Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-28 Thread Ben Barrett 
If you go with Qwest, they do not need to know whether or not you use
MSN just be a custy, they don't give a spark about your
opinions...

~ben


On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 8:21 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I'm already getting FLAK for NOT using the prevailing MSN on Qwest.  Qwest
> farmed me out to a company called Pacnet.  When they called me to setup my
> service, because I was not with MSN, I flamed the tech because the phone
> dropped my internet (2.4 GHz clash of signal) during a tech help session.
>
> Qwest said nothing to me about who would be handling my services.  I tried
> to repair the relationship, but their based in Singapore with no toll free
> support phone number...shades of things to come!
>
> Could be a Comcast in my future after all.
>
> P.S. F'ing Tweekers!  You heard about the guy in Springfield that blew his
> legs off trying to empty a WWII Shell casing, recently.  WSJ did a article
> about Public Art being stolen!  I'm sick of them!
>
>
> On Fri, May 23, 2008 at 4:13 PM, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>
>> New twist against using copper lines for your phone or uplink:
>> tweakers have been ripping down phone lines to steal the copper, since
>> copper scrap is now (I think) $3/pound or more, stripped.  So
>> apparently a lot of folks in my neighborhood are without phone service
>> and some without internet.  I suppose they *may* replace it with fiber
>> to the curb, but I assure you this is not some stunt to increase my
>> neighborhood's bandwidth :)
>> One of my clients have been broken into numerous times now, by copper
>> thieves... one time they stole a thick connector bundle that was
>> probably $15 or $20 of copper, but cost the company almost $10K to
>> replace!
>>
>> Well, something else to think about, I suppose
>>
>>
>> On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 10:41 AM, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>> wrote:
>> > Yah, it is much better than having to sign on a new 2-year contract to
>> > get a deal on, say, a cellphone plan... I have had limited luck with
>> > the "I could switch" threat for bargaining with Comcast, although I
>> > think it did work in my favor at one point... ymmv
>> >
>> > On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 10:36 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> >> Now you tell me!  I'll look at that over time...
>> >>
>> >> On 5/22/08, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> >>> I don't think it has been mentioned in this thread, that Comcast will
>> >>> allow existing customers to get a promotion every 6 months... most of
>> >>> them are 3 months, so you can get a discounted half year more or less
>> >>> just by calling customer service biannually :)  Also with customer
>> >>> service in general, make sure they note any feedback you have in your
>> >>> account, as with such service.
>> >>>
>> >>> ~ben
>> >>>
>> > ...
>> >
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>
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-28 Thread BB 
I'm already getting FLAK for NOT using the prevailing MSN on Qwest.  Qwest
farmed me out to a company called Pacnet.  When they called me to setup my
service, because I was not with MSN, I flamed the tech because the phone
dropped my internet (2.4 GHz clash of signal) during a tech help session.

Qwest said nothing to me about who would be handling my services.  I tried
to repair the relationship, but their based in Singapore with no toll free
support phone number...shades of things to come!

Could be a Comcast in my future after all.

P.S. F'ing Tweekers!  You heard about the guy in Springfield that blew his
legs off trying to empty a WWII Shell casing, recently.  WSJ did a article
about Public Art being stolen!  I'm sick of them!


On Fri, May 23, 2008 at 4:13 PM, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> New twist against using copper lines for your phone or uplink:
> tweakers have been ripping down phone lines to steal the copper, since
> copper scrap is now (I think) $3/pound or more, stripped.  So
> apparently a lot of folks in my neighborhood are without phone service
> and some without internet.  I suppose they *may* replace it with fiber
> to the curb, but I assure you this is not some stunt to increase my
> neighborhood's bandwidth :)
> One of my clients have been broken into numerous times now, by copper
> thieves... one time they stole a thick connector bundle that was
> probably $15 or $20 of copper, but cost the company almost $10K to
> replace!
>
> Well, something else to think about, I suppose
>
>
> On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 10:41 AM, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> wrote:
> > Yah, it is much better than having to sign on a new 2-year contract to
> > get a deal on, say, a cellphone plan... I have had limited luck with
> > the "I could switch" threat for bargaining with Comcast, although I
> > think it did work in my favor at one point... ymmv
> >
> > On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 10:36 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >> Now you tell me!  I'll look at that over time...
> >>
> >> On 5/22/08, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >>> I don't think it has been mentioned in this thread, that Comcast will
> >>> allow existing customers to get a promotion every 6 months... most of
> >>> them are 3 months, so you can get a discounted half year more or less
> >>> just by calling customer service biannually :)  Also with customer
> >>> service in general, make sure they note any feedback you have in your
> >>> account, as with such service.
> >>>
> >>> ~ben
> >>>
> > ...
> >
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-27 Thread Michael DiSapio 
Ive had Vonage for almost 2 years now and have been VERY happy 
with it. unlimited calling to almost anywhere including all of north 
america, spain, italy, and goodness knows how many othr countries i 
probably will never call. got a Linksys BEFSR something router with 
vonage circuits built in, 29.95 a month not just a limited time special 
(which if i understand comcasts plan the rates increase after the first 
few months?)


> On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 11:19 PM, Mr O <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Promo stuff, 33,33,33 plan is for 12 months. $33 for net, $33
> > for extended cable or basic digital, $33 for voice which
> > probably includes some sort of long distance and other goodies
> > rolled in to make it competitive with a Qwest bundle.
> 
> Assuming that my service is the same as the plan you checked, it
> includes unlimited calling throughout Canada and, IIRC, the lower 48
> states of the U.S.
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-25 Thread marbux 
On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 11:19 PM, Mr O <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Promo stuff, 33,33,33 plan is for 12 months. $33 for net, $33
> for extended cable or basic digital, $33 for voice which
> probably includes some sort of long distance and other goodies
> rolled in to make it competitive with a Qwest bundle.

