#153198 - Fri Jan 17 2003 10:31 AM
Re: DSL,ADSL,Air,Dish,Requirements?
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Multiloquent
Registered: Wed Mar 13 2002
Posts: 3851
Loc: St. Meinrad Indiana USA
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I have ADSL with AOL, and do not regret it in the slightest.
I'm not at all sure if you really need the extra processing power for it, as ISP requirements differ. (AOL ask for 300MHz or more for the processor).
Upgrading to Windows98 will improve your computer performance, as they ironed out a few bugs from 95.
You will have to get a new modem, but that should be included with the package (it was with mine).
If you want advice, I recommend shopping around first for broadband ISPs. You may find a better and cheaper one elsewhere.
Thanks TW for designing my new avatar. I'm sure everyone will agree it looks fantastic. Sir, you are a genius!
Edited by silverginger (Fri Jan 17 2003 10:52 AM)
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#153200 - Fri Jan 17 2003 06:01 PM
Re: DSL,ADSL,Air,Dish,Requirements?
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Moderator
Registered: Wed Mar 15 2000
Posts: 16214
Loc: The Delta Quadrant
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I second everyone's suggestion on getting more RAM. I have 128 right now and I think that's the absolute minimum that I would want in a computer these days. Also, if you feel like it, computers are pretty cheap these days. If you just get the computer (not the monitor, keyboard, etc. and just use your old stuff), you can get a very good computer for under $400. Just a suggestion if you were thinking of upgrading anytime in the future!
Also, as for Win95 being upgraded to Win98 - it doesn't always work. My dad tried to do that on the family computer at home and the computer rebelled (so it's currently running 95).
I have cable internet access and the modem wasn't included - but we did get free installation...
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#153201 - Fri Jan 17 2003 06:44 PM
Re: DSL,ADSL,Air,Dish,Requirements?
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Multiloquent
Registered: Wed Apr 11 2001
Posts: 4224
Loc: Texas USA
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I agree Ladymach. RAM! RAM! Show me the RAM! As you say, 128 should be the very minimum.
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If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep.
-Dale Carnegie
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#153202 - Fri Jan 17 2003 06:52 PM
Re: DSL,ADSL,Air,Dish,Requirements?
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Multiloquent
Registered: Wed Mar 13 2002
Posts: 3851
Loc: St. Meinrad Indiana USA
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The main thing we have to think about here is, RAM prices differ all over the world. Last year in Britain it was dirt cheap, but just 3 months later it had gone up by around £20.
You really have to shop around to get the best value out of anything as far as computers in general are concerned.
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Accrington Stanley - 2006 Conference Champions .. The Football League awaits
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#153204 - Sun Jan 19 2003 05:45 PM
Re: DSL,ADSL,Air,Dish,Requirements?
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Multiloquent
Registered: Wed Mar 13 2002
Posts: 3851
Loc: St. Meinrad Indiana USA
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Broadband internet is a connection that doesn't tie up your phone line, ie, you can be connected to the net and make/receive phone calls.
It is also, on average around 10 times faster than a 56k dial-up connection, which means you can download big files very fast.
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) can range between 10 and 25 times faster than 56k, but they are both technically the same, and are frequently spoken in the same sentence.
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Accrington Stanley - 2006 Conference Champions .. The Football League awaits
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#153205 - Sun Jan 19 2003 06:32 PM
Re: DSL,ADSL,Air,Dish,Requirements?
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Enthusiast
Registered: Sun Oct 27 2002
Posts: 389
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
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Here's some definitions of computer terms:
Broadband
A type of data transmission in which a single medium (wire) can carry several channels at once. Cable TV, for example, uses broadband transmission. In contrast, baseband transmission allows only one signal at a time.
Most communications between computers, including the majority of local-area networks, use baseband communications. An exception is B-ISDN networks, which employ broadband transmission.
ADSL
Short for asymmetric digital subscriber line, a new technology that allows more data to be sent over existing copper telephone lines (POTS). ADSL supports data rates of from 1.5 to 9 Mbps when receiving data (known as the downstream rate) and from 16 to 640 Kbps when sending data (known as the upstream rate). ADSL requires a special ADSL modem.
xDSL
Refers collectively to all types of digital subscriber lines, the two main categories being ADSL and SDSL. Two other types of xDSL technologies are High-data-rate DSL (HDSL) and Very high DSL (VDSL).
DSL technologies use sophisticated modulation schemes to pack data onto copper wires. They are sometimes referred to as last-mile technologies because they are used only for connections from a telephone switching station to a home or office, not between switching stations.
xDSL is similar to ISDN inasmuch as both operate over existing copper telephone lines (POTS) and both require the short runs to a central telephone office (usually less than 20,000 feet). However, xDSL offers much higher speeds - up to 32 Mbps for upstream traffic, and from 32 Kbps to over 1 Mbps for downstream traffic.
IoS
Short for Internet over Satellite. IoS technology allows a user to access the Internet via a satellite that orbits the earth. A satellite is placed at a static point above the earth's surface. The satellite in a fixed position, also referred to as geostationary or geosynchronous, is able to maintain a reliable connection to the antennas on the earth because the satellite orbits the earth at the exact speed of the earth's rotation. Because of the enormous distances signals must travel from the earth up to the satellite and back again, IoS is slightly slower than high-speed terrestrial connections over copper or fiber optic cables.
In remote regions of the world, Internet over Satellite is the only viable option as installing the cable backbone necessary for Internet connection is not economically feasible or physically possible.
* * *
For more definitions, see here.
Hope this has been of some help!  
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#153206 - Sun Jan 19 2003 07:21 PM
Re: DSL,ADSL,Air,Dish,Requirements?
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Moderator
Registered: Tue May 15 2001
Posts: 14384
Loc: Australia
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Thanks Proof and Silver Now I understand, well sort of I didn't realize there were so many different systems and that I had one that I've never heard of ... lol. It still boggles me that I can sit in my little room and talk to people all over the world no matter WHICH way it happens! I know with the satellite that it has a bit of a delay that stops me playing games where you have to be quick in with answers but it doesn't hinder voice chat at all.
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