Well, you've come to the right place. The following information provides some commercial articles and some customer recommendations about choosing an ISP. This info has been kindly collated by our own DC Web Women member, Barbara Bode.

• Commercial Findings: NetRatings/PC World Survey | Business Week | PC Magazine | C-Net | Washington Post
• Consumer Opinions: Mailing List Posts
• Additional Info: Links to Other Resources

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NetRatings Article on ISPs

To arrive at the best ISPs, PC World teamed up with Santa Clara, CA-based Inverse Network Technology, who made more than 4,600 calls to each provider to measure such parameters as ability to get through, connecting during peak evening hours, connect speed, average log-on time, etc. In addition, PC World editors judged customer satisfaction, problem resolution, phone and e-mail responsiveness, and online help for each provider.

This information may be interesting for those of you contemplating a change in Internet Service Providers. The number one best reason for leaving AOL is that your junk email problems will virtually disappear.

Just remember: this survey was done by PCWorld. The mac users among you may find that some of these ISPs don't do good mac user support. A second caveat: it pays to ask around in your area about the kinds of experiences people are having. A great ISP in NY may be oversubscribed in CA. Costs also vary according to how much competition exists in a given market.

Here's what PC World found:
 

Rank	ISP	Pros	Cons
1. (Best Overall)	IBM Internet Connection	Fast access, easy setup,      personal web pages.	Uninspiring site, no good support
2. (Good Overall)	Concentric Network	Fast access, easy to use, good support	No ISDN
3. (Good Overall)	EarthLink Network	Fun to use, ISDN and 56-kbps support	Slow with web pages, $25 start-up fee
4. (Good Overall)	MindSpring	Great software, excellent support	Blacked out in areas, $25 startup fee
5. (Good Overall)	Sprint Internet Passport	Fast, nice chat rooms, good support	Limited 56k, no personal web pages
6. (Fair Overall)	AT&T WorldNet	Reliable, good Web access	Limited 56k access, no free web pages
7. (Fair Overall)	CompuServe	Great forums, prompt e-mail support	Uneven performance, poor phone support
8. (Fair Overall)	Prodigy Internet	Loads of  content, great performance	No ISDN
9. (Poor)	MCI Internet	Comes with PointCast	No personal webpages, bad service
10. (Poor)	Microsoft Network	Good connections, ISDN access	No personal webpages, bad support
11. (Poor)	Netcom	ISDN and 56kbps access	Long hold times, $25 startup fee
12. (Worst)	America Online	Very easy to use, original content	Slow, unresponsive support, spam city

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"We enlisted the help of Inverse Network Technology - a firm based in Santa Clara, California, that measures and reports on ISP performance. It tested 12 of the 13 national providers in our roundup, except SpryNet, which uses the same network as CompuServe. Inverse made 64,181 phone calls over several two-week periods; we report on the results from May 6 to May 22, 1997. During that period, the firm made at least 4,227 calls to each ISP. It tested each provider via 40 different points of presence in 40 U.S. metropolitan areas.

We created ratings for the following categories: call success rate during peak hours, Web access success rate, average throughput, Web throughput, and overall performance:"
 

ISP	Call Success	Web Success	Average Throughput	Web Throughput	Overall Performance
America Online	Poor	Excellent	Poor	Good	Poor
Compuserve Interactive	Good	Excellent	Good	Good	Good
Microsoft Network	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Good
Prodigy Internet	Fair	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Good

The rest of this article can be found at: http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/news/trends/t970801a2.htm

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CNet Dispatch Article

http://www.cnet.com/Content/Reviews/Compare/Ispbarg/?dd

If you're not on the Net around the clock, you may be paying too much for access. See our review this week for a comparison of low-cost Internet service providers. Also, we found a way to double you modem bandwidth, without the expense of ISDN. "

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Washington Post Article

It's sitting there all wrapped up under the Christmas tree, the big box that contains your family's new personal computer. Installed in the PC is everything the salesman said you would need to start surfing the Internet -- the modem, the browsing software, the graphics card. Everything, that is, but a subscription with an Internet service provider.

Just as selecting a long-distance telephone carrier is a necessary step to calling your relatives in California, getting an account with an Internet service provider (ISP) is a prerequisite to blasting off into cyberspace. But as is the case in the long-distance arena, choices abound in the world of ISPs, and finding the best one at the right price for you can be an often tricky process, especially for the novice computer user.

But first, just what do ISPs do?

Think of ISPs as the telegraph operators of the digital age. When you want to send an electronic mail message, for example, you must first have your computer modem -- a device that sends and receives data over telephone lines -- call up your ISP. Having established a connection with one of the provider's modems, an open pipe through which data can flow, your a computer will propel the e-mail to a computer at the ISP.

ISPs, like the telegraph operator, will store your new messages until you're ready to read them.

They'll also connect you to the World Wide Web -- sending text, pictures and sounds to you in the same way the e-mail traveled -- and provide you with access to "newsgroups," bulletin board like discussions on the Internet

If you want to create a home page on the World Wide Web, many ISPs will "host" the page on their computers. That means you don't have to keep your computer on and connected to the Internet all the time for others to access your page.

Whew. So, what are my choices?

