"The Linux Gazette...making Linux just a little more fun!"

Linux Friendly ISP's: SF Bay Area

From Cdoutri on Fri, 04 Dec 1998

Hi,

I'm looking for some Internet Service Providers in San Francisco that would have a connection software working under Linux, can you help me with that ?

Many thanks, C.

Many ISP's are "Linux" and "Unix" friendly. I personally have accounts with a2i (https://www.rahul.net) and Idiom (https://www.idiom.com run by David Muir Sharnoff).

I also know people at Best (https://www.best.com).

a2i uses Solaris, the other two use FreeBSD. However, all are friendly to Linux users.

This is one nice thing about the Silicon Valley and SF Bay areas --- they are such strongholds of Unix that most of the local businesses and techies speak the same language. I hear that life it somewhat harder in other parts of the country. Many ISP's that run Unix or Linux on their own servers (over 70% run some form of Unix on most of their customer server systems) will refuse to support its use by the customers.

The only reasonable response to that is "vote with your feet." There are plenty of ISP's out there, pick one that meets your needs rather than dictates your software choices.

The whole point to standardized protocols (particularly networking protocols) is to allow customers and users choice (FREEDOM) in selecting their clients and their servers. That's what the client/server paradigm is all about!

The best resource I ever found for comparison shopping of ISP's is at:

https://thelist.iworld.com

... (which I guess used to be run by Boardwatch Magazine, which is now owned by Mecklermedia).

Oddly enough a2i Communications (operated by Rahul Dhesi) is not on this list.

Hope that helps.

Copyright © 1999, James T. Dennis
Published in The Linux Gazette Issue 36 January 1999

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