For fear of starting another 4 Yorkshiremen thread, when I started using the internet at Uni in 1996 I paid $1 a megabyte.
I've been using an external Uni account for 3 years now and it's cost me bugger all. The price can't be beaten. It must stop people abusing the system too. 5 months worth of heavy email, average dialup and casual web-browsing might set me back $40 at the most. Remember that an external account costs twice as much as a student one (or it used to).
Only problem is, as an external user, you don't get some features of other ISPs. For example, no web space, no game servers and a bit of a run-around when you ask sticky questions (so what's new).
Unusually, I think the Uni is quite conservative in its approach to implementing new technologies. But the service is generally very reliable. I'll qualify that by saying in the last few months it's gone downhill - bad modems ruining dialup for the weekend, engaged signals, Webmail or even email server (Cantva) dead, absolutely no response to emails to helpdesk, poor policy implementation.
So yes, it's unfair on a global level, but it's damn cheap, I never even considered that I should get it free back in 1996. A final note, the Christchurch Polytechnic also charge but they initially give you a reasonable quota to blow on printing and the internet, plus extra depending on your classes.
Michael.
At 06:47 p.m. 3/06/2003, John Carter wrote:
Except she is permanently pissed that Canty University is too cheap to provide 'net access as part of the course fees. I shouldn't wonder, given the fairly steep course fees, that many other Canty students feel aggrieved at this user pays gone psycho attitude. (especially when they realise that globally speaking, they are being "had")