Well, there's a fork in the information superhighway. To one side are online services such as America Online, the Microsoft Network, CompuServe and Prodigy. To the other are "pure" ISPs such as AT&T WorldNet, IBM Internet Connection, Erol's and MCI Internet. More on that below.

Can I just shop around?

Many traditional ISPs and online services offer 30-day free trial periods. (AOL offers 50 free hours for new subscribers.) Check out different services to see which best fits your needs. But to save yourself a big hassle, don't give out your new e-mail address to all your friends until you have settled on a particular provider.

Does the size of the ISP's network matter?

What's most important is that the provider be reachable to you via a local phone call. If you have to pay toll charges, next month's phone bill could be a painful experience. If you travel a lot and want to log in on the road, make sure your ISP offers access in the places you visit or a toll free number

What's this 56k modem access thing?

Most new computers today come with modems that have a top speed of 56 kilobits per second. Problem is, there are two different types of 56k modems on the market, one standard called x2 and another called k56flex. It's like the difference between VHS and Beta. If top-speed connections are important to you, make sure your provider supports the same standard as your modem.

Should I go with unlimited access or the lowest price plan?

Like any new toy, an Internet-connected computer can be the subject of endless fascination -- at least until the third week in January. Starting out with an unlimited-access plan is a good idea, but keep track of your usage over the next few months. If you're spending less than five hours a month online, most providers will offer a cheaper plan.

ONLINE SERVICES

Online services including America Online, the Microsoft Network, CompuServe and Prodigy provide a gateway to the Internet much like an ISP, but they also offer other content -- news reports, chat rooms, entertainment listings, sports scores and the like -- there are only available to their customers. Often, these services are easy for novices to start using. AOL and MSN, for example, provide CD-ROMs that hand-hold users through the sign-up process and then provide tutorials on how to use the service.

Even after the installation, online services can be attractive to new users. AOL's homey community is relatively simple to navigate for all sorts of information, from listings of tropical resorts to advice in weathering the flu

But there are drawbacks. The services, particularly AOL, don't always provide the speediest connections to the Internet. In fact, some users complain they are maddeningly slow. It sometimes can be tough to sign on during evening hours. And as the services go through growing pains -- AOL has 10 million members and MSN has about 2.5 million -- they have

been plagued with occasional e-mail problems that have delayed subscribers' messages for days.

Customers also have bemoaned long waits for help over the telephone. The services acknowledge some of their shortcomings and have pledged to keep growing their networks and customer-support staffs.

TRADITIONAL ISPs

Traditional ISPs such as AT&T WorldNet, Erol's and IBM Internet Connection don't offer their own gated community in cyberspace. Instead, their users have direct access to the Internet.

Although many large ISPs have created their own CD-ROMs to simplify the installation process and have developed World Wide Web sites that try to mimic the content found on online services, industry analysts maintain they're still a little tougher for the neophyte. Sometimes users need to run special configuration programs that require inputting sequences of numbers provided by the ISP.

At the same time, such services aren't impossible to use and can wind up providing a stimulating online experience.

ISPs have one other big advantage over online services: They can be a lot cheaper. While the largest online services charge $19.95 a month for unlimited service, such an arrangement is available from some smaller local ISPs for as little as $10.95 a month with a multi-year contract. But the whole contract often must be paid in full at the outset, a requirement that first-time users need to consider carefully.

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Good Questions to ask ISPs

Something I learned the hard way is that no matter what questions you ask a "salesperson" for an ISP they don't always know the facts and some even lie about the services! We just changed ISPs and what a nightmare. I was told I would be called when our Domain changed and our new site went up - I wasn't! I also asked about CGI scripts, if we would have access to a CGI library and have technical support for all CGI scripts - I was told yes to all only to find out from a technician that there was NO technical support for CGI that they didn't write (at a $100 an hour). See if you can talk to a technician first before deciding on the ISP.

Read through different Internet magazines and decide what features you want on your web page such as:

1. CGI applications or personal CGI-bin directory and access to *canned* scripts
2. Search capabilities
3. File inclusion support -To be able to use a standard masthead for all HTML documents.
4. Anonymous FTP for downloadable files.
5. Guestbook
6. Counter
7. Unlimited FTP access & updates
8. Detailed usage statistics
9. Audio/video support
10. Password Control web areas.
11. Chat program.
12. Secured Online credit card acceptance and processing
13. Unlimited hits
14. Database capability

Sandy also notes: more important than asking the ISP anything, is to do traceroutes to sites that they host. Do the traceroutes from different places if you can. Look for any hop longer than 200 ms consistently - that means that one of their network hookups is bad, or their router is not configured properly.
you can also find a good article about traceroute at Hot Wired.

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Earlier this year I put together a brief list of questions to ask before you call the ISP, and some to ask when you actually call. Maybe some of you will find it useful.

The list is at: http://magenta.com/~catte/isp.htm

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Additional Resources

• Story: The World's Fastest Access Providers
• PC Magazine -- Trends Online: ISP Survey Results (8/1/97)
• Business Communications Review - Sept'98 - Why We Can't Compare ISP Performance--Yet
• Inverse Network Technology Surveys
• TechWeb: Wading Through the ISP Pool
• Report Card: System Measures ISPs' Dial-up Performance, Service
• Features: ISPs You Can Count On

Please send all comments or questions about this resource to: info@dcwebwomen.org. Enjoy!

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