Assuming that my service is the same as the plan you checked, it
includes unlimited calling throughout Canada and, IIRC, the lower 48
states of the U.S.
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-23 Thread Ben Barrett 
New twist against using copper lines for your phone or uplink:
tweakers have been ripping down phone lines to steal the copper, since
copper scrap is now (I think) $3/pound or more, stripped.  So
apparently a lot of folks in my neighborhood are without phone service
and some without internet.  I suppose they *may* replace it with fiber
to the curb, but I assure you this is not some stunt to increase my
neighborhood's bandwidth :)
One of my clients have been broken into numerous times now, by copper
thieves... one time they stole a thick connector bundle that was
probably $15 or $20 of copper, but cost the company almost $10K to
replace!

Well, something else to think about, I suppose


On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 10:41 AM, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Yah, it is much better than having to sign on a new 2-year contract to
> get a deal on, say, a cellphone plan... I have had limited luck with
> the "I could switch" threat for bargaining with Comcast, although I
> think it did work in my favor at one point... ymmv
>
> On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 10:36 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> Now you tell me!  I'll look at that over time...
>>
>> On 5/22/08, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>> I don't think it has been mentioned in this thread, that Comcast will
>>> allow existing customers to get a promotion every 6 months... most of
>>> them are 3 months, so you can get a discounted half year more or less
>>> just by calling customer service biannually :)  Also with customer
>>> service in general, make sure they note any feedback you have in your
>>> account, as with such service.
>>>
>>> ~ben
>>>
> ...
>
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-22 Thread Ben Barrett 
Yah, it is much better than having to sign on a new 2-year contract to
get a deal on, say, a cellphone plan... I have had limited luck with
the "I could switch" threat for bargaining with Comcast, although I
think it did work in my favor at one point... ymmv

On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 10:36 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Now you tell me!  I'll look at that over time...
>
> On 5/22/08, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> I don't think it has been mentioned in this thread, that Comcast will
>> allow existing customers to get a promotion every 6 months... most of
>> them are 3 months, so you can get a discounted half year more or less
>> just by calling customer service biannually :)  Also with customer
>> service in general, make sure they note any feedback you have in your
>> account, as with such service.
>>
>> ~ben
>>
...
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-22 Thread BB 
Now you tell me!  I'll look at that over time...

On 5/22/08, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I don't think it has been mentioned in this thread, that Comcast will
> allow existing customers to get a promotion every 6 months... most of
> them are 3 months, so you can get a discounted half year more or less
> just by calling customer service biannually :)  Also with customer
> service in general, make sure they note any feedback you have in your
> account, as with such service.
>
> ~ben
>
>
> On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 8:45 AM, Mr O <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> Except you forgot the part where Comcast has NO contracts. Just
>> promotions. Fairly certain Qwest doesn't have contracts either.
>> Only Clearwire has a contract and you can't monkey their price
>> down. I can't honestly recommend their service anyway. I'd
>> rather be stuck on a 1.5 DSL than what they offer.
>>
>>
>> --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>  I wonder if there is any way to game them against one another
>>> prior to the signing of the contract. I use to do this as part
>>> of the negotiation process of acquiring a gym membership
>>> (their cost/profit ratio is so outrageous? as to allow for a
>>> great deal of flexibility in their membership prices...I
>>> suspect the same is true for phone companies and large ISPs).
>>>
>>>
>>> -Original Message-
>>> From: Mr O <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>> To: Eugene Unix and Gnu/Linux User Group 
>>> Sent: Wed, 21 May 2008 11:19 pm
>>> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP
>>> discussion
>>>
>>> Other worthwhile promo if you're not interested in voice or
>>> TV,
>>> visit broadbandoffers.com and get Comcast for $20 a month for
>>> 6
>>> months. NO contracts, free modem after rebate, and typically
>>> additional free goodie like $100 back or mp3 player.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ___
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-22 Thread Ben Barrett 
I don't think it has been mentioned in this thread, that Comcast will
allow existing customers to get a promotion every 6 months... most of
them are 3 months, so you can get a discounted half year more or less
just by calling customer service biannually :)  Also with customer
service in general, make sure they note any feedback you have in your
account, as with such service.

~ben


On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 8:45 AM, Mr O <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Except you forgot the part where Comcast has NO contracts. Just
> promotions. Fairly certain Qwest doesn't have contracts either.
> Only Clearwire has a contract and you can't monkey their price
> down. I can't honestly recommend their service anyway. I'd
> rather be stuck on a 1.5 DSL than what they offer.
>
>
> --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
>>
>>  I wonder if there is any way to game them against one another
>> prior to the signing of the contract. I use to do this as part
>> of the negotiation process of acquiring a gym membership
>> (their cost/profit ratio is so outrageous? as to allow for a
>> great deal of flexibility in their membership prices...I
>> suspect the same is true for phone companies and large ISPs).
>>
>>
>> -Original Message-
>> From: Mr O <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>> To: Eugene Unix and Gnu/Linux User Group 
>> Sent: Wed, 21 May 2008 11:19 pm
>> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP
>> discussion
>>
>> Other worthwhile promo if you're not interested in voice or
>> TV,
>> visit broadbandoffers.com and get Comcast for $20 a month for
>> 6
>> months. NO contracts, free modem after rebate, and typically
>> additional free goodie like $100 back or mp3 player.
>
>
>
>
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> http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-22 Thread Mr O 
Except you forgot the part where Comcast has NO contracts. Just
promotions. Fairly certain Qwest doesn't have contracts either.
Only Clearwire has a contract and you can't monkey their price
down. I can't honestly recommend their service anyway. I'd
rather be stuck on a 1.5 DSL than what they offer.


