Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!uwm.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!pacbell.com!pacbell!pbhyf!jcwasik From: jcwasik@PacBell.COM (Joe Wasik) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Subject: Re: Prodigy Message-ID: <8819@pbhyf.PacBell.COM> Date: 17 Apr 91 16:51:43 GMT References: Reply-To: jcwasik@PacBell.COM (Joe Wasik) Distribution: usa Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA Lines: 55 In article mcglk@cpac.washington.edu (Ken McGlothlen) writes: >It *is* a straitjacket. Everything you said is true. And more---the >"bargains" they claim, the "convenience" they claim . . . all are just >completely stupid claims. If you have to subscribe to a service of this sort, >use CompuServe or GEnie or something---stay away from Prodigy. > ---Ken McGlothlen Com'on now. Prodigy ain't all that bad... Prodigy is not aimed at the Usenet audience, nor is it aimed at the technical audience. It is simply a home service and as such it's ok. However, having said that, my household canceled Prodigy, too. We tried the one month free trial and send turned it down (They have since offerred me another free month). Advantages: With VGA, display is nice. Luxurious even, compared to text displays. Does a lot of stuff while you reading. So ads don't really suck up connect time and cause significant delays. Good integration of host-local software. News sections always looked current. Movie reviews allowed participant voting. This is nice feedback. Nice stories/graphics for kids. Disadvantages: It took several days to first connect before we figured out that these guys stop answering their phone at midnight. If you were logged in, all of a sudden you're not. Software reviews are of primary interest. Their software review section included PCTOOLS version 5. I use version 6 and I've seen 7 discussed here on Usenet. Their Bulletin Boards cannot compare to Usenet. If you read Usenet, prodigy's BB is a good joke. They censor. While Usenet has it's share of jerks, I reserve the right to be that jerk should the urge come (no flames please). You want censorship, see Jesse Helms or Prodigy. They have no software libraries. CompuServe does. They have no forums where companies like Microsoft, HP, Central Point, can talk to its users. CompuServe does. There was never an intelligent response to any of my email to them. Always, "We'll pass that suggestion on..." Yeah, right... Their "stores" sell nothing special. It's the ideal place to sell hard-to-get items, but that idea hasn't yet occured to them. etc etc etc Oh, in case Prodigy's attorneys are reading... These opinions are mine, they are not my employer's. -- Joe Wasik, Pac*Bell, 2600 Camino Ramon, Rm 4E750V, San Ramon, CA (415)823-2422 email: jcwasik@clib.PacBell.COM or [...]!pacbell!clib!jcwasik "I didn't do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can't prove anything"