alpert@inmet.UUCP (07/30/83)
#R:ihuxr:-52100:inmet:5800007:000:773 inmet!alpert Jul 28 09:30:00 1983 Are you sure its Compuserve that has a $100 initial connect fee? When I first started using Compuserve (admittedly some time ago) it was just a matter of walking into the nearest Radio Shack store and paying about $20 for the "dumb terminal package." This included documentation, temporary password, and first hour of time. The reason I joined Compuserve was that its major competitor, Source, required a $100 initial fee. By the way, I've been using a Commodore 64 as a terminal for some time now; my experiences are summarized in the second reply to note #127 (TERMCAP for C64). You may want to double check your info and see if it was indeed the Source sevice that requires the $100 connect charge. Bob Alpert Intermetrics, Inc. decvax!cca!ima!inmet!alpert
done@teklabs.UUCP (08/01/83)
There is no initial fee for CompuServe. I recently joined by purchasing
one of those previously mentioned starter kits for $40. It contained a
binder full of documentation, and a user password good for 5 free hours
of connect time. Let's see, at $5 per hour, 5 free hours comes to $25,
so maybe the extra $15 is the initial fee, effectively disproving my
opening statement. Oh well, I still think it's worth it, as long as
you don't go overboard....I've heard rumors of somebody having to pay
a $700 monthly bill.
Don Ellis | USENET: {aat,cbosg,decvax,harpo,ihnss,orstcs,pur-ee,ssc-vax
Tektronix | ucbvax,unc,zehntel,ogcvax,reed} !teklabs!done
Oregon, USA | CSNet: done@tek
| ARPAnet: done.tek@rand-relay