Re: Off-topic: Avoiding Exploiter

["J. R. Fox" jr_fox@xxxxxxxxxx]

Patricia M Godfrey wrote:

> when an ISP is trying to force you to use its
> crummy "customization" of Internet Exploiter, rather than Netscape or
> Mozilla?

Either you're psychic, Patricia, or you've seen this situation a couple of
times
by now. This is almost exactly the unpleasant fork in the road Pac Bell (now

SBC | Yahoo DSL) is dragging some of us to in my service area. Except it's
probably worse. They are phasing out the old mail servers, and forcing us
onto
their new servers -- and if you unwisely knuckled under _early_, before the
still-
to-be-announced "drop dead" date, tough noogies, you can never go back; they
just don't care -- and a service that is even more totally Win-centric than
before.
If you happen to be using **anything** (hardware or software related), that
is
not in their approved package, they have an instant and automatic OUT from
having to offer you any support. Even though, it has been my experience, 100
%
of the time, that when a problem occurs, it is ALWAYS something in the
hardware
*At THEIR End !*

> To run the ISP's setup program first, then install your
> preferred browser? Or install the browser, then run the ISP's app?
> Another case of "making things easy for the end user"--I don't think.

This ISP's new "and improved" service can ONLY be setup under MSIE.
After that, one can supposedly revert to using one's prior, preferred
browser, mail
client, etc.

> So now they kindly give you a disk that automates the whole
> process and installs a whole lot of bots, spyware,

Actually, they send you this disk over and over again. Not quite up to the
frequency
of the AOL "mini-frisbees," but they're getting there.

But here's the real kicker, and the deal-killer for me. I've had more than a
couple user
reports that even if you use another OS, and a non-MS browser, two things
will occur
on their new DSL pkg.: It will run slower than what we've been accustomed
to; and
you will constantly have the feeling that someone is following you, tracking
your online
movements, apparently reporting them to someone somewhere, and setting you up
for a
lot of targeted advertisements. And I have heard this is more than some
groundless
paranoid impression. 'O Brave New World' & etc. The thing that never ceases
to astound
me is how the vast herds of sheep out there just go with the flow, unaware
and unconcerned.

Right now I'm still waiting for the final mandatory changeover-date
announcement, but
expect to drop SBC as my provider, shortly after it comes through.


Jordan