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[Billie Walsh]

On 07/23/2010 11:46 AM, Preston Hagar wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 23, 2010 at 5:01 AM, Basil Chupin<blchupin at iinet.net.au>  wrote:
>    
>> Ummm, I don't know where you are because your gmail address tells no one
>> anything - which is why most people use, I guess, because it hides their
>> identity; but don't quote me as I have never used any qmail or yahoo or
>> anything else goobly-dooky except my own ISPs' facilities for mail and
>> their maibox facilities. If your ISP doesn't give you the flexibility to
>> have what you want then you should consider looking for another ISP, no?
>>
>>
>> BC
>>
>>      
> > From your email it looks like you are in Australia.  I live in the US,
> specifically Dallas/Fort Worth Texas.  In Dallas/Fort Worth, two
> companies, Verizon and AT&T own 95% of the physical copper and/or
> fiber lines that run throughout the Metroplex.  Areas of the city are
> "Verizon territory" or "AT&T territory" and the two (to the best of my
> knowledge) never share an area.  On top of that, Verizon and AT&T are
> not required to allow 3rd party ISPs to use their lines, or at least
> they can make them jump through so many hoops that no one can meet the
> requirements to use the lines.  The creates an effective monoply for
> the ISPs depending on where you live.  Typically, your ISP options
> will be one of the two cable companies (whichever one is in your area)
> and either Verizon or AT&T.  In some areas, you may have a few 3rd
> party ISP options.  Where I currently live, I have the cable company
> or Verizon.  I had, for a while, a reseller ISP (that used Verizon's
> lines) called DSLExtreme, but Verizon has decided they don't want the
> competition and won't renew the agreement allowing them to resell
> their fiber.  There is nothing DSLExtreme or anyone can do about it.
> If Verizon doesn't want to let them, they don't have to.
>
> With most ISP emails, the typical account allows for about 100MB of
> storage, at most, but that honestly isn't the worst part.  If you move
> apartments/houses, you loose your email account.  2 years ago I moved
> about 10 miles (stayed within Dallas/Fort Worth).  I went from an AT&T
> area to a Verizon area.  If my email address had been with AT&T, I
> would have lost it.  Since it was with GMail, I had no issue.
>
> Another issue with using ISP email is something I could see you
> facing:  It locks you in.  You said yourself that you switched ISPs a
> few years ago because of the poor spam filters your previous ISP used.
>   What if, for whatever reason, your current ISP fires their CIO/emain
> admin, and the new guy then decides to completely change the spam
> filters and make them more like your previous ISP?  Or, what if your
> current ISP decides to double their rates starting next month (not
> sure if it is allowed in Australia. It is allowed in the US)?  If you
> want to switch again, you have to go through the pain of changing the
> email address for all your mailing list subscriptions, notifying
> everyone that emails you of your new address, and then risk possibly
> missing emails from people who didn't get the notification of your
> switch once you move.  A service like GMail is ISP agnostic.  It stays
> with you no matter where you go.
>
> That is the main reason I won't ever use any ISPs email and I
> encourage everyone else to stay away from them as well.
>
>
> Preston
>
>    

We have an ATT account that we only use as an emergency backup because 
it is very lousy dialup [ no DSL or cable options out where we live ], 
but, their ATT/Yahoo email service is great. Very good spam filters.  I 
only use the web-mail interface as a last resort. Usually I keep 
Thunderbird open and just download all the mail as it comes in. I've 
never understood why to keep everything that comes in forever. My 
"Inbox" dumps anything over 90 days old automatically. If I don't need 
it in 90 days I won't miss it. Ninety-nine percent of the mail that 
comes in is read and deleted then and there.. Things that are _REALLY_ 
important I store in another folder and/or print  out for the filing 
cabinet.

The secondary reason for keeping the ATT account is, as you mention 
above, to keep our e-mail address's. There's no way to change our 
address's everywhere.

-- 
"A good moral character is the first essential in a man." George Washington