From: usenet@phreaknet.org   
      
   On 8/16/2025 8:49 AM, Nyssa wrote:   
   > InterLinked wrote:   
   >   
   >> On 8/15/2025 8:54 AM, Nyssa wrote:   
   >>> InterLinked wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> On 8/14/2025 8:19 AM, Nyssa wrote:   
   >>>>> SH wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>> On 12/08/2025 13:08, Nyssa wrote:   
   >>>>>>> Rich wrote:   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Eli the Bearded <*@eli.users.panix.com> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>> In comp.misc, Lawrence D'Oliveiro     
   >>>>>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>> Further to that, 34 years ago puts their start in   
   >>>>>>>>>> 1991, before CD-ROM drives became popular in PCs.   
   >>>>>>>>>> I think they were giving out floppy disks for   
   >>>>>>>>>> those first few years.   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Anybody remember seeing an AOL floppy?   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Definitely. Better than CDs because you could just   
   >>>>>>>>> wipe and reuse them.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1395721   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Which I did for many an AOL 3.5" floppy.  Not for   
   >>>>>>>> anything valuable, but for a "copy file X from   
   >>>>>>>> computer Y to computer Z" use they worked just fine.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> The CDROM's were only useful to either join AOL   
   >>>>>>>> (which was never going to happen) or to make garden   
   >>>>>>>> scarecrows.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> I made coasters with them.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Nyssa, who believe it or not is still on dialup (not   
   >>>>>>> AOL) and has been for almost 40 years (not the same   
   >>>>>>> ISPs)   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> given the fastest dial up modems are 56 kilobits, it   
   >>>>>> must feel really slow viewing websites that rely on   
   >>>>>> broadband to fling audio or video or   
   >>>>>> Java/SHockwave/Flash at you?   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> And downloading software must have taken days?   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> Plus my local (rural) phone lines are crap. I get   
   >>>>> ~43Kbps on average. It was better when I lived in the   
   >>>>> Big City.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>   
   >>>> If I may ask, which ISP are you using?   
   >>>>   
   >>>> I've been doing some testing with several ISPs lately,   
   >>>> all of whom seem to resell GlobalPOPs these days   
   >>>> (including AOL it seems). The top speed I've gotten is   
   >>>> 36000 a handful of times, and usually I get 31.2 or 33.6   
   >>>> - very difficult to get a V.90 connection anymore. They   
   >>>> seem to have done some kind of concentration where   
   >>>> they've cheaped out on their phone lines, doesn't seem   
   >>>> to be real T1s anymore.   
   >>>   
   >>> There weren't many to choose from, and probably even   
   >>> fewer now.   
   >>>   
   >>> I'm using one called Dialup4Less based somewhere out in   
   >>> the Pactific Northwest. The price has doubled since I   
   >>> signed up, but still a MUCH better value for me than   
   >>> anything else offered around these parts.   
   >>   
   >> I tried a local access number in my area, and connected at   
   >> 31.2. And sure enough, it appears to be resold GlobalPOPs.   
   >> It doesn't look like Dialup4Less has their own dial-up   
   >> infrastructure.   
   >>   
   >> Do you mind sharing the specific access number you are   
   >> using, and what speeds you usually connect at? I wonder   
   >> whether all of their access numbers are deficient, or just   
   >> some of them.   
   >   
   > You can find a list of POPs on their website. I'm in the 804   
   > area code, if that helps.   
      
   I pulled the list of access numbers from the site and pulled out all the   
   ones in the 804 area code. There seem to be only five of them, and none   
   of the numbers even works anymore (a lot of access number lists seem to   
   include a fair number of stale numbers). Could you also share the prefix   
   of the working number that you use?   
      
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