Free ISPs for Linux? 21
Rob Gibson asks: "I have heard stories of people using free ISPs under Linux to connect to the internet, and was hoping to do so myself. Many of them have slow connection speeds or bad support. Almost all have ad banners. The one that I love under Windows is Worldspy.net, which offers fast access and good coverage with no banner ads. However, I am digressing. I called Worldspy's tech support number, and they are not giving out any information as to how I could connect in Linux. Has anyone had success using Worldspy's access? Any free ISP using the MicroPortal technology?
One thing that would be helpful in my attempts to figure this out is some software that would passively monitor the modem/COM port for incoming and outgoing data while in use with another program. Does anyone have suggestions for Linux or DOS/Win?"
FreeI and Juno can be used in Linux (Score:1)
[Variables]
login=iukm7
password=mcxvofvb
hostname=m7.jersey.juno.com
port=1793
inetport=1794
Of course you need to have Windows to install the software and register, but after an account is created it's easy to connect using PPP.
Re:Look at Freewwweb (Score:1)
Netzero is easy (Score:1)
Re:modem sniffage (Score:1)
Some of them even include source.
Re:modem sniffage (Score:1)
Re:WorldSpy For Linux (Score:1)
BUT...
Lately (last 2-3 days) it's been impossible to connect to Worldspy in Linux. I put ppp in debug and watched
Unknown protocol received: 0x0c29
It then terminates my connection. Has anybody else run across this? Seems to coincide with the release of Worldspy's 2.0 dialer....
Freewwweb, Netzero both work (Score:1)
modem sniffage (Score:1)
the later two i made myself in *gasp* vb, so they aren't too hard, and better written ones should exist somewhere, however the network modem driver i had to use somebody elses shareware for
if your need more infromation, send me an email
Re:Support your local charity by dialling in! (Score:1)
Try Care4Free [care4free.com] or Waitrose [waitrose.com].
Waitrose gives you a choice of a few charities, i think, but i don't know how Care4Free works.
No idea how Linux friendly either of these are, either, i'm afraid.
freewwweb problems (Score:1)
I asked their tech support about this and they replied (it seemed without even reading the message) that they do not support Linux and their policies are not debatable.
True, I'm still using them, but I'd like to find something better yet still free and workable with UNIX. I don't have a windows partition so installing a windows client isn't an option. Anyone have any suggestions?
Dave
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Re:UKLinux (Score:1)
Better throughput than another 'free' ISP (local call rates, which is a lot more than 1p per minute!).
You also get discounted phone calls as you sign up with One Tel phone co. [no, I have no affiliation to them].
Jeremy.
Modem sniffers (Score:1)
Hope this helps.
Seany
Support your local charity by dialling in! (Score:1)
What would be best is a "free" (dial-up charges only) ISP which donates any and all profits to the campaign for unmetered calls! What the heck is up with per-minute charges for local calls in this country??? As if the weather wasn't enough reason to be depressed! :-)
Free ISPs and Linux (Score:1)
Here's another thought.
Install Windoze 95 onto your old 486-33 boat anchor.
Plop in a network card and a modem, go get pppShar or other lightweight freeware Windows proxy.
Plug the two computers into each other with your handy-dandy ethernet crossover, get Windows talking with your real machine.
Presto, you're done. In my instance, the banner ads and stuff run all over my Windows computer's monitor (off), and your Linux box is up and running. The fact that my main machine is no longer wasting overhead on decompressing ad banners more than makes up for the small proxy and ethernet lag.
And you're insulated in a layer of mediocrity, just in case you have any worries of a free ISP sneaking around in your system. It's also great for anonymity. Just remember the gaping hole in Windows file and print sharing security.
As an addred bonus, install Windows 95B instead of the more common Windows 95A or upgrade editions, and you might only have to reboot your proxy machine every 2-3 hours. {bitter grin}
BigBlockMopar
Re:Netzero is easy (Score:2)
UKLinux (Score:2)
http://www.uklinux.net/ [uklinux.net] is a free ISP specifically aimed at Linux users; in addition to not charging users, any profits made are donated to open source/free software groups. Truly useful. :)
(It still amuses me that my sister's machine, which runs Windows, still helps Linux by using UKLinux as the ISP...)
PNW nocharge.com (Score:2)
On that note, what are they tracking? The nice feature of nocharge is that there is no account to setup (username: guest, password:password). But do they really intend to make money by selling a list of anonymously hit websites/downloads? I don't think many people are going to be calling the 1-900 number for tech support at $x.x per minute. Doubt it offsets the cost of running modem banks in every major city... But maybe so.
Look at Freewwweb (Score:2)
Re:Look at Freewwweb (Score:2)
I seem to recall that they use Earthlink for most of the US, so YMMV there (and if you abhor Earthlink for their Scientology connections that may be another issue to consider).
www.freewwweb.com (Score:2)
For linux instructions, check out this link, just one of several revealed in a quick google search: teledyn. [teledyn.com]
I would like to second the request for some type of "modem sniffer" program. Several times I have been faced with the task of making a dialup connection that worked under windows work with linux; often these had been set up by a program distributed by the ISP and it was difficult to figure out what it did; a modem-logger type of program would have been very useful. I just spent fifteen minutes searching freshmeat and other places which have network sniffers, but I didn't see anything that looked useful for debuging the initial part of the dialup connection.
WorldSpy For Linux (Score:4)
As long as you can connect with Windows, you're in luck. I still use WorldSpy 1.0 and I won't upgrade as it's perfect the way it is now. Connect to the internet with it, then disconnect, then open up your Dial-Up Networking properties. Somewhere in the mangled world of Windows menus is an option to prompt you for information before dialing out. Find it and make sure it's checked. Next, start up the Worldspy software and when it loads, it should list your encrypted username. Oddly enough, your password isn't encrypted. Write down that username and you've got a fully functional PPP internet account which works with Windows and Linux! It may not be fast (I get connected around 31.2kbps), but heck, it's free! Hope this helps.