--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

> 
>  I wonder if there is any way to game them against one another
> prior to the signing of the contract. I use to do this as part
> of the negotiation process of acquiring a gym membership
> (their cost/profit ratio is so outrageous? as to allow for a
> great deal of flexibility in their membership prices...I
> suspect the same is true for phone companies and large ISPs).
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: Mr O <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: Eugene Unix and Gnu/Linux User Group 
> Sent: Wed, 21 May 2008 11:19 pm
> Subject: Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP
> discussion
>
> Other worthwhile promo if you're not interested in voice or
> TV,
> visit broadbandoffers.com and get Comcast for $20 a month for
> 6
> months. NO contracts, free modem after rebate, and typically
> additional free goodie like $100 back or mp3 player. 



  
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-22 Thread erock23175 

 I wonder if there is any way to game them against one another prior to the 
signing of the contract. I use to do this as part of the negotiation process of 
acquiring a gym membership (their cost/profit ratio is so outrageous? as to 
allow for a great deal of flexibility in their membership prices...I suspect 
the same is true for phone companies and large ISPs).


-Original Message-
From: Mr O <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Eugene Unix and Gnu/Linux User Group 
Sent: Wed, 21 May 2008 11:19 pm
Subject: Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion










With ZERO promotions it is about $55 a month for interwebs.
Basic cables starts at $13 which qualifies you for the $10
discount on internet. Not sure what digital voice goes for. 

Promo stuff, 33,33,33 plan is for 12 months. $33 for net, $33
for extended cable or basic digital, $33 for voice which
probably includes some sort of long distance and other goodies
rolled in to make it competitive with a Qwest bundle. 

Other worthwhile promo if you're not interested in voice or TV,
visit broadbandoffers.com and get Comcast for $20 a month for 6
months. NO contracts, free modem after rebate, and typically
additional free goodie like $100 back or mp3 player. 

That be all,
Mr O.

--- Bob Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> BB wrote:
> 
> > Thank for getting back to me, I finally got the REAL price
> for Comcast
> > service, forget it!  I'm looking into other options,
> probably DSL, who
> > knows I may crawl under the Dial-up rock :-o
> 
> Please elucidate.  What does Comcast really charge?
> 
> Thanks...
> 
> -- 
> Bob Miller  K
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> ___
> EUGLUG mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
> 



  
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-22 Thread BB 
the sales people pushed the notion of Broadband + phone bundle for $66
(first year introductory,) but after I got to the Technician who would
do the install it was 43 + 45 + 3 = $91 (+ $99 install.)  This was
after I stated "hey don't jerk me around, and just tell me what it
costs, longterm."

I ended up going with Qwest, but they were just as bad about hidden
cost, and misrepresenting the charges between different sales people.
Not to mention my run-in with MSN the last time I got DSL.

MSN smacked me with a $150 roaming charge on the first bill, though
all I had was a DSL land-line; I duked it out with idiotic call center
rep's for months, they seemed to be able to see less of my bill then I
could on-line.  I think that was just a dodge.  They kept offering me
a free month's service.  Finally I said "NO THANK YOU!"

Then I got a call a month later from a MSN rep, wanting to know why
the call center rep "let me off the hook!"  I feel sorry for those
people in the call centers; they must  be under a lot of pressure, to
make up for technical shortcomings!

For the record the Broadband speed is "you get what you pay for."
Quest's 1.5 Mbps for $33 is actually less of a deal then the Comcast
6 Mbps for $60.  I just didn't want to pay that much month to month.

I'm sure Comcast is the better service and the delivery system,
Co-axial vs phone wire is probably much more consistent.  Maybe I'll
switch when I start making some real money; if I live that long!



On 5/21/08, Bob Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> BB wrote:
>
>> Thank for getting back to me, I finally got the REAL price for Comcast
>> service, forget it!  I'm looking into other options, probably DSL, who
>> knows I may crawl under the Dial-up rock :-o
>
> Please elucidate.  What does Comcast really charge?
>
> Thanks...
>
> --
> Bob Miller  K
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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> http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread Mr O 
With ZERO promotions it is about $55 a month for interwebs.
Basic cables starts at $13 which qualifies you for the $10
discount on internet. Not sure what digital voice goes for. 

Promo stuff, 33,33,33 plan is for 12 months. $33 for net, $33
for extended cable or basic digital, $33 for voice which
probably includes some sort of long distance and other goodies
rolled in to make it competitive with a Qwest bundle. 

Other worthwhile promo if you're not interested in voice or TV,
visit broadbandoffers.com and get Comcast for $20 a month for 6
months. NO contracts, free modem after rebate, and typically
additional free goodie like $100 back or mp3 player. 

That be all,
Mr O.

--- Bob Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> BB wrote:
> 
> > Thank for getting back to me, I finally got the REAL price
> for Comcast
> > service, forget it!  I'm looking into other options,
> probably DSL, who
> > knows I may crawl under the Dial-up rock :-o
> 
> Please elucidate.  What does Comcast really charge?
> 
> Thanks...
> 
> -- 
> Bob Miller  K
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> ___
> EUGLUG mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
> 



  
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread Bob Miller 
BB wrote:

> Thank for getting back to me, I finally got the REAL price for Comcast
> service, forget it!  I'm looking into other options, probably DSL, who
> knows I may crawl under the Dial-up rock :-o

Please elucidate.  What does Comcast really charge?

Thanks...

-- 
Bob Miller  K
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread marbux 
On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 6:06 PM, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Wow, that makes having and using VoIP in the home VERY complicated and
> difficult!
> Where did "it just works" go?

