newkirk@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Scott Newkirk RCE) (05/25/89)
I just signed up for PRODIGY and would like to see how many of the
USENET readers are also signed up for this system.
please send me a note at SSDJ77A on the PRODIGY SYSTEM and say HI!
Thanks, Scott Newkirk
************ Jurarire cbffvoyr.. Sbyq, Fcvaqyr & Zhgvyngr *********
WORK: newkirk@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov :: HOME: (PRODIGY) SSDJ77A
(OR sun!ames!pioneer!newkirk ):: 19400 Sorenson #208
"Scott who?, He said what?!!":: Cupertino CA. 95014 rcd@ico.ISC.COM (Dick Dunn) (07/15/89)
In article <17638@gryphon.COM>, brendan@gryphon.COM (Brendan Kehoe) writes: > If you want my opinion, it's not worth it. It's slow, is lacking in MANY > things, etc etc etc... There's also the question of just how much information about your personal life and habits you wish to bequeath to the brain(?)child of IBM and Sears! I always suggest thinking twice about these fancy (?), new (??) electronic services that offer you great convenience at the expense of producing, for someone else, a comprehensive record of where you are, what you do, or what you buy. -- Dick Dunn rcd@ico.isc.com uucp: {ncar,nbires}!ico!rcd (303)449-2870 ...Simpler is better.
davek@lakesys.lakesys.com (Dave Kraft) (02/21/90)
Hi, I'm interested in subscribing to Prodigy, but, before I do that, I would
like to hear from people who already have it. So, if you have it, and have
used it, please email me. Thanks.
Dave
--
EMAIL: davek@lakesys.lakesys.com |"..let your light shine before men, that
uunet!marque!lakesys!davek |they may see your good deeds and praise
BELLNET: (414)476-2763 |your Father in heaven." --Mathhew 5:16
USPS: 1952 N. 84th St./Milwaukee, WI 53226msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu (Mark Robert Smith) (02/23/90)
Be forewarned - they have serious billing problems. They always show my previous month's payment as late (it isn't - their bill gets to me long after the date on the bill). Also, they "lost" my January payment, causing them to tell me that my account was "seriously in default". I'm waiting for the cancelled check from the bank now. I'm gonna probably cancel, as I find it's not really that useful anyway. Mark -- Mark Smith, KNJ2LH All Rights Reserved RPO 1604 You may redistribute this article only if those who P.O. Box 5063 receive it may do so freely. New Brunswick, NJ 08903-5063 msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu
jp@frog.UUCP (John Pimentel) (02/23/90)
In article <1683@lakesys.lakesys.com> davek@lakesys.lakesys.com (Dave Kraft) writes: >Hi, I'm interested in subscribing to Prodigy, but, before I do that, I would >like to hear from people who already have it. So, if you have it, and have >used it, please email me. Thanks. Yes me too....... >Dave --- Take care and have a good day. John. STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES. UUCP: .......!decvax!\ ....frog!jp ....!mit-eddie!/
vu1216@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Supreme Commander) (02/24/90)
I used to be a member of Prodigy back when they used to give out free
test memberships. I absolutely hated the system. First of all the
graphics are not all that good, and you wait for minutes for your
screen to re-draw. And that is, when it used to re-draw. At times the
machine would just sit there, and sit there. Eventually, about five
minutes later, it would log off giving you an error code. The first
time this happened I called up the toll-free support number and asked
them what happened. they said it was due to a system overload, and all
I had to do was call back. Easy enough.
However, this happened day after day after day. Sometimes I would log
on, wait three minutes for the main screen, move to another section,
wait three minutes, etc. Your patience gets quickly exausted. So, I
told them to cancel, and they were very surprised. They were moving to
a new, better, facility and would give me another free month, would I
stay? Sigh, sure.
They moved, nothing got better, in fact it got worse. A month later,
things were no better than earilier and I cancelled.
Since then, I've moved from the videotext to something called Pc-Link
which in my opinion is far better. It includes downloadable files,
access to news/stocks etc, all for $5 a month, or $9 depending on the
going promotion.
