woolard@uns-helios.nevada.edu (MIKE WOOLARD) (10/01/90)
I have been hearing bits of info about Prodigy lately, and now
have received a free trial offer in the mail, probably due to
the geeks from PC Computing Magazine who let my info go into
some mass mail list that will pound my house with junk
mail.....anyways,
HOW IS IT? I am looking for an on-line encyclopedia; does it
have one? Is it worth the time & money? Anyone with critiques,
please e-mail me directly. I really am curious...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thanks for your time.
Mike Woolard
woolard@uns-helios.nevada.edu
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[0;1;32;40m <RFM@psuvm.psu.edu> (10/01/90)
I signed up for PRODIGY lately--it's free for a month. Loaded it up & ran some Frinday night. My first impression: it has a nice interface, but it's SLOW!!! I have a 2400-baud modem, but thought I was back at 300. I saw a nice hardware/software catalog, prices are comparable to most mail order houses. I liked looking at the ACCU-Weather stuff. Generally, however, I wasn't impressed. Was looking for some forums, etc., & didn't find much. Maybe I didn't look in all the nooks & crannies, I don't know. I probably will let it drop after this month. I like NