Free Int

FREE INTERNET AND HALF-PRICE AOL

[Note at Jan. 2004: This information is out-of-date. The free ISPs have mostly gone away. Netzero still offers free limited use.]

Yes, you can get unlimited access to the Internet for free and to AOL at half-price - as long as you are willing to have ads on the computer screen. There are sites that provide free, unlimited Internet access at nominal 56 kbs, and most also provide free e-mail, chatting and web page hosting. Some provide free faxing, free online storage and at least one provides free US long distance telephone calls over the Internet. Only the free ISP service is discussed here.

Ads are everywhere in our culture - even on buses and planes flying overhead at the beach. Now there are ads on the Internet where they can save as much as $250 a year in fees for ISP use. These ad-supported free sites are becoming popular, with users estimated at 12 million now and projected at 25 million by 2005. The popularity of the free sites is causing smaller, charge-for-service ISPs to close.

The free ISPs can be used for:

· Main, regular Internet access

· Backup for when the main ISP is shut down

· Alternate access when it is difficult to get connected to a main ISP

· Added Internet surfing for those with low-cost ISP plans which limit use to a few hours per month

· Free trial for those not yet on the Internet

· Low cost access to AOL

FREE ISPs

The free ISPs include some well-known names such as Alta Vista with over 3 million users, Excite, Juno, Lycos and NetZero. But there are at least twenty other sites providing the same service, see the list at the end of this article. Sometimes these lesser-known sites are more accessible since there are fewer users.

The sites have ads which appear in one of two formats: 1] most use an Ad Banner which is always on-screen while connected; and 2] some use ads that appear on the site's directory pages and occupy screen space when viewing other web sites. The Ad Banner is a bar that fits across the screen. Typically, it is about 470x60 pixels so it takes proportionally less space at greater display resolutions. As long as the Internet connection is kept open, the Ad Banner cannot be deleted or hidden - it is alwavs visible, even when using other programs. But it can be moved around the screen to select which part of the display is covered or it can be docked at the bottom of the screen.

The Ad Banner shows advertisements, which are constantly changing. Some use a ticker tape along the bottom of the ad or the screen. It is this Ad Banner which "pays" for the site so it is a necessary nuisance, and a nuisance I found it to be. The Ad Banners also have built-in navigation tools so supposedly there is less need for the browser, but I'm used to my browser and prefer to use it.

Some sites have different approaches to getting the user's attention. iFreedom has an ad-free, full screen except for a smaller control icon which stays on the screen for all programs. But the site pops up a bigger Ad Banner about every 20 minutes and allows 3 minutes to click on one of the ads, which opens another browser window showing the advertiser's web page. Although this second browser window can be hidden, the process takes time away from normal use. StartFree uses the Ad Banner but places it at the bottom of the screen, creating an unobstructed useful screen area, although reduced in size. isFree uses the normal Ad Banner but this site offers a whole array of interesting "free" items. Senior has content targeted at senior citizens. OurHouse is partnered with Iwon, the site that awards money prizes for visiting the site - you probably have seen the TV ads. GoIWin lets one play any of many games to win prizes, including money; the procedures are a bit convoluted but the site attracts players. Do you feel lucky?

Using a different approach, DialFree.net has no Ad Banner on the screen. However, there is one-time $10 sign-up fee and the user is required to complete one "15-minute" survey each month or else there is a $19.95 charge to a credit card, which data is provided at sign-up. I found no user opinions on this site and have not tried it myself. FreeAtLast is supposed to operate without an Ad Banner but instead places an "occasional, discreet professional message on screen". I have not been able to install and register this site and cannot get a response from technical support, perhaps I will do better with the free installation CD I have requested. This program installs itself into a new folder created in the C:\Programs folder.

And then there is The Simpsons. Check this site out at least once. It is as irreverent as the TV show but l can see how it would be fun. After the first time, I suggest stopping the Introduction by clicking in the lower right corner.

USING WITH AOL

AOL users can also benefit from these sites by using AOL's "Bring Your Own Access" account. Essentially this routes access to AOL through another ISP's server which is opened first. This gives a faster connection and fewer dial-in busy messages. It costs only $9.95 per month, rather than the normal $21.95 AOL charge. So, for those who want the content and the familiarity of the AOL site, using a free ISP is away to get full, unlimited access and use of AOL at less cost, but with the Ad Banner

There is some concern about AOL users having difficulty with using other ISPs. Some of these sites have special downloads for this situation. Lycos, Net Zero and StarrFree have a discussion on the problem and present some "workarounds". It appears the problem is with AOL 5.0, if it is loaded after another ISP is used, or if AOL is chosen as the primary ISP. The workarounds indicate how to resolve the problems. I have used AOL 4.0 and had no problem with loading and using these ISPs.

