The
      Cadre
      ’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      17
      November
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Feature
      5
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Internet
      choices
      for
      UPEI
      students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI!
      comes
      out
      on
      top
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      BRODY
      MORRISON
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Internet
      is
      a
      power-
     
     
      ful
      tool
      for
      the
      new
      millen-
     
     
      nium.
      Even
      so,
      many
      adults,
     
     
      professors,
      and
      leading
      authori-
     
     
      ties
      have
      no
      idea
      how
      to
      tap
      its
     
     
      full
      potential.
     
    

    
     
      You
      may
      also
      find
      that
     
     
      Internet
      service
      at
      home
      saves
     
     
      you
      considerable
      time
      and
      ef-
     
     
      fort
      away
      from
      the
      University.
     
    

    
     
      I
      explored
      several
     
     
      Internet
      providers
      to
      evaluate
     
     
      which
      one
      was
      the
      best,
      and
      if
     
     
      I
      have
      omitted
      some
      Internet
     
     
      providers
      then
      please
      let
      me
     
     
      know.
      I
      have
      gathered
      infor-
     
     
      mation
      from
      Island
      Service
     
     
      Network
      (ISN),
      Auracom,
     
     
      Sympatico,
      and
      UPEI.
      That
     
     
      information
      can
      be
      found
      at
     
     
      the
      table
      provided
      at
      the
      bot-
     
     
      tom
      of
      the
      page.
     
    

    
     
      All
      of
      these
      Internet
      pro-
     
     
      viders
      have
      good
      offers
      for
     
     
      their
      particular
      rates.
      How-
     
     
      ever,
      some
      have
      better
      offers
     
     
      than
      others.
     
    

    
     
      ISN
      has
      more
      expen-
     
     
      sive
      rates,
      but
      does
      not
      charge
     
     
      for
      the
      starter
      software.
      They
     
     
      also
      offer
      an
      exclusive
      student
     
     
      package.
      In
      this
      deal,
      students
     
     
      receive
      80
      hours
      per
      month
      for
     
     
      a
      fee
      of
      $22.50,
      but
      it
      must
      be
     
    
   
   
    
     
      }
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Name
      of
      Plan
     
    

    
     
      Emailer
     
    

    
     
      Networker
     
    

    
     
      Net
      Surfer
      120
     
    

    
     
      Student
      Special
     
    

    
     
      Starter
      Plan
     
    

    
     
      Auracom
      Lite
     
    

    
     
      )
      120
      Plus
     
     
      Sympatico
      Occasional
     
    

    
     
      Regular
     
     
      UPEI
      Regular
      Rate
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ISN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      )
      Auracom
     
    
   
   
    
     
      }
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      prepaid
      four
      months
      at
      a
      time.
     
    

    
     
      In
      contrast,
      Auracom
     
     
      offers
      lower
      fees,
      but
      requires
     
     
      customers
      to
      purchase
      starter
     
     
      software
      themselves.
     
     
      Auracomalso
      offers
      what
      they
     
     
      call
      “Freezones”
      which
      they
     
     
      define
      as
      an
      “offer
      [of]
      free
     
     
      access
      between
      the
      hours
      of
     
     
      11:00
      p.m.
      and
      7
      a.m.,
      7
      days
     
     
      a
      week.”
      In
      addition,
      these
     
     
      hours
      are
      not
      tabulated
      in
      the
     
     
      60
      hours
      per
      month
      rate.
     
    

    
     
      UPEI
      Computer
      Serv-
     
     
      ices
      also
      offers
      the
      same
      type
     
     
      of
      deal
      as
      ISN,
      except
      they
     
     
      offer
      60
      hours
      per
      month
      at
      a
     
     
      rate
      of
      $20.
      Payment
      is
      on
      a
     
     
      semester
      basis,
      and
      with
      tax
     
     
      comes
      to
      $88.
     
    

    
     
      Unlike
      the
      other
      provid-
     
     
      ers,
      UPEI
      allows
      access
      to
      the
     
     
      on-line
      catalogues
      of
      the
     
     
      Robinson
      Library,
      such
      as
      the
     
     
      Humanities
      Index
      and
      the
     
     
      Oxford
      English
      Dictionary.
     
     
      The
      BOBCAT
      catalogue
      is
     
     
      also
      accessible.
      Although
     
     
      BOBCAT
      can
      be
      used
      through
     
     
      a
      widely
      accessibleTel
      Net
     
     
      program,
      the
      CD
      ROM
      fea-
     
     
      ture
      is
      exclusive
      to
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      The
      CD
      ROM
      compo-
     
     
      nent
      of
      the
      deal
      is
      an
      extremely
     
     
      interesting
      selling
      tool
      for
     
     
      UPEI.
      Also,
      the
      money
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      receives
      for
      the
      Internet
     
     
      access
      goes
      right
      back
      to
      the
     
     
      students
      in
      the
      form
      of
      funding
     
     
      for
      the
      student
      help
      desk
      at
     
     
      computer
      services.
      The
      money
     
     
      collected
      also
      pays
      for
      the
      ad-
     
     
      ministrators
      and
      technical
      ad-
     
     
      vice.
     
    

    
     
      It
      seems
      that
      UPEI
      is
      not
     
     
      just
      doing
      this
      for
      profits,
      and
      it
     
     
      seems
      to
      me
      that
      the
      program
     
     
      is
      just
      basically
      paying
      for
      it-
     
     
      self.
      If
      this
      is
      true,
      then
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Computer
      Services
      in
      the
      AVC
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      services
      will
      be
      directed
      to-
     
     
      wards
      students
      and
      not
      profits,
     
     
      which
      impressed
      me
      very
     
     
      much.
     
    

    
     
      If
      it
      seems
      to
      you
      that
      I
     
     
      am
      showing
      more
      support
      for
     
     
      the
      UPEI
      service
      than
      for
      the
     
     
      other
      services,
      you
      are
      cor-
     
     
      rect.
      Although
      I
      did
      not
      come
     
     
      to
      this
      conclusion
      before
      |
     
     
      wrote
      this
      article.
      However,
      it
     
     
      is
      with
      my
      best
      advice
      that
     
     
      UPEI
      maintains
      the
      best
      “bang
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “photo
      by
      R.Haines
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Internet
      providers
      available
      to
      UPEI
      students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Price
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Number
      of
      Hrs
      Price
      for
      each
      Additional
      Hrs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      $15.00
      12hrs
      $1.00
      Yes
     
     
      $25.00
      70hrs
      $1.25
      Yes
     
     
      $29.95
      120hrs
      $.95
      .
      Yes
     
     
      $22.50
      80hrs
      rice
      not
      available
      Yes
     
     
      $9.95
      10hrs
      50
      Yes
     
     
      $24.95
      60hrs
      $1.50
      Yes
     
     
      $29.95
      120hrs
      $1.00
      Yes
     
     
      $9.95
      Shrs
      $1.50
      Yes
     
     
      $24.95
      60hrs
      $1.50
      Yes
     
     
      $22.00
      a
      Yes
     
     
      Contact:
      ISN
      http://www.
      isn.net/services.html
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Auracom
      _http://www.pei.auracom.com/plans
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sympatico
      http://www.pei.sympatico.ca
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      http://www.upei.ca/~access
     
    
   
   
    
     
      for
      your
      buck”.
      In
      fact,
      |
      am
     
     
      so
      sure
      of
      recommending
     
     
      UPEI
      that
      I
      might
      switch
      from
     
     
      my
      own
      Internet
      service
      to
     
     
      UPEI’s.
     
    

    
     
      Overall,
      the
      choice
      is
     
     
      yours
      alone,
      but
      please
      remem-
     
     
      ber
      that
      picking
      Internet
      pro-
     
     
      viders
      involves
      an
      important
     
     
      decision
      making
      process
      these
     
     
      days.
     
    

    
     
      Still,
      |
      hope
      in
      the
      future
     
     
      that
      the
      University
      will
      offer
     
     
      Internet
      access
      as
      an
      optional
     
     
      charge
      for
      students
      through
     
     
      the
      regular
      tuition
      payment
     
     
      system.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Starter
      Package
      Cost
      of
      Starter
      Package
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Free
     
     
      Free
     
     
      Free
     
     
      Free
     
     
      $29.95
     
     
      $29.95
     
     
      $29.95
     
     
      $29.95
     
     
      $29.95
     
     
      Free