🚀 go-pugleaf

aldeberan@alt.net (Star Traveler) wrote:
 -
 -nothing@antispamcrud.com (Philth) wrote:
 -> 
 -> I'll jump in here. Most ISPs in my area (madison, wi) advertise Unlimited 
 -> ACTIVE use. 

  Actually they don't.  Most ads merely say unlimited--save those ads and
file with the Texas Attorney Generals Office if they are misrepresenting
(i.e. false advertisement, fraud, etc.) there services by places limits
on your unlimited account.

 -> (Meaning you have to be physically at your computer using
 -> it. Not just dialling up, and go shopping while you clog up a modem 
 -> port.)

  A person at an ISP that tells you that is a complete idiot or just
a crook--suppose there are both.  Requiring a user to be physically
at their computer is absurd and defeats the whole purpose of the
computerized age.  For example the software stores and online
shareware web sites are filled with very respectable mainstream
products designed to dial up while you're asleep, at work, etc.
and do your key word searches, download newsgroup and
websites, check your mail, download large files that you
want.   Again--I'm talking mainstream software not some cheap
hack.

  I do much of my work on usenet while asleep or at work--why
sit there while downloading large software files, etc--doesn't make
sense.  Most decent bots will dial up at a specified time or interval,
do what you asked them do do and hang up.  If they get knocked 
offline they'll redial until they stay connected and finsihed the
aborted downloads, etc.  


 -> What i don't understand are the people who jump all over the 
 -> back of ISPs who offer $15 'unlimited' accounts 

  Because they should not be sellling what they cannot afford
to sell.  If they can't offer it for $15 a month they've no business
advertising and selling it--that's outright fraud and those involved
belong in jail--seriously.  Where else in the business world will
you find such a low level of ethics being defended???  There
is nothing special about ISPs as opposed to other forms of
business--one has a right to expect honestly and integrity and
be dealt with in an above board fashion.  

 -
 -It's fine to jump in -- however, you haven't done enough of your
 -"homework" of prior reading before commenting. 

  Seems more like he thinks ISPs are in some special magic
catagory immune from every day business ethics and law.

 -You've just addressed a subject that I very specifically have 
 -said isn't the issue.

  Yes--you are addressing another even more blatant 
fraudulent practice but his above example is all to
common--many thieves in this industry which of course
is going to lead to a flood of legislation.

 - I was addressing the topic of a crooked ISP

  Well all those in the above catagory are surely
crooked.

 -- Texas.Net -- who is offering "unlimited" service and then 
 -putting an time limit on it (making it a specific number of hours 
 -in a month, and not unlimited).

  That really is disgusting.  You know lots of Attorney Generals
from a variety of states got together and sued AOL for placing
limits on unlimited service--they sued and they won and now
you can spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on AOL.  They
have those annoying pop up boxes that come up every 45 
minutes asking if you still want to stay online but there are
a host of utilities that zap those for you.  And when suing
AOL they used the same termonology--FRAUD.


 -And in the discussions on it, it was made very, very clear that 
 -we are talking about the user "using" the connection 

  That I fully agree with--physical presense however is in no
way necessary to be 'using' the service productively and
anyone who tells you that is either a liar or a jackass.

                      Steve
                      news.admin.censorship