No problems with Comcast telephony here for the last couple of years.
I had two considerations when I switched from POTS: [i] having one
bill to pay instead of two is a minor plus.; and [ii] I was not
pleased with the legacy attitude toward customers remaining in Qwest
from the Baby Bell era. State regulation of POTS rates was a system
all of the Baby Bells learned how to game. Boost your justifiable
expenses and you're still allowed the same percentage of profits, but
a larger total amount of profits. (That's an over-simplification but
captures the essence.) The rate payers are the victims. There's
nothing like real competition to break that cycle.

On the power outage issue, even with POTS, you'll need to plan for
power outages if you are using a phone with a wireless base that has
to be plugged into the power grid.

> Has anyone ever gone to a payphone when they need to make a call?

Mobile telephony has been blotting out pay phones at an escalating
rate. If you're depending on a particular pay phone for emergencies,
it would be wise to regularly check to see if it's made the hit list.

For folks with serious health issues, many insurers now pay for a
telephone connection for callbacks and a device you can wear around
your neck to summon assistance. One such service advertises on TV a
lot, Life Alert. If the service can't get an answer to a phone call
after the device is activated, they contact a designated neighbor to
check on the person, or if they can't raise the neighbor they call
local 911. We're the designated neighbor for a bed-ridden lady with
very serious health issues two doors down the street who has such a
service paid for by Oregon Health Plan.

> Has anyone else on this list actually had any of the outage or support
> problems Mike mentioned?
>
For me, not in the last couple of years, other than the Skype problem
with connections to Germany that could conceivably be the result of
Comcast nastiness.

Best regards,

Marbux
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread Ben Barrett 
Wow, that makes having and using VoIP in the home VERY complicated and
difficult!
Where did "it just works" go?
Has anyone ever gone to a payphone when they need to make a call?
Has anyone else on this list actually had any of the outage or support
problems Mike mentioned?

Well, they are good points and I'm sure they affect someone (other
than Mike), but not me.
I also wanted to speak up in defense of VoIP simply being the "cheap way".
My experience with VoIP is better than my experience with my prior POTS line,
even though I have no guarantee about my own uplink or the network
routes to my VoIP provider.
Maybe I just have cheap friends, or am a cheapo myself, but... well
here we are at a LUG, does that make us cheap and un-professional in
itself?
Gawsh, I feel so dirty.  :)   It's just not cost-effective for me to
shower thrice a day.

~ben


On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 4:44 PM, Michael Miller
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I have issues with replacing my POTS line with a VoIP provider.  The
> biggest is because Comcast is not regulated in the same way Qwest is
> for POTS service.  You will not get the same SLA and quality of
> service you receive with your POTS line.  If the power goes out now my
> phone still works if I plug a non-cordless phone into my home phone
> jack.  That is not true with a VoIP provider unless I have everything
> on my home network connected to UPS power.  The other issue I have is
> due to the lack of basic TCP/IP networking and VoIP knowledge the
> provider customer support representative may have. You may have to
> jump though one or two levels of support, to be told "yeah your ATA
> device is dead and we will have to ship you out a new one.".  The
> other problem is if your VoIP provider is not your Internet provider
> you may have a hard time getting your VoIP service to work.  Comcast
> has been accused of blocking VoIP traffic (
> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/02/139241 ) in the past.  Now
> you have to play "the finger pointing game" with your VoIP provider
> and your Internet provider.
>
> Another such issue which some PSTN providers run into ( You don't
> always hear about it when it happens, but it does happen. ) is network
> over subscription.  Phone companies monitor usage and try to add more
> capacity but some times this capacity can't be added quickly enough or
> not enough capacity is added.  This can lead to blocked or dropped
> calls or in the case of VoIP providers poor call quality.
>
> Now VoIP is a excellent service if you want cheap phone service or
> domestic and international long distance service.  It is also nice if
> you have a bunch of cheap friends who don't have long distance service
> ( domestic or international ) and you want to have a local number for
> them to call you.  I think if you are replacing your POTS line with
> VoIP service you might want to think about paying what ever it is for
> a basic phone line with no extra features and no long distance.  Just
> in case you need to make a call and your VoIP service is not
> available.  You could use a cell phone instead of a POTS line for
> backup.
>
> -Miller
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread Michael Miller 
I have issues with replacing my POTS line with a VoIP provider.  The
biggest is because Comcast is not regulated in the same way Qwest is
for POTS service.  You will not get the same SLA and quality of
service you receive with your POTS line.  If the power goes out now my
phone still works if I plug a non-cordless phone into my home phone
jack.  That is not true with a VoIP provider unless I have everything
on my home network connected to UPS power.  The other issue I have is
due to the lack of basic TCP/IP networking and VoIP knowledge the
provider customer support representative may have. You may have to
jump though one or two levels of support, to be told "yeah your ATA
device is dead and we will have to ship you out a new one.".  The
other problem is if your VoIP provider is not your Internet provider
you may have a hard time getting your VoIP service to work.  Comcast
has been accused of blocking VoIP traffic (
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/02/139241 ) in the past.  Now
you have to play "the finger pointing game" with your VoIP provider
and your Internet provider.

Another such issue which some PSTN providers run into ( You don't
always hear about it when it happens, but it does happen. ) is network
over subscription.  Phone companies monitor usage and try to add more
capacity but some times this capacity can't be added quickly enough or
not enough capacity is added.  This can lead to blocked or dropped
calls or in the case of VoIP providers poor call quality.

