[Techtalk] windoze-only ISPs?

[Alvin Goats]

Carla Schroder wrote:

> 
>Has anyone heard of, or had dealings with, an ISP that connects only to 
>Windows customers? Most of them don't support Linux, but you can still get 
>online, you just don't get any help from the ISP. I'm wondering if there are 
>any that can't even connect except with Windows.
>
>thankee kindly!
>  
>

There's still some. They either use proprietary software to interface 
your machine to their network or they probe your machine for the OS 
being run.

On the proprietary front, those who go waaayyyyy back with CompuServe, 
the original compuserve.com has/had a quirky method of adjusting a 7 bit 
transfer protocol to 8 bit ppp. This is the "CompuServe Classic" service 
with includes pop3 mail service. I've run that for many, many years. 
Customers have e-mail accounts of the form

frogstar_at_compuserve.com

There's no official support for Linux, but since the service is so 
ancient (originating circa 1969), it included connections to DOS, VMS, 
Unix, Apple (pre-OS/X) and so on. User forums had other software or help 
files that would leverage you up to internet connections and their 
online services with other OS's. Main thing was that you had to get to 
the forums with a computer running DOS/Windows or Apple/Macintosh to 
find out how. There is still a BIG difference in what you see connecting 
from the web on the internet and connecting from inside with their 
custom software.


The new CompuServe 2000 service is a modified AOL account with IMAP mail 
service. Lots of problems with interfaces et al as there is with AOL.  
Customers have e-mail accounts of the form

frogstar_at_csi.com

AOL is the most persnickety, but there are some others. I just can't 
remember any at the moment.

Alvin