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Date:      Fri, 24 Jul 1998 16:08:15 -0700 (PDT)
From:      patl@phoenix.volant.org
To:        ac199@hwcn.org
Cc:        freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: My verdict on 2.2.7...
Message-ID:  <ML-3.3.901321695.7574.patl@asimov>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980724180046.16277B-100000@localhost>

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> Of course, I'm not very likely to need all 20h of download,
> either. 

That was the actual time as reported in the original message.  It
obviously depends upon your modem speed, upstream congestion, choice
of installation set, etc.

> > Assuming that you use up your entire time allotment for the month.
> > If that download was the only logon for the month, it cost $25.
> > If you go over the 200 hours, you need to amortize the total expense
> > over the total number of hours used.
> 
> That really depends on your accounting practices.  In my case the
> 20hours used to download everything would go to waste (since the
> (primary) purpose of my connection is not to download FreeBSD,
> and we come nowhere near using all 200h (even after using 20h to
> download data)).

All of the computations we've been doing depend somewhat on your
accounting practices.

> [Of course, this was in the context of a business]

In the context of personal finances, it is still very useful to
keep at least informal accounting.  Your budget is likely to be
tighter, and it helps you recognize when you might have been
engaging in false economies.  (Like downloading when it would
have been cheaper to buy a CD.  Or vice-versa.)

> ...
>
> > Yep, you probably can.  But how much work will you have to put in,
> > and what are the trade-offs?  (Don't bother answering, it was
> > a rhetorical question.)  I was aiming at the general populace.
> > People who are happy with their current phone company; or who
> > want to stick with one of the big well known names.
> 
> If they stay with a big well-known name when that costs them a
> hefty premium, spending $40-$60 (less on a subscript) every three
> months for a CD is probably not a big deal, anyways.

Some people are worried about not getting the desired level or
quality of service from a company they've never heard of.  Inertia
and brand-loyalty are major factors in consumer marketing.

Also, it isn't always easy to get a real apples-to-apples comparison
of the different plans offered by the different companies.  What would
be most helpful would be if your bill came with a list of comparative
prices for the same calls under various other plans from a variety
of companies.  Then you could establish a long-term trend based on
your actual calling patterns.



-Pat

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