!! SHAZAAAM!!  FULL ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION
HIGHWAY!! (I even found a .gif of Al Gore on the Web.)

     What are you going to do with it?  That's the question I've
heard most often and one I now have to confront.  The capabilities
are amazing.  But, I'm not an academician or a researcher. I spend
lots of time online but I don't have unlimited time.  With free
internet mail on Syslink, one of the most important Internet
functions is redundant.  Using Veronica was fun.  Retrieving info
from Pisa, Italy, when the University of Minnesota was down was
impressive.  On weekends, though, most servers are too busy to get
through. The World Wide WEB is fascinating but not very helpful in
real life.  And, as I'll discuss below, very slow.  So, frankly,
I'm underwhelmed at the moment.

     Oh, BTW, I mentioned I didn't buy a screamer but I thought my
14,400 modem would be adequate for at least awhile.  But the
Windows interface transfers so many graphics that I've had to learn
patience all over again.  28,800 might not be fast enough.  The Web
screens are pretty, but many of the .gifs transferred are
unnecessary and merely slow down the process. But that goes back to
my major objection to Windows--why use pictures (and resources)
when words will do.

     So, where do I go from here.  Do I keep InterAccess at
$28.00/mo. for unlimited access or do I switch to MCS which has a
slightly higher monthly rate for unlimited access but has an
alternative plan--$10.00/mo. for 10 hours and $1.00/hr. after that. 
I'd have to be on line almost an hour a day to make the InterAccess
rate worth while.  MCS's $10.00 rate will reward me for limiting my
use.  There are other issues as well: I hear rumors about
censorship on MCS.  But do I really need to read alt.sex.*.*?

     I'll let you know my choice next month.  Meanwhile, tomorrow
I'm off to Computer Central to by more RAM.  This machine ain't
screamin'...but maybe I can stop the groans. 

leonard.grossman@syslink.mcs.com
Copyrightleonard Grossman 1994