[WEB4LIB] Cable Internet tech support

[c a denny]

Thank you for sharing your experience.  I am considering switching from an ISDN
line to cable  for a small network (16 clients) for public access only.  The
local cable company is supposed to provide free cable access and cable modem
for local public libraries.  I have no experience using cable.  A computer
engineer I know, however, thinks it is great for his home pc and might work for
a small network.  Any advice would be welcome.

"Karen G. Schneider" wrote:

> Warning: meandering vent ahead...
>
> Today, m staff called me at home (as I have requested to do so) to let me
> know that Time Warner's technicians had flown in and out of the library,
> replacing the cable modem (and as they too often do, leaving the scene
> without checking first with staff to see if everything is working as it
> should), and now they were unable to telnet to the catalog.
>
> I decided to call TW myself with several questions about telnet and cable
> Internet.  After 20 minutes, a young man got on the phone with me.  "Like,
> you know," he emphasized, "it's better if you're in front of the computer
> that isn't working."  Right, I said, but I had some questions about telnet
> and their equipment setup.  Back I went on hold for five minutes, and then
> he was on the phone with me again.  "Ma'am, like, we can't tell you
> anything, because telnet is a Windows program."  I felt my throat tighten,
> and I advised him that a) telnet is one of the basic Internet protocols and
> b) I wanted to speak to another technician.
>
> I'm still on hold... perhaps for the rest of my life... wondering, if this
> young man is a "technician," how much he earns for his "expertise..."
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Karen G. Schneider |  kgs at bluehighways.com http://www.bluehighways.com
> Author: A Practical Guide to Internet Filters, Neal Schuman, 1997
> Director, Garfield Library of Brunswick, NY...
> Soon: Brunswick Community Library!
> Garfield on the Web: http://www.crisny.org/not-for-profit/garfield/