The Day I Switched to DSL

I switched to AT&T (formerly SBC) DSL a little more than a year ago.  I so regret that day.  DSL is slower, much slower, a lot slower.  I’ve had several outages.  I ran on Optimum Online cable for almost ten years.  I can’t even remember if I ever had an outage.   I have had a multi-day outage with AT&T and several multi-hour ones.  The setup is simpler with cable. DSL’s PPPoE really sucks!  Don’t you just hate those stupid, ugly filters you have to put on every phone line?

I switched to DSL to save money.  Although, I wonder if I really saved myself any money considering the amount of time I’ve lost due to outages and because DSL is so much slower.  When I first started with DSL, if I had technical issues I usually got through to someone in St. Louis (I think).  Because I also provide computer and network support to customers I got to where I could recognize the technician’s voice. When you call AT&T now you must first go through an automated call director — make sure you enunciate clearly or you’ll be sent to telephone hll. St. Louis is no longer an option (based on my last several calls). Now it’s India.

India fascinates me.  I’d like to go there someday.  Based on my many conversations with technicians it must be a very polite society.  Formerly when calling AT&T tech support the tech would start with something like “Hi, this is Bob. How can I help you?”  Casual, polite, to the point wouldn’t you agree?  Now, when you’re shuttled half way around the world to India you are wooed by their extreme politeness. “Hello, and thank you for allowing AT&T to be your DSL provider. My name is Sridiharamthadthagupta, badge number 9-8-3-5-2-6-4-1.  It is my goal today to make sure that you are absolutely satisfied with my service and that all your technical problems are resolved in a fast, efficient, and most wonderful way.   In what way may I help you with DSL technical support issues today? Please.”  I wonder if AT&T pays themselves by the minute for the long-distance phone costs? When I ask them questions rarely do I get a “yes” or “no” response.  It’s usually something like, “Ah Sir, that is absolutely correct. You did hear me correctly.”

Maybe cable wasn’t so expensive after all.

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Computer Safety

A stolen or broken computer or crashed hard disk is especially stressful and can be costly. If it happens in the evening or on a holiday weekend it may be very expensive to get tech support, hardware, and software licenses to recreate the requisite environment. It seems that computers rarely crash after you’ve finished a major project. Instead, they crash right before the dead-line after some of the major contributors have left for vacation.

To reduce the risk of serious work interruption due to a computer crash or theft try these simple suggestions.

• Defragment your hard disk every Friday afternoon (or whenever your week ends). A fragmented hard disk decreases performance — the computer’s and yours.
• Make a copy of all the necessary files you need for the current project at the end of each day. Ideally, on a CD or DVD. This way if the computer is damaged, stolen, or the files go missing you can restore them or continue work on a different computer. Flash drives are great too but they’re easy to lose.
• Keep a backup computer new or used. You can buy a good one at Walmart for under $300. Put only the essential pieces of software on it.
• Keep all your work software (i.e. MS Office, Quick Books, etc.) in a safe place and do not lend it to anyone.
• Consider free software such as Open Office. If you suddenly need to rebuild your work environment you won’t need to run out to find an open store to buy the license.
• If you’re on the road and don’t have the necessary backup media try e-mailing or even faxing a copy to your home or office.

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