From: jmalloy@itsmail1.hamilton.edu (Joseph T. Malloy)
Subject: Re: PRODIGY New and improved STILL SUCKS, HORRIBLE as before
Organization: Hamilton College - Clinton, NY
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 03:38:42 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.183205.16889@panix.com> imran@panix.com (Imran Anwar) writes:
>
>>>--A $2 a MONTH surcharge for 9600 baud, which would get you about 10 minutes
>>>of use on Compu$erve at the same speed.
>
>How?  Compuserve's flat rate of $7.95 (much lower than Prodigy's) offers
>more than an avergae user needs included in the basic services package PLUS
>a healthy email credit of $9 + an EXCELLENT interface (Compuserve Info
>manager) that is beautifully implemented on Mac, DOS, and Windows.  There
>is NO extra charge for 9600 access, and by the way, if you look at the back
>of the Prodigy box you will see it mention all the "limits" and "extra
>charges" etc .  I send DOZENS of messages on CIS, to other CIS members,
>to AT&T Mail and MCI Mail people, to internet, can send VERY long messages,
>can send binary files, can send cc to others, without having to worry
>about 25 cents per message even of one line.
>
Um, I'm willing to be corrected on this, but my bills, when I access
Compuserve, suggest that they do, indeed, charge as follows: connect
time/CIS charge (above 300 bps) $12.50/hour, 24 hours/day, 365
days/year; in addition, one must pay communications surcharges: if you
use CIS's own nodes (at 1200 or 2400 bps), it's a measly 30 cents per
hour more; if you use Sprintnet or some other source, you pay charges
that vary from $2/hour (off peak) to upwards of $20/hou (peak).  If  you
dial CIS's own 9600 bps nodes, you pay for the telephone call AND a comm
surcharge of $10/hour, making the total hourly charge something like
$22.50 plus telephone (it's a long distance call for me).  It's not
cheap, but for big downloads it makes sense.

jmalloy@hamilton.edu




>>>--Plans to open an internet connection within 3 months.
>
>Oh, it plans to become more like what Coimpuserve and others already are!
>
>>>--A computer bulletin board INCLUDED in flat rate service (HA!)
>
>See if you can post anything about Prodigy there - try posting something
>critical of Prodigy - if you remember they even CENSORED people's *email*
>on Prodigy and it became such a major issue some months ago.
>
>>>--More national members than Compu$erve.
>
>I don't know what the numbers are but frnakly the almost one million on 
>Compuserve are more than enouigh for me - I like CIS not because there are
>100 users more than XYZ service or 100,000.  It offers more, and thats
>what I like
>
>>>--a more diverse user base (that's my subjective opinion, however)
>
>Whatever that means.
>
>>>In my opinion, Compu$erve is highly overrated, ridiculously overpriced, and
>>>terribly unfriendly.  So there.
>
>Not true, IMHO.  Have you ever seen Compuserve Information Manager on a
>computer.  It is probabky the best interface/front end I have seen for a
>service.  You may have your opinion from the time when CIS was DEFINITELY
>overpriced and had no Basic flat rate plan.  At that time everything was
>charged at the same rate if I remember - and not surprisingly - I did not
>use CIS more than once a month.  Now I use it SEVERAL times a day, have all
>my friends on it, as well as my brother in Pakistan, a cousin in Singapore,
>etc.  Some of them can even access it with packet switching networks with
>text terminals.  Even when I am travelling I have accessed CIS from Tokyo,
>Karachi and Lahore Pakistan, London England, etc.
>
>>Dude, you cannot say that Compuserve IM is more unfriendly than Prodigy.
>>That's just not true.  Compuserve's flat rate is a pretty good deal, although
>>I won't argue that you may get more services from Prodigy since I don't have
>>it.  I tried Prodigy once but was so disgusted I threw it away before I
>>became violently ill.  Compuserve and AmericaOnline already have an
>>internet connection for mail.
>
>>Until Prodigy comes up with more than a DOS port, don't do it.
>
>
>Someone asked if I had stock in Compuserve.  I wish I did, and I wonder if
>one has to buy the stock of H&R Block to benefit (because H&R B owns CIS)!
>
>I have a private network using a compbuination of services from Sprint,
>MCI, etc. but have been studying the options available to me to make it
>more "under one roof".  I am pretty certain I will take everything over
>to Compuserve's network for the private network and wil continue to
>receommend my friends to use CIS.  
>
>I am HAPPY to see that services like Prodigy came along because the
>existing competition like GEnie [where I have friends too] have just not
>done any serious threatening to Compuserve.  Yes GEnie does have a lower
>$4.95 or so (or is it $6.95) monthly rate but the service is SO difficult
>to use that I have not even bothered to log in to cancel my account.
>
>People like America Online and prodigy have done people like me a great service by offering real competition to the likes of CIS.  The flat rate at CIS
>was obviously a response to GEnie's rate, but GEnie never followed up
>with a good interface/front end program [not that I know of]
>
>Even though Prodigy will not take away users like me from CIS it WILL
>serve as a major force on CIS to lower rates further.  i do not 
>foresee the "flat rate" to go down further, but I do foresee the
>hourly connect rates to fall.
>
>That kind of competitive movement in the industry means more for our
>money no matter what service we use.
>
>Imran


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