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Additional information on these free ISPs can be obtained at a number of sites. lnternet4free.net has user ratings on a number of free ISPs and a summary of features. Addlebrain.com has staff and user reviews of a number of free lSPs. It has an extensive listing of free ISPs, an indication of services available in a telephone calling are, tips on using these services and a Message Board with interesting user comments. www.WorIdWideWait.com provides user reviews of over 900 ISPs, paid and free. Epinions has a data bank of user reviews on over 25 free

ISPs, including a favorable rating for theSimpsons. Most of the sites get user approval ratings of about 75%. There are other ISP sites that have a monthly charge which can be reduced to zero by clicking on pop-up ads or other similar ploys. These sites are not reviewed here but can be found at the review sites.

FREE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS

with telephone numbers to order an Installation CD

Address 323-721-52

All of the sites listed had local toll-free telephone numbers for northern New Jersey, and most sites had many numbers to choose from. Some provide the access numbers before you begin the download, others wait until the registration process, which is less convenient. A list of local telephone numbers for a number of ISPs is available at www.nzlist.org/ user/freeisp.

In my experience, after registration, the dial-up and connection to the Internet plus loading the Ad Banner and opening the browser takes less than three minutes, even during busy evening hours [using a Pentium I, 200 MHz computer]. I was not cutoff for inactivity of up to 40 minutes on a number of the sites, except BlueLight which cut me off after 15 minutes and Address and NetZero which cut off after 30 minutes idle time The ISPs provide actual download speed of 40 to 46 kbs and surfing the Internet was the same as with commercial ISPs, except they download updates to the Ad Banner, requiring delay in surfing. On startup some of the sites open to their own home page of directory listings, similar to Yahoo, though less exten sive. Usually these can be minimized and you can use your browser as you see fit

FreeI changed my desktop. Lvcos changed the e-mail configuration. One of these programs installed a different version of a DLL file causing problems with one program. Reinstalling the program fixed the program. Otherwise, installing and using the free ISPs generally has not caused me other computer problems. However, a real problem is spam. I have had an increase in unsolicited ads to my e-mail address, although the volume is limited, so far.

These free ISP sites will have to make enough money from the advertising to cover their costs. Juno has 2.7 million subscribers to its free ISP and is losing money on the service. Many of the lower-tier sites already have disappeared. So users should be prepared to lose a site and move to another.

A major function of an ISP is to host the e-mail address. These sites offer POP3 e-mail, most multiple mail-boxes. This means that the e-mail can he read from any computer with Internet access through web sites such as at Yahoo. Some of the ISP sites offer web-e-mail which also allows sending mail from any Internet computer.

But one must be ready to lose the site and the e-mail address. When using e-mail at one of these sites I suggest using a mail forwarding service such as Bigfoot.com. This allows retaining a consistent Bigfoot e-mail address which forwards the e-mail to any ISP host currently being used. So if it is necessary to change the ISP it is only necessary to change the forwarding information and the Bigfoot e-mail address remains the same for everybody who contacts you.

These programs require Windows 93 or Win95/NT with certain plug-ins which are on the computer if a dial-up modem already has been used for Internet access. If the plug-ins are not loaded the sites provide guidance on getting them. The Macs are not yet supported hut a few sites say this is in the works. Nearly all indicate a need for at least a Pentium I,90 MHz, although a few indicate they can work on a 436 processor. Most recommend 32 MB RAM and require 2 to 13 MB hard drive space. They all need a 56 kbs modem, with all standard protocols appearing to be acceptable. Usually they work at all screen resolutions but a few require use of at least 800x600 resolution, which also is the minimum resolution to fit the full' width of a web page on the screen, obviating the need for a horizontal scroll bar. Either Netscape Navigator or MS Internet Explorer can be used for browsing.

Installing the free ISP programs is not complicated and can be done either by downloading onto the hard drive or a floppy disk, or from a CD. To download, visit the web site at www.NAME.com, or www.NAME.net. Some searching will find the link to initiate the free download of an installation program, which ranges between 500 and 1500 KB.

A few of the sites can provide a CD for the installation. For some ISPs these reach us via mass mailing, Juno for instance. The CD for Blue Light is available for free at K-Mart stores or the download can be obtained from the Yahoo website. Some ISPs have telephone numbers to call for an installtion CD, a few are listed below. Some will mail the CD for free, others have a nominal charge of $2 to $5. Installation from the CD is straight-forward and quick.

A recommended download procedure is first to create a separate folder for each ISP. Download the installation program to that folder and run it to create the setup files - which can be stored in the same folder. Then activate the setup program using an icon, which has been placed on the Desktop. The programs provide onscreen guidance and are simple to use.

The setup asks for information - User Name and Password which are employed in using the programs. They also ask for an email address, purportedly for contacting you to resolve problems. But don't be surprised to see an increase in ads filling your e-mail inbox. So it would be wise to set up a separate e-mail box for this purpose. Most of the sites ask for much more info - remember they make their money from ads targeted to the users. Some sites ask for more info than other sites. You can decide what to tell them since they have no way of knowing if you have assumed a pseudo-identity in your responses. If the questions are too intrusive or extensive, try another site. The whole process, from the initial l download through completion of registration can he accomplished in less than fifteen minutes.

If you try one or more of these free ISPs I wish you well and hope you enjoy the experience. Should you find that any part of this report shouldbe revised, good or bad, please let me know at fdob@bigfoot.com. Happy Free Surfing.