Now VoIP is a excellent service if you want cheap phone service or
domestic and international long distance service.  It is also nice if
you have a bunch of cheap friends who don't have long distance service
( domestic or international ) and you want to have a local number for
them to call you.  I think if you are replacing your POTS line with
VoIP service you might want to think about paying what ever it is for
a basic phone line with no extra features and no long distance.  Just
in case you need to make a call and your VoIP service is not
available.  You could use a cell phone instead of a POTS line for
backup.

-Miller
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread larry price 
The non-profit (OPN) still exists Jason would be the one to ask about that.

EFN was sold to EPUD in 2004 and has been there since. Chambers
manages the email and dialup connections for EPUD and there is another
contractor who does the webhosting end of their business.

It still amazaes me four years after the fact that an organization
devoted to helping people communicate manages to create so much
miscoommunication...



On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 10:26 AM, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Yes, the web site -- big whoop, anything new on it, any explanation of their
> status???  Oh, there is a blurb on the contact page, "EFN is owned and
> operated by Emerald People's Utility District, Eugene, Oregon.  If you have
> questions or comments please call us at (541) 746-1583 or email
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]"   What's this I've been hearing about Chambers?
> AFAIK, the non-profit organization is dissolved and EPUD is now providing
> the remaining services for Chambers Communication, a very NON-non-profit
> org.
> I do believe that Clif and Ray still get paid for maintaining some of those
> services.  You could just give your money to them.  Or to me :))
> This is not new news.  I searched via oregon.gov and found
> 03-18-2005 ADMINISTRATIVE DISSOLUTION 03-18-2005
> Check record # 744399 for that.  There is a new record for EFN under #
> 104154, started in '04.  sos.state.or.us can help for these...
> Wait, try these registry #'s in your search, I'm not sure what those first
> #'s are.  382369-80 (or 670101-82) inactive and 461889-83 (or 461889-83)
> active (owned by EPUD).
> Ray's name is on the EPUD-ammended registration, along with Bob Mieger.
>
> ~ben
>
>
> On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 9:56 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>
>> http://www.efn.org
>>
>> Ben Barrett wrote:
>>>
>>> EFN is gone, do you mean EFF?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 9:21 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>The Comcast sales pitch is what you would expect from
>>>corporate...short on details, and full of hidden cost.  I read in
>>>the WSJ that we're falling behind economically because we don't
>>>have Cheap Broad Internet, like Asia.
>>>
>>>I'm living on Dial-up at this time so I'm pretty fried.  I've
>>>decided that if I'm going to spend some money, I might as well
>>>throw it to some good, like EFN.  I'm still mulling it over...
>>>
>>>
>>
>> ___
>> EUGLUG mailing list
>> [email protected]
>> http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
>
>
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>
>
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread Ben Barrett 
Yes, the web site -- big whoop, anything new on it, any explanation of their
status???  Oh, there is a blurb on the contact page, "EFN is owned and
operated by Emerald People's Utility District, Eugene, Oregon.  If you have
questions or comments please call us at (541) 746-1583 or email
[EMAIL PROTECTED]<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>."
What's this I've been hearing about Chambers?
AFAIK, the non-profit organization is dissolved and EPUD is now providing
the remaining services for Chambers Communication, a very NON-non-profit
org.
I do believe that Clif and Ray still get paid for maintaining some of those
services.  You could just give your money to them.  Or to me :))
This is not new news.  I searched via oregon.gov and found
03-18-2005 ADMINISTRATIVE DISSOLUTION 03-18-2005Check record # 744399 for
that.  There is a new record for EFN under # 104154, started in '04.
sos.state.or.us can help for these...
Wait, try these registry #'s in your search, I'm not sure what those first
#'s are.  
382369-80(or
670101-82) inactive and
461889-83(or
461889-83) active (owned by EPUD).
Ray's name is on the EPUD-ammended registration, along with Bob Mieger.

~ben


On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 9:56 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <
[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> http://www.efn.org
>
> Ben Barrett wrote:
>
>> EFN is gone, do you mean EFF?
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 9:21 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > [EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote:
>>
>>The Comcast sales pitch is what you would expect from
>>corporate...short on details, and full of hidden cost.  I read in
>>the WSJ that we're falling behind economically because we don't
>>have Cheap Broad Internet, like Asia.
>>
>>I'm living on Dial-up at this time so I'm pretty fried.  I've
>>decided that if I'm going to spend some money, I might as well
>>throw it to some good, like EFN.  I'm still mulling it over...
>>
>>
>>
> ___
> EUGLUG mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
>
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread BB 
Well I looked up EFN on the net and they're mentioned as a Broadband
provider, then I called the number and Ray said he would be away from
his desk for the day!  Then I remembered why I ditched EFN before.  I
would like to support them but, I can't have a no-service shoes-string
setup.  Sorry guy's, maybe after a look talk with someone, I'll
comeback to that.

I settled on Quest, although I had a Major run in with MSN!  After
working over the Sales Rep with a Yellow Pages I finally got him to
confess that I didn't need to deal with MSN at all...

I'll see how it goes...


On 5/21/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> http://www.efn.org
>
> Ben Barrett wrote:
>> EFN is gone, do you mean EFF?
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 9:21 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> > wrote:
>>
>> The Comcast sales pitch is what you would expect from
>> corporate...short on details, and full of hidden cost.  I read in
>> the WSJ that we're falling behind economically because we don't
>> have Cheap Broad Internet, like Asia.
>>
>> I'm living on Dial-up at this time so I'm pretty fried.  I've
>> decided that if I'm going to spend some money, I might as well
>> throw it to some good, like EFN.  I'm still mulling it over...
>>
>>
>
> ___
> EUGLUG mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
>
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread [EMAIL PROTECTED] 

http://www.efn.org

Ben Barrett wrote:

EFN is gone, do you mean EFF?



