Re: Delphi or ?

["Steven J. Owens" <puff -at- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

Mike Johnson (michaelc_johnson -at- email -dot- state -dot- ut -dot- us (home)) asks:
> Right now I am trying to find an on-line service for my home PC that
> provides full Internet capability (Telnet, FTP, etc.) without requiring me
> to run a Windows-based communications program.  At present I have email
> [...]
> Can anybody recommend an on-line service and non-Windows communication
> software that works with this on-line service?  I am looking at a couple of
> local providers and Delphi at the moment, but am unsure which way to pounce.

     It would help if you'd explain what local providers you're
looking at, what services they're offering, and where you're located.
Many, if not most, service providers are available only in specific
areas.

     I'm not sure what you mean when you say "full internet
capability".  If you mean, "UNIX shell accesss with FTP, telnet,
readnews and e-mail capability", then most of the serious service
providers give you this.  Places like Compu$erve, Delphi, Genie, AOL,
on the other hand, force you to work through their proprietary
interfaces.

     If you mean SLIP or PPP protocol (which lets you use PC-based
mail readers and news readers and carry on multiple sessions at the
same time), most service providers offer a SLIP option (a few offer
PPP) but most also use a "metered" pricing scheme (pay by the hour).
If you get a standard UNIX shell account, on some services a viable
alternative may be TIA ("The Internet Adaptor"), a program that costs
$25 and emulates standard SLIP.  Some services may not be happy with
your using TIA.  Netcom's official policy is to treat TIA like any
other UNIX shell program you use, i.e. ignore it.

     In any event, using SLIP or PPP with a 9600 baud modem might be
barely feasible, but still won't be fun.  Most of the packages for
SLIP run under Windows, however.  You should be able to find a few
packages that run under DOS.

Steven J. Owens
puff -at- netcom -dot- com