Newsgroups: bit.listserv.win3-l
Date:         Wed, 26 Aug 1992 14:03:39 MDT
From:         "Ian P. Mitchell" <22016@UCDASVM1.ADMIN.UCALGARY.CA>
Subject:      Compuserve

From:    Ian P. Mitchell
         Research Analyst, Faculty of Graduate Studies
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks ago, I asked for comments on Compuserve.

Many thanks to those who replied. Budget changes mean I will not be able to
even try the service for a while...... Them's the breaks.

Ian

===========================================================================
 I have been a CIS subscriber for about 7 months.  It seems pretty worthless
 to me.  What am I missing?  The Internet seems to have more files, more
 information, and ***MUCH*** lower costs.
============================================================================
 I use Compu$erve and my only complain is how expensive it gets.  Because
 you are charged for connect time, fees add up pretty quickly.  I don't
 use it that much (2-3 times a month) and get charged $50 per month.  The
 Windows discussions on NetNews (if you have access to a unix machine or
 a Mac with MacTCP) are much better.  Or at least the bang for the buck
 ratio is much better.  If Windows discussions are all you want, look into
 NetNews (it is free and I think you only need tcpip services to get to it).

 But, if you simply can't get to NetNews, the Compu$erve is an viable
 alternative.  It has the advantage of providing direct contact with Microsoft
 and other relevant companies that don't follow Internet stuff.  I just don't
 use it very often because it costs so much.
=============================================================================
 > I have been a CIS subscriber for about 7 months.  It seems pretty worthless
 > to me.  What am I missing?  The Internet seems to have more files, more
 > information, and ***MUCH*** lower costs.

 This is a matter of opinion, surely, but as a member of Compuserve for
 about 5 years, I find it invaluable for quick access to major vendors.
 In fact, support on CIS is a contributing factor for me in choosing a
 vendor.  It's expensive, to be sure, and I prefer finding larger files
 on the net where I can FTP 'em, but I've benefited from Compuserve
 access on many an occasion.  Since a minimum membership can be had for
 about $2.50 per month (minimum charge; assumes no use; use at off peak
 hours via a Compuserve node is $12.80/hr; via Tymnet or Sprintnet it's
 about $2 per hour more...
==============================================================================
    You asked on the WIN3-L about Compu$erve.  I have been a subscriber to CI$
 for several years, and I would recommend it to you.  I would however make a
 few suggetions to you, assuming from you message that you are unfamiliar with
 CI$.

    First, you will notice that I replace the S in CompuServe with a $.  This
 is deliberate, and used by many on the service.  Compu$erve has recently made
 the service available via two different pricing practices for individuals.
 The new plan is designed to compete with Prodigy, etc.  The new plan is $7.95
 per month plus supplemental network access charges for a small number of
 services, like E-Mail, shopping, etc.   The normal pricing plan is $12.80 per
 hour for most of the Compu$erve services accessed via the Compu$erve network.
 Access to a few services (AP news wire, UPI, an encyclopedia, and some more I
 can't think of right now) have specific surcharges when you use them.  The
 part of the service that I am most interested in is not included in the flat
 monthly fee, and gets charged at the $12.80 per hour any way.  (Oh, I forgot,
 if you have the normal pricing plan, there is a $2.50 per month membership fee
 that get applied to you charges for the month.)

    The part of the service that I am most interested in is call the FORUMS.
 Forums are very similar to the combination of the WIN3-L list and the CICA
 archives.  In a forum, there is an area where messages of the participants can
 be exchanged, and there is a library section where files (sample code,
 shareware, freeware, etc.) can be exchanged.  The best part about the forums
 is that most of them have some vendor representatives that will assist users.
 i.e.  The MicroSoft New Windows User forum would have Microsoft employees that
 would assist users with solving problems.  Access to the forums are not
 included in the flat fee as far as I know.

    The one other cost factor that will enter into your decision is your access
 to the network.  Compu$erve has a very extensive network of phone numbers to
 access its own network, but that does not necessarily mean that everyone will
 have a local call to it.  Where I live, about in the middle of Ann Arbor,
 Lansing, Flint, and Pontiac Michigan, there is no local call to Compu$erve.  I
 can call Michigan Bell long distance at about 19 cents a minute or pay
 Compu$erve $9 per hour to use their 800 number.  :(

    Finally, if you do decide to sign up for Compu$erve, I would strongly
 suggest that you get one of the programs that allows you to request the items
 (message headers, messages, files, etc) that you want offline.  The program
 then dials CI$, carries out you requests, and logs off, stopping the $
 counter. I use Corsstalk Mk. 4 to call CI$, and there is a set of Crosstalk
 scripts on CI$ in the XTALK forum to do this called CISOP.  There are also a
 couple of dedicated communications programs on CI$ that do this very same
 thing. One is called TAPCIS, and another is called AUTOSIG.  Both of these
 come with many happy users. Compu$erve makes an access package called the
 CompuServe Information Manager, but this package is said to spend much more
 time with the $ counter running.

    I don't know if you really wanted this much information, and if not, I
 sorry for filling up you mailbox.  I really do like Compu$erve, but I feel
 that others should be warned before they "take the plunge".
===========================================================================
 I hope you have lots of money in the bank, because you'll need it.
===========================================================================
   I first heard of CI$ five or six years ago when I bought a package that had
 a forum on CI$ as one of the methods of support.  At that time there were not
 many 800 number technical support numbers, and the turn around was good on the
 forums.  I had never heard of the Internet until just a few months ago when I
 joined the University of Michigan.

   I find it easier to scan the message headers on CI$, than to delete list
 messages from my mailbox.  However, on CI$, you have a big incentive to spend
 as little time as possible on CI$.  Also, I do not have convenient access to
 the Internet for transfering files.  I do not really understand using the list
 servers to get software yet.  On CI$, it is very easy to access the forum
 libraries, specify a file, and download it.  I have hopes that I will soon
 have an ethernet connection and will be able to use FTP, but for now I have
 must go through an expensive system, and then use Kermit to slloooowwwlllyy
 download the file.
==============================================================================

 /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
 | University of Calgary,                     22016 @ ucdasvm1.bitnet |
 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada  T2N 1N4        ipmitch @ acs.ucalgary.ca |
 \____________________________________________________________________/
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU