Xref: utzoo rec.arts.drwho:3909 comp.sys.mac:19085 rec.arts.comics:8906
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Nightstalker
From: Nightstalker@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: rec.arts.drwho,comp.sys.mac,rec.arts.comics
Subject: Re: Best Information Service?
Message-ID: <7926@cup.portal.com>
Date: 6 Aug 88 17:52:54 GMT
References: <5817@pucc.Princeton.EDU>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 27
XPortal-User-Id: 1.1001.2821


   The best computer info service???  Good question.  Just to make it easy
(and because I presume it's between these two), I'll keep it with only CI$
and GEnie.   Both have pros and cons.
   CI$ has a good comics forum, and has many pros on it (Chris Claremont,
Walt Simonson, Steve Grant, Mark Evanier, Dan Mishkin, Marv Wolfman, and Len
Wien come immediately to mind) that you can talk to, ask questions of, and
carry on conversations with (in the conference area (real-time conferencing)).
Unfortunately, CI$ costs an arm an' a leg ($6.00 per hour at 300 baud, $12.00
per hour at 1200 baud.  I'm not sure what 2400 baud is, but I think it's
higher.  This price list is 24-hour.  They got rid of primetime/non_primetime).
Further, CI$ has other online services:  Electronic shopping, many other online
forums, online games (even multi-player games), and many other services (very
few of which I ever used).
   GEnie, on the otherhand, doesn't have as good a RoundTable (not as many pros
on it last time I looked), but is much cheaper ($5.00 per hour at either 300
baud or 1200 baud from 6pm 'til 7 or 8am the next morning, all day on weekends)
It's not as big (read:  Not as many services) as CI$, but is a very good info
service in it's own right.  It's escpecially got a better MacIntosh download
section.

   My advice?  Well, I suggest that you buy one of those kits for CI$ that can
be found in most bookstores (this will give you some free time on the system).
If you dislike it, cancel the service (the kit's are about $30.00).  I suggest
the same for GEnie, but I'm not sure if they have those.

NS