We are offering no advice on computer systems. People are using both Macintosh and IBM computers with equal success. They tend to be vigorous fans of the system they know and use. Modems Modem prices have dropped into the reasonable range. Most come combined with fax capability - handy, we have found, but not our concern here.
Prices depend primarily on modem speed.
If that's what you can afford, buy one and get on-line. A number of people we know use these and seem quite satisfied. But the new modems are all faster. The faster modems can easily cut your connect time in half. Some of the commercial services currently offer only the slower speeds, and when they do offer higher speeds, they tend to charge more for them.