On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 9:21 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> wrote:


The Comcast sales pitch is what you would expect from
corporate...short on details, and full of hidden cost.  I read in
the WSJ that we're falling behind economically because we don't
have Cheap Broad Internet, like Asia.

I'm living on Dial-up at this time so I'm pretty fried.  I've
decided that if I'm going to spend some money, I might as well
throw it to some good, like EFN.  I'm still mulling it over...




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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread Ben Barrett 
EFN is gone, do you mean EFF?



On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 9:21 AM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> The Comcast sales pitch is what you would expect from corporate...short on
> details, and full of hidden cost.  I read in the WSJ that we're falling
> behind economically because we don't have Cheap Broad Internet, like Asia.
>
> I'm living on Dial-up at this time so I'm pretty fried.  I've decided that
> if I'm going to spend some money, I might as well throw it to some good,
> like EFN.  I'm still mulling it over...
>
> TUX is coming to the Fair, so be ready for that, think I'll just show up in
> the daytime for the three days, leave the costume at the Doors of Expression
> Booth overnight.  After this Halloween party I'm going to donate him to the
> Country Fair.  So if you want to get in some Yuks, this summer via some
> YouTube gags, let me know.
>
>
...
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-21 Thread BB 
The Comcast sales pitch is what you would expect from corporate...short on
details, and full of hidden cost.  I read in the WSJ that we're falling
behind economically because we don't have Cheap Broad Internet, like Asia.

I'm living on Dial-up at this time so I'm pretty fried.  I've decided that
if I'm going to spend some money, I might as well throw it to some good,
like EFN.  I'm still mulling it over...

TUX is coming to the Fair, so be ready for that, think I'll just show up in
the daytime for the three days, leave the costume at the Doors of Expression
Booth overnight.  After this Halloween party I'm going to donate him to the
Country Fair.  So if you want to get in some Yuks, this summer via some
YouTube gags, let me know.


On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 4:05 PM, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> It is not $99?  What does their 3-way "$99" package come to with taxes &
> fees, anyway?
> And what is the [current] cost of their business service?
> I hope these questions are appropriate for the thread & the list...
>
> ~ben
>
>
>
> On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 3:58 PM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> Thank for getting back to me, I finally got the REAL price for Comcast
>> service, forget it!  I'm looking into other options, probably DSL, who
>> knows I may crawl under the Dial-up rock :-o
>>
>> On 5/20/08, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> > My VoIP keeps working when the local power goes out, so long as my UPS
>> holds
>> > up my networking equipment.
>> > I am registered with E911 as well, and they called me back since my
>> street
>> > address does not map well and they confirmed my physical home's location
>> > beyond my satisfaction (although thankfully I've never had to use the
>> > service yet, knock wood).
>> > So what else was missing or less-than-optimal with "normal" VoIP?  I
>> have a
>> > strong distaste for comcast's sideband implementation -- obviously it is
>> a
>> > good engineering choice for them, and also serves the vast majority of
>> the
>> > userland market... but I wanted a VoIP service I could use flexibly,
>> > re-route and reconfigure as I saw fit as a geek.  I *also* wanted
>> > something I could use out of the box, something reliable and not subject
>> to
>> > the mere whims of my late-night software reconfigurations.
>> >
>> > I have only had two or three minor instances of call quality degradation
>> > over the two years of service I've gotten, and my provider [ViaTalk] is
>> also
>> > asterisk-friendly and will allow flexible end-user options like
>> ring-through
>> > to a soft-phone while traveling, and so forth.  I'd love to get a
>> referral
>> > if anyone is going to sign up with ViaTalk, please contact me off-list.
>> > They have a free year deal for new customers which is quite a bargain.
>>  They
>> > ship a LinkSys Phone adaptor pre-configured, so you only need plug it
>> into
>> > your LAN and your POTS phone when it arrives :)
>> > There are a lot of other providers out there, and most of my info is
>> about 2
>> > years old since dropped my qworst line then, and have beenb happily
>> humming
>> > along ever since.
>> > I do remember seeing a fairly volatile VoIP market then, and suspect
>> that a
>> > big risk with any of many smaller providers is *still* whether they'll
>> be
>> > staying in business... so, points for Comcast and Skype there...
>> >
>> > Skype makes all the people I've suggested it to very happy, although it
>> > seems a bit inter-webby to me; however I've read a few interesting bits
>> > about plugins and re-routing of calls -- looks much easier than even the
>> > bootable gui'ed pbx/telephony distros, although 'doze-centric on the
>> > extensibility end when I had looked (~2 yrs ago?).
>> > For a lot of ("most") computer desktop users, the type of folks who have
>> a
>> > cellphone and either miss their home phone or want to ditch it, I think
>> > Skype with the $25/yr SkypeOut service is a good fit for the low-end...
>> they
>> > can call out to save their cell-plan minutes and/or for discounted
>> > international, and if they can learn to travel with a thumb drive and
>> > headset (I also plug portable firefox a lot).
>> >
>> > ~ben
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 2:38 PM, marbux <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> >
>> >> On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 10:47 AM, wes morgan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> >> > I have had the phone/internet/cable bundle for about 2 1/2 years and
>> no
>> >> > problems.
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >> Ditto for approximately the same amount of time, although I recall
>> >> some minor glitches when their Eugene area phone service was new. It
>> >> seems to be pretty stable now.
>> >>
>> >> The big advantages of Comcast telephony or a traditional POTS over
>> >> VOIP telephony are that that service (hopefully) doesn't go down when
>> >> the local electrical power system goes out and the 911 service is way
>> >> better, e.g., an open line can be quickly traced to a street address.
>> >>
>> >> As I understand

Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-20 Thread Ben Barrett 
It is not $99?  What does their 3-way "$99" package come to with taxes &
fees, anyway?
And what is the [current] cost of their business service?
I hope these questions are appropriate for the thread & the list...

