Eli the Computer Guy

Archive for the ‘Service Providers’ Category

As old clients and colleagues know I used to unleash a torrent of bile whenever someone mentioned Comcast internet service.  To say that I thought it was crap would be far too kind.  But things change, and I should give credit where it is due.

I have had Comcast Business Class Internet for my business for 2 months now and have to say I’m highly impressed.  I notice no speed degradation during the day, and my service has always been available when I go to use it.  I am running a video web server and none of my visitors has complained about connection issues.

Below are four different speed tests that I ran.  Please note these speeds are what I am getting on the $59 per month plan.

I can’t vouch for all areas that have Comcast Internet, but in Baltimore City I think Comcast Business Class is the way to go.  (Please note that there is a difference between Business Class service and Residential Service.  Residential Service may not be as good.)

The new Google Chrome OS is revolutionary, but not for the reasons most people talk about.  There are numerous other free, open source, stable operating systems that anyone with an Internet connection can download and use.  What makes Google’s Chrome Operating system relevant in that it is GOOGLE’s operating system.

However much people may argue to the contrary people like huge, well known, brand names.  Big brands make people feel comfortable.  People are willing to try new things from big brands because they figure the experience won’t be that bad.  They may not keep using a product or service, but they are willing to at least give it a try.  When people test products or services from no name companies they fear a boogie monster may jump out and eat them at any time.

When Google debuts’ the Chrome OS two things are going to happen.  The first is that lots of people will give it a try.  Some will love it, and some will hate it.  This is not the important part though.  The second thing that will happen is that these new users will gain their first experience with the mysterious Linux operating system.  To most users Linux is some ethereal thing that only computer geeks can use.  By using the Chrome OS they will break the fear barrier that surrounds Linux.  They may end up hating Linux, but they will no longer be so afraid of it.

As the popularity of the Chrome OS spreads more and more people will become acclimated to the idea of a non-Microsoft world.  Again they may not like it.  They may even hate it, but they will be comfortable in those feelings of hate.

I have found that users are much like my dogs.  They are scared crapless of things they don’t understand.  When you try to get them into new scary situations they just freeze up and won’t do anything.  You can’t reason with them.  You can’t entice them with a treat, and screaming only makes things worse.  Now when they are confronted with things they know, but dislike.  They get angry, bark a lot, but they still end up doing it. They’ll tell you how much they dislike the new thing, but they’ll bitch about it while they are using it.

So that’s why Google’s Chrome OS is important.  Decision makers will start looking at cheaper options to Windows that have big brand support and they’ll start to test them out on their poor unfortunate users. (Make no mistake I like Linux for some things, but it has a long way to go.)  The users will bitch, whine and moan when they are forced to use the new Operating Systems.  But… they will use them.  As long as the Operating System does what the decision makers need done they will continue to force their users to use it.

And that in a nut shell is why I think Google Chrome will really start the Linux revolution.  It will probably be a mess, but it will be Google’s mess.

Having moved from a shared hosting plan for my web site to a virtual server I still find the performance to be below what I need.  I looked at leasing a dedicated server, but I dislike the contracts and frankly for the amount of money hosting companies want it seems like their should be a more affordable way.

I finally found the answer in building my own server and using Comcast Business Class Internet.  By using hardware I already own I don’t have to spend money to set a Linux box up, and the new Comcast Internet plans offer an amazing amount for relatively little money.

When you get the Business Plan you can do just about anything you want with your server (that’s legal).  You can host your own web sites and email servers without having to worry about using work arounds or violating your contract.

The service plans and pricing are very good:

• 12 Down, 2 Up for approx. $60
• 16 Down, 5 Up for approx. $100
• 50 Down, 10 Up for approx. $190

There are some installation fees, and such, but you can run a very respectable server from the comfort of your own home or office.

Frankly I’ve never been a huge Comcast fan, but sadly Verizon FIOS isn’t available in Baltimore and 756Kbps up on DSL just won’t cut it.

If you’re serious about running a complicated web site  you should definitely give Comcast a thought.  At 10Mbps there’s very little you can’t do with a web server.

Check them out at http://business.comcast.com/

Within the past couple of years I have seen the growth of the remote tech support service industry.  As high speed internet access has become better, and remote control software for computers has become seamless an industry has arisen to fix computer problems remotely.  You can now just go to a web site for a support service, live chat to explain your problem, enter your credit card information and within a few minutes they can be remotely controlling your computer and fixing your problem.  In less time then it would take a computer technician to get to your house or business you can have your problem fixed and be off on the rest of your day.

The first question that can be asked is, “Does this really work?”  I can say from experience that I have fixed many issues for clients sitting at home in my underoos.  The technology that allows this to happen is 100% proven and reliable.

The second question is, “Can I trust some random technician on the Internet?” The answer to this is, “Can you trust some random technician that shows up at your door?”  I would use the same thought process as if I was hiring a person to come to my location.  Is the company I’m dealing with reputable?  Have I had good experience with them in the past? etc…

The final question is, “How much can someone really do remotely?” and the answer is probably 90% of your problems can be fixed using a remote service.  Office issues, viruses, printer setup and most issues you would call Geek Squad for can be solved by someone sitting at a computer 1000 miles away.

All in all I think the idea, the technology and the industry as a whole is a great thing.  If you are a business you still need an IT guy to handle things that can’t be solved remotely, so don’t fire your geek just yet.  But by using a service like this you can tremendously reduce your IT budget, and get a superior quality of service to boot.

I was looking at a company called iYogi and for a one year service plan it’s only $140 for unlimited problems.  That’s hard to beat.

Check them out at http://www.iyogi.net/

Earlier today I had an issue with my AdSense account and had the displeasure of dealing with Google support.  I can say now from experience that if you have a problem with a Google service you should just get on your knees and pray.  Maybe God will hear you, but Google sure as hell won’t.

Due to some glitch my AdSense account seemed to disappear.  I then went to Google Help and started to try to figure out the problem.  After about 20 minutes I couldn’t figure it out so I clicked on the “contact us” link, and that’s when I about lost my mind.  Have you ever been in a caught in an automated loop when you call a major company?  You know, it tells you to press a number and then after you’ve done this a few times you end up in the beginning?  Well that’s what Google’s “contact us” link does.  It makes you answer questions that don’t seem to relate to your product, and then when you get to the end it spits back out on the “Help” page.

After going around and around and around I couldn’t figure how to send a simple message.  They even had a disclaimer saying if you email them it can take a couple of days to get back to you, but I’ll be damned if I could figure out how to email them in the first place.

In the end I went through enough “help” screens that I finally found an answer and fixed the problem.  But believe me even the self help section seemed to wander randomly.

This is just another cautionary tale about using Google for services.  The service I was using is what they get paid for.  This wasn’t some weird beta test they were doing.  If you can’t get help for AdSense then what the hell will they give you help for?

As we all start moving to more and more cloud based applications I’m starting to worry that the hosting companies have decided that even Indian tech support is too expensive.