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Free Internet providers now courting Mac users
In the past couple of years, offers of free Internet access have been springing up like dandelions after a spring shower. For the millions of PC users, it's been quite an opportunity -- the chance to use the Net for free. Unless, of course, you owned a Macintosh. Until recently, the Mac faithful didn't have much to cheer about when discussing free Internet access options. The overwhelming majority of providers offered free Internet access initially to PCs only -- leaving Mac users out in the cold. The problem boiled down to a little program that users of the free online services must download and install on their computers when signing up. The software creates a small box or window on the computer screen that displays small advertisements each time the free Internet service is used. Each time you use the free Internet service, the advertising window appears. When you log off, it disappears. The ads that appear in this small window are actually what pay for the ``free'' Internet service. NetZero was the first to offer free Internet access in October 1998 -- but only to PC users. Macintosh users were unable to take advantage of these services because no software had been written to create the advertising window for the Mac operating system. But rejoice, Mac users, the drought is over. Excite@Home is one of several Internet providers that has expanded their free Internet service to now include Macintosh users. Excite's service, call FreeLane, gives you 56k access at no charge. Mac users can use the Web browser of their choice, as long as it is version 4.0 or higher. Excite says their service covers 95 percent of the U.S. and Canada. Mac users should check to see if a FreeLane access number is available as a local call. In my area, the nearest FreeLane access point was a long-distance call away. Macintosh owners should check the system requirements for the free access software. In most cases, they ISPs are recommending the Mac OS 8.6 running on a Power Mac with at least 32 MB of RAM. Besides FastLane, you can sign up with AltaVista's AV FreeAccess at www.microav.com, Lycos' Free Internet Access at www.free.lycos.com, and of course, FreeInternet (the home of talking Baby Bob) at www.freeinternet.com. FIND A FREE ISP. Like most folks, I've used search engines to help find Web sites, including additional free Internet providers. But during a recent online session, I stumbled across a Web site that appears to be a one-stop storehouse of information on free Internet providers. Internet4Free.com is as simple as the name implies. You can sign up as a new user (and receive periodical e-mails about new free ISPs), or search by state, province or country for a free Internet provider that serves your area. It's simple to use and informative. In a few mouse clicks, you'll know right away if there's a free Internet provider in your area, with a link directly to the provider's site. Visit their Web site at www.internet4free.com for details. FAMILY HISTORY. Of any hobby of mine that's changed because of the Internet, I would have to put genealogy near the top of the list. The number of Web sites, e-mail lists and other tools for helping family history researchers is incredible. As an amateur researcher, I've spent many hours pouring over records and conducting searches on the Web. Some of my favorite sites include the MyFamily network of Web sites, which include the free MyFamily.com and FamilyHistory.com Web sites, and the partially fee-based Ancestry.com site. Those sites -- Ancestry.com in particular -- have provided me the latest breakthroughs in my family tree research. My latest discovery was a long out-of-print book unearthed after a simple query posted on a family name discussion board. The MyFamily Web sites are very popular with genealogist, and they're continuing to grow and add content. Most recently, MyFamily.com has acquired the San Francisco-based RootsWeb.com Web site. RootsWeb.com is one of the oldest and largest online Web sites for those researching family histories. MyFamily.com will be promoting its stable of Web sites on the RootsWeb site, and RootsWeb will get to tap into the expansive tools and databases through its association with MyFamily.com. The co-founders of the site said in a recent interview that RootsWeb has been running consistent losses and could have been in danger of closing down without the MyFamily.com deal. Despite the red ink, RootsWeb is a very popular place. According to Nielsen Net Ratings, RootsWeb was second only to Ancestry.com in popularity among genealogy Web sites. For more information or to begin researching your own family history visit www.RootsWeb.com, or www.MyFamily.com. DADS' DAY E-SALES. Online sales for Father's Day tripled over last year, according to industry researcher BizRate.com. The number of orders entered for the holiday totaled more than 700,000, roughly double last year's figures. This year's hottest gifts? Portable electronics, MP3 players, digital cameras and PDAs (personal digital assistants) were big sellers. WATCH THAT CLICK. Clicking on that Web page link may soon cost you more than the simple energy it takes to push that mouse button. British Telecom recently reviewed its long list of patents -- more than 15,000 in total -- and discovered a patent granted more than 10 years ago that the company believes covers the simple hyperlink. A hyperlink is the button or text on a Web page that you click on to go someplace else -- like to load another Web page or visit another Web site. It's how you go anywhere on the Internet if you are using a mouse -- and British Telecom's patent may give them the right to license it. The company isn't interested in going after collecting fees from individual Web surfers, but it is considering going after the major Internet providers -- America Online, Earthlink, Microsoft Network and more. The patent could mean U.S. Internet providers could be forced to pay royalties to the British firm, though that's a matter that will likely be decided in the courts. British Telecom may have a tough row to hoe, when you consider that hyperlinks have been in existence for many years without a patent infringement claim. That decision will likely rest with judges and lawyers should a battle take shape. GET A JOB. Convicted hacker Kevin Mitnick is going to court to appeal a probation officer's ruling that prevents him from getting a computer-related job. Mitnick, the former hacker who spent four years in prison for stealing computer secrets, has been offered a job writing a monthly column for Contentville, a new Web site being developed by media critic Steven Brill, publisher of the magazine ``Brill's Content.'' Mitnick's column would be his view and commentary on computer-industry publications. His probation officers have denied his request, recommending that he select a job in a non-computer-related field. During his trial, he admitted that he felt nearly ``addicted'' to his computer, and the judge recommended that he have no contact with computers in prison. Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web. | HOME | |