~ben


On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 3:58 PM, BB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Thank for getting back to me, I finally got the REAL price for Comcast
> service, forget it!  I'm looking into other options, probably DSL, who
> knows I may crawl under the Dial-up rock :-o
>
> On 5/20/08, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > My VoIP keeps working when the local power goes out, so long as my UPS
> holds
> > up my networking equipment.
> > I am registered with E911 as well, and they called me back since my
> street
> > address does not map well and they confirmed my physical home's location
> > beyond my satisfaction (although thankfully I've never had to use the
> > service yet, knock wood).
> > So what else was missing or less-than-optimal with "normal" VoIP?  I have
> a
> > strong distaste for comcast's sideband implementation -- obviously it is
> a
> > good engineering choice for them, and also serves the vast majority of
> the
> > userland market... but I wanted a VoIP service I could use flexibly,
> > re-route and reconfigure as I saw fit as a geek.  I *also* wanted
> > something I could use out of the box, something reliable and not subject
> to
> > the mere whims of my late-night software reconfigurations.
> >
> > I have only had two or three minor instances of call quality degradation
> > over the two years of service I've gotten, and my provider [ViaTalk] is
> also
> > asterisk-friendly and will allow flexible end-user options like
> ring-through
> > to a soft-phone while traveling, and so forth.  I'd love to get a
> referral
> > if anyone is going to sign up with ViaTalk, please contact me off-list.
> > They have a free year deal for new customers which is quite a bargain.
>  They
> > ship a LinkSys Phone adaptor pre-configured, so you only need plug it
> into
> > your LAN and your POTS phone when it arrives :)
> > There are a lot of other providers out there, and most of my info is
> about 2
> > years old since dropped my qworst line then, and have beenb happily
> humming
> > along ever since.
> > I do remember seeing a fairly volatile VoIP market then, and suspect that
> a
> > big risk with any of many smaller providers is *still* whether they'll be
> > staying in business... so, points for Comcast and Skype there...
> >
> > Skype makes all the people I've suggested it to very happy, although it
> > seems a bit inter-webby to me; however I've read a few interesting bits
> > about plugins and re-routing of calls -- looks much easier than even the
> > bootable gui'ed pbx/telephony distros, although 'doze-centric on the
> > extensibility end when I had looked (~2 yrs ago?).
> > For a lot of ("most") computer desktop users, the type of folks who have
> a
> > cellphone and either miss their home phone or want to ditch it, I think
> > Skype with the $25/yr SkypeOut service is a good fit for the low-end...
> they
> > can call out to save their cell-plan minutes and/or for discounted
> > international, and if they can learn to travel with a thumb drive and
> > headset (I also plug portable firefox a lot).
> >
> > ~ben
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 2:38 PM, marbux <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> >> On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 10:47 AM, wes morgan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >> > I have had the phone/internet/cable bundle for about 2 1/2 years and
> no
> >> > problems.
> >> >
> >>
> >> Ditto for approximately the same amount of time, although I recall
> >> some minor glitches when their Eugene area phone service was new. It
> >> seems to be pretty stable now.
> >>
> >> The big advantages of Comcast telephony or a traditional POTS over
> >> VOIP telephony are that that service (hopefully) doesn't go down when
> >> the local electrical power system goes out and the 911 service is way
> >> better, e.g., an open line can be quickly traced to a street address.
> >>
> >> As I understand the situation, VOIP can still leave you in the lurch
> >> when you need it most, a deciding factor for one who has reached the
> >> stage of his life when the ability to rapidly summon ambulance service
> >> at any time is an important consideration.
> >>
> >> I've tried Skype, but found it frustrating because of fluctuating
> >> volume and rapid decay of audio when a friend in Germany I frequently
> >> need to work with is patched into a 3-way or larger number of
> >> participating nodes. I have no idea whether such problems are common
> >> to VOIP in general, but I decided that email or chat were far less
> >> frustrating to me for such purposes. .
> >>
> >> Best regards,
> >>
> >> Marbux
> >> ___
> >> EUGLUG mailing list
> >> [email protected]
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> >>
> >
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-20 Thread BB 
Thank for getting back to me, I finally got the REAL price for Comcast
service, forget it!  I'm looking into other options, probably DSL, who
knows I may crawl under the Dial-up rock :-o