...ManuEAKIN@rsmas.miami.edu (02/24/90)
In article <1683@lakesys.lakesys.com>, davek@lakesys.lakesys.com (Dave Kraft) writes: > Hi, I'm interested in subscribing to Prodigy, but, before I do that, I would > like to hear from people who already have it. So, if you have it, and have > used it, please email me. Thanks. > > Dave > > -- > EMAIL: davek@lakesys.lakesys.com |"..let your light shine before men, that > uunet!marque!lakesys!davek |they may see your good deeds and praise > BELLNET: (414)476-2763 |your Father in heaven." --Mathhew 5:16 > USPS: 1952 N. 84th St./Milwaukee, WI 53226 I have been on Pridigy for about 3-4 months and have now discontinued it. If you don't have both a 386 processor and a 2400 baud modem, it is VVVEERRYYYY SSLLOOWWWWW. In addition, I didn't find the features on Prodigy to be especially useful. Check it out for yourself, but I'm going back to spending more time on GEnie. -- C. Mark Eakin Internet: Eakin@RSMAS.miami.edu Amateur Radio: N4SYK USnail: Univ. of Miami, RSMAS-BLR, 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy. Miami, FL 33149-1098
alan@cwi.UUCP (Alan Wright ) (02/25/90)
In article <3055@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu>, vu1216@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Supreme Commander) writes: > I used to be a member of Prodigy back when they used to give out free > test memberships. I absolutely hated the system. First of all the This does not, of course, represent everyones opinion of the service. I like the service very much, especially considering the low price. > graphics are not all that good, and you wait for minutes for your > screen to re-draw. And that is, when it used to re-draw. At times the I like the graphics, and I doubt if I have ever waited more than 30 seconds for the program to download a feature AND redraw the screen. Note that I have a slow machine (XT clone) and Hercules graphics. > machine would just sit there, and sit there. Eventually, about five > minutes later, it would log off giving you an error code. The first I have had this happen only once in several months on the service. This might depend on the service area you are in and the time of day that you use the service. Maybe the LA area has lower subscriber density. > However, this happened day after day after day. Sometimes I would log > on, wait three minutes for the main screen, move to another section, > wait three minutes, etc. Your patience gets quickly exausted. So, I I go through my standard sequence of features (about 8), in approximately 10 to 15 minutes per day. Most of this time is spent reading. If there is anything I dislike about Prodigy, it is its heavy emphasis on merchandising. On the other hand, I have bought a couple of items through Prodigy vendors that I might not have found otherwise. I could elaborate on the features that I do like, but instead I'll just state that there are plenty of features that you might like, and since the service is inexpensive to try out, you might as well do so and judge the service for yourself.
vu1216@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Supreme Commander) (02/26/90)
>I have had this happen only once in several months on the service. >This might depend on the service area you are in and the time of day that you use the service. Maybe the LA area has lower subscriber density. Well I was in the "main" area and was feeding off the actual main system, not a server as I'm sure you must be. But that's rather frustrating for people who live in the New York area. Do we have to pay becuase we have the "main" system near us and are given last priority? I'm sorry, but I still think that Prodigy is not all its cracked up to be. I have a 386/VGA and a 2400 baud modem, so my problem is certainly not lack of computing power. Once I got the darn screens they flashed on the screen fast enough.. Still, this is only one man's opinion... ...Manu
MLLERN01@ULKYVX.BITNET ("MICHAEL L. LERNER") (05/04/91)
Can anyone confirm/deny the report on CNN the other day that claimed Prodigy has violated user's privacy? I'm not clear on the details of this scandal, as I saw only the tail-end of the report, so any facts will be appreciated. Please use E-mail, as I do not read this group regularly. Thanks, Mike
heathh@owl (Heath Ian Hunnicutt) (05/05/91)
In article <3BBF6B2220A00238@ulkyvx.bitnet> MLLERN01@ULKYVX.BITNET ("MICHAEL L. LERNER") writes: > Can anyone confirm/deny the report on CNN the other day that claimed > Prodigy has violated user's privacy? I'm not clear on the details of this > scandal, as I saw only the tail-end of the report, so any facts will be > appreciated. Please use E-mail, as I do not read this group regularly. > > Thanks, > Mike I don't know whether this is true or not, but I know I read somewhere about two or three months ago that Sears and IBM have the ability to scan through PRODIGY users' hard drives looking for pirated software, etc., Apparently PRODIGY has the ability to perform scans in the background while the user is distracted by flashy ads. I don't know about anybody else, but I don't think I _ever_ want to risk using PRODIGY, whether I have pirated software or not. (And, actually, I don't: I get _tons_ of free software through Caltech's Site-Wide License :) ) What if Sears and IBM see that I have a directory named C:\HACKING\BBS? _I_ know that it is just where I keep the source for the BBS I once tried to write, but it probably looks like the directory of a pirate bulletin board. Next thing you know, the SS (Secret Service) is bang on my door. :( Incidentally, I have written a TSR program that restricts access to subdirectories. When a protected subdirectory is used by the currently running program, a window pops up (text-mode only for now) alerting the user, and asking for a password. It's not being released right now, due to being between versions, but interested parties should drop me a line at: heathh@pooh.cco.caltech.edu
jik@athena.mit.edu (Jonathan I. Kamens) (05/05/91)
I would encourage anyone who wishes to participate in this discussion to read the recent issues of the "Risks Digest," which have discussed in detail the allegations against Prodigy. "Risks" is accessible in the comp.risks newsgroup, or you can get it via anonymous ftp: For vol i issue j, type "FTP CRVAX.SRI.COM<CR>login anonymous<CR>AnyNonNullPW<CR> CD RISKS:<CR>GET RISKS-i.j<CR>" (where i=1 to 11, j always TWO digits). Vol i summaries in j=00; "dir risks-*.*<CR>" gives directory; "bye<CR>" logs out. <CR>=CarriageReturn; FTPs may differ; UNIX prompts for username, password. If you cannot access "CRVAX.SRI.COM", try Internet address "128.18.10.1". The relevant issues are 56, 57, 59, 61 and possibly 60, in Volume 11 of the Digest. Furthermore, the issue has been under discussion in the comp.dcom.telecom newsgroup. Please don't spread rumors, folks. Try to find out the facts before posting about how evil Prodigy is. I don't like them either, but I don't think they should be smeared. Jonathan Kamens USnail: MIT Project Athena 11 Ashford Terrace jik@Athena.MIT.EDU Allston, MA 02134 Office: 617-253-8085 Home: 617-782-0710