h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I want to say what a buisy month it's been, not only with H2G2 but with some other things too. Although I got rid of BT at last, after so long, and managed to strike a deal with ntl, for now broadband will be fast enough for anyone. but it's a shame I havent had much time to use it.

I should maybe take a break some time, but funny thing is I don't want to, even though I know I'm buisy. I want to to stay buisy. lots of fun.

Now all I have to do is take thouse smilie out.. , put him in there... and make sure thats in by next Wibble.

-- DoctorMO --

I prefer keeping busy.....:

Talking of broadband though; I had it when at University (or something equally fast): but Now I'm moving back to Cambridge, i'm going to have NTL phone line, rather than BT, as I've NTL phone sockets in every room, but only BT, in one.
So, (now bare with me), This broadband thing, right, you pay £X a month for the Broadband, which is the fast internet connection through the NTL phone line, using this, the phone can be used at the same time as being on the internet?
How about an ISP; does it come with an ISP so the phone calls don't cost, or do you have to sign up to a ISP and pay a monthly fee for that as well, to get free phone call access to the internet?
It would be really handy if you know this, and, actually; how much are NTL charging for the Broadband, and what ISP do you use?
Oh, I pressume you still have to pay the normal phone line rental thing each month as well...:
I really need to cost this out before I move back, so I go straight for the right one, that I can afford...

NTL Broadband uses a USB/Ethernet system, line a mini hub, you just sign up to it (with the TV unfortunatly) and you get to connect it up to jusr PC, run the install and it works. No ISPs or anything.

you can go to www.NTL.com for the prices.

-- DoctorMO --

cheers! I was looking through the guide entry's for something on Broadband or internet connections in general, but was supprised there wasn't anything: there is an oppertunity for a guide entry on the different forms of connection, ethernet, LAN, Broadband, etc.,; I used ethernet card to connect to the LAN at Uni; I'll go check the NTL site I think : so you have to get a TV channel package at the same time? : I'll have to get a TV then

I don't know about the phone line, I'm sure you don't need to get it though,

Glad I could help

-- DoctorMO --

Oo, that 1MB sounds very, very tempting; I see what they have done with the packages, either telephone and broadband, or telephone plus TV package and telephone; which is handy as I can skip the television package and just get the phone line (which I need anyhow), with teh Broadband, and I'm seriously thinking about the 1MB version

damb, that would mean faster than me

Have you got linux on your machine?

-- DoctorMO --

No; I've windows 98, which probably means that it will never opperate near 1 MB : i've been talking to a friend about the connection; as he is going to be renting a room from me in my house, and he is far more hands-on and knowledgible when it comes to computers, i think we might set up some kind of local area network within the house, so there is one computer (his desktop probably), attached to the cable modum, and then we will invest in wireless stuff and things (wow, how technical am i?), to link up with my laptop, whereever I am in teh house, and perhaps also to my desktop (if I finally figure out if i need one, or can afford one, and on what sort to get) : actually I was looking on amazon earlier, they have some sale of some kind on, and I was very, very, tempted to get the microsoft cordless desktop... though I wasn't sure if that would work with the lap top that* well... and nearly 50 pounds is still a lot for a keyboard, cordless/wireless or not

£50... wow, too much take it back!

I got a LAN (Local area Network) running at home too, it runs though a thin ethernet cable to a hub and then I'm just gatwaying the Linux Server (my own PC) to conect all the PC's to the net, Linux is better because it's security is very good and someone on win98 is easly hacked. wereby my Win98 machine is conected though linux and so gets all the protection

-- DoctorMO --

Well.... I finally got the broadband going, which was far more hastle than it should have been. The "simple" installation thing from teh CD-ROM, almost entirely failed, and when it did install properly it wouldn't work....
Because, I'd previously had the laptop configered for the L
AN at the last University I was at, and by trial and error, I disabled the bit from that settup that was disrupting the current one: it was using teh wrong configeration parameters : something that the installation should I imagine have spotted and disabled itself But it is going now : and I took up the broadband at the right point in time; they had some kind of offer on so the installation of the cable modem, was either free or cheaper, and I've got a 1MB connection for a month at least, at reduced price : and its certainly quicker than the 56 K modum I was using, though I'm not entirely sure if it is as fast as the system I was on at university.... Oh well

wow, I didn't know you could get a 8Mbs connect,

does is run though DHCP by any chance?

-- DoctorMO --

the broadband is 1MB, and I'm not sure what DHCP is

DHCP is a way for the computer to get it's IP address from the server, it's called a DHCP server and my NTL broadband uses it, that why I'm on it in Linux, because I set it up myself (atualy it was easyer in linux then windows with the CD)

-- DoctorMO --

Hmm, well I'm with NTL, so I guess I have got that; I think it assigned an IP address to the computer; might make it awkward when I want to start using my new computer (when/if I get it)

It's not hard to set up, what you will find is that only one PC at one time can be connected to the DHCP server directly, and it uses the MAC address (indervidual number assined to every NIC and Gateway) to register that computer, I got both of my PCs registered, but only my linux box conected, (because the other one runs though a second NIC on a persdonal LAN and Masq...) what it means is that I can have the 2nd PC with Win98 conected though the First, and I have only one DHCP address. neat ay? and the Linux box protects the whole thing with a heavy firewall.

-- DoctorMO --

Hmm, can you have linix and win 98/XP installed on the same computer? only an idea, and probably wouldn't work : We will probably do something simular; so my mate (who will be a lodger from mid sep) can connect up his PC as well as me bing able to connect up mine

I had Linux, Win98, WinXP and DOS 6.22 on a multiboot, you just have to make sure you have enough disk space, and use XOSL it's a program you can use to boot the OSs with.

-- DoctorMO --

Well, I'm not quite sure how we are going to set it up yet... At the moment I've just my lap top so I am using that, obviously. But I should be getting the desktop some time this month, and my friend is moving in next week I think with his computer So we can figure it out then, and he is pretty good at stuff like this on computers; he worked in something simular for a while at the university...

seemaloied... a lap top ay? my firends going to try and get one, he's just going to get it with a eth slot so he can plaug it into my network and go online.

-- DoctorMO --