On 5/20/08, Ben Barrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> My VoIP keeps working when the local power goes out, so long as my UPS holds
> up my networking equipment.
> I am registered with E911 as well, and they called me back since my street
> address does not map well and they confirmed my physical home's location
> beyond my satisfaction (although thankfully I've never had to use the
> service yet, knock wood).
> So what else was missing or less-than-optimal with "normal" VoIP?  I have a
> strong distaste for comcast's sideband implementation -- obviously it is a
> good engineering choice for them, and also serves the vast majority of the
> userland market... but I wanted a VoIP service I could use flexibly,
> re-route and reconfigure as I saw fit as a geek.  I *also* wanted
> something I could use out of the box, something reliable and not subject to
> the mere whims of my late-night software reconfigurations.
>
> I have only had two or three minor instances of call quality degradation
> over the two years of service I've gotten, and my provider [ViaTalk] is also
> asterisk-friendly and will allow flexible end-user options like ring-through
> to a soft-phone while traveling, and so forth.  I'd love to get a referral
> if anyone is going to sign up with ViaTalk, please contact me off-list.
> They have a free year deal for new customers which is quite a bargain.  They
> ship a LinkSys Phone adaptor pre-configured, so you only need plug it into
> your LAN and your POTS phone when it arrives :)
> There are a lot of other providers out there, and most of my info is about 2
> years old since dropped my qworst line then, and have beenb happily humming
> along ever since.
> I do remember seeing a fairly volatile VoIP market then, and suspect that a
> big risk with any of many smaller providers is *still* whether they'll be
> staying in business... so, points for Comcast and Skype there...
>
> Skype makes all the people I've suggested it to very happy, although it
> seems a bit inter-webby to me; however I've read a few interesting bits
> about plugins and re-routing of calls -- looks much easier than even the
> bootable gui'ed pbx/telephony distros, although 'doze-centric on the
> extensibility end when I had looked (~2 yrs ago?).
> For a lot of ("most") computer desktop users, the type of folks who have a
> cellphone and either miss their home phone or want to ditch it, I think
> Skype with the $25/yr SkypeOut service is a good fit for the low-end... they
> can call out to save their cell-plan minutes and/or for discounted
> international, and if they can learn to travel with a thumb drive and
> headset (I also plug portable firefox a lot).
>
> ~ben
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 2:38 PM, marbux <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 10:47 AM, wes morgan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> > I have had the phone/internet/cable bundle for about 2 1/2 years and no
>> > problems.
>> >
>>
>> Ditto for approximately the same amount of time, although I recall
>> some minor glitches when their Eugene area phone service was new. It
>> seems to be pretty stable now.
>>
>> The big advantages of Comcast telephony or a traditional POTS over
>> VOIP telephony are that that service (hopefully) doesn't go down when
>> the local electrical power system goes out and the 911 service is way
>> better, e.g., an open line can be quickly traced to a street address.
>>
>> As I understand the situation, VOIP can still leave you in the lurch
>> when you need it most, a deciding factor for one who has reached the
>> stage of his life when the ability to rapidly summon ambulance service
>> at any time is an important consideration.
>>
>> I've tried Skype, but found it frustrating because of fluctuating
>> volume and rapid decay of audio when a friend in Germany I frequently
>> need to work with is patched into a 3-way or larger number of
>> participating nodes. I have no idea whether such problems are common
>> to VOIP in general, but I decided that email or chat were far less
>> frustrating to me for such purposes. .
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Marbux
>> ___
>> EUGLUG mailing list
>> [email protected]
>> http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
>>
>
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Re: [Eug-lug] Help me before I Comcast! VoIP discussion

2008-05-20 Thread Ben Barrett 
My VoIP keeps working when the local power goes out, so long as my UPS holds
up my networking equipment.
I am registered with E911 as well, and they called me back since my street
address does not map well and they confirmed my physical home's location
beyond my satisfaction (although thankfully I've never had to use the
service yet, knock wood).
So what else was missing or less-than-optimal with "normal" VoIP?  I have a
strong distaste for comcast's sideband implementation -- obviously it is a
good engineering choice for them, and also serves the vast majority of the
userland market... but I wanted a VoIP service I could use flexibly,
re-route and reconfigure as I saw fit as a geek.  I *also* wanted
something I could use out of the box, something reliable and not subject to
the mere whims of my late-night software reconfigurations.

I have only had two or three minor instances of call quality degradation
over the two years of service I've gotten, and my provider [ViaTalk] is also
asterisk-friendly and will allow flexible end-user options like ring-through
to a soft-phone while traveling, and so forth.  I'd love to get a referral
if anyone is going to sign up with ViaTalk, please contact me off-list.
They have a free year deal for new customers which is quite a bargain.  They
ship a LinkSys Phone adaptor pre-configured, so you only need plug it into
your LAN and your POTS phone when it arrives :)
There are a lot of other providers out there, and most of my info is about 2
years old since dropped my qworst line then, and have beenb happily humming
along ever since.
I do remember seeing a fairly volatile VoIP market then, and suspect that a
big risk with any of many smaller providers is *still* whether they'll be
staying in business... so, points for Comcast and Skype there...

Skype makes all the people I've suggested it to very happy, although it
seems a bit inter-webby to me; however I've read a few interesting bits
about plugins and re-routing of calls -- looks much easier than even the
bootable gui'ed pbx/telephony distros, although 'doze-centric on the
extensibility end when I had looked (~2 yrs ago?).
For a lot of ("most") computer desktop users, the type of folks who have a
cellphone and either miss their home phone or want to ditch it, I think
Skype with the $25/yr SkypeOut service is a good fit for the low-end... they
can call out to save their cell-plan minutes and/or for discounted
international, and if they can learn to travel with a thumb drive and
headset (I also plug portable firefox a lot).

~ben




On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 2:38 PM, marbux <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> On Tue, May 20, 2008 at 10:47 AM, wes morgan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > I have had the phone/internet/cable bundle for about 2 1/2 years and no
> > problems.
> >
>
> Ditto for approximately the same amount of time, although I recall
> some minor glitches when their Eugene area phone service was new. It
> seems to be pretty stable now.
>
> The big advantages of Comcast telephony or a traditional POTS over
> VOIP telephony are that that service (hopefully) doesn't go down when
> the local electrical power system goes out and the 911 service is way
> better, e.g., an open line can be quickly traced to a street address.
>
> As I understand the situation, VOIP can still leave you in the lurch
> when you need it most, a deciding factor for one who has reached the
> stage of his life when the ability to rapidly summon ambulance service
> at any time is an important consideration.
>
> I've tried Skype, but found it frustrating because of fluctuating
> volume and rapid decay of audio when a friend in Germany I frequently
> need to work with is patched into a 3-way or larger number of
> participating nodes. I have no idea whether such problems are common
> to VOIP in general, but I decided that email or chat were far less
> frustrating to me for such purposes. .
>
> Best regards,
>
> Marbux
> ___
> EUGLUG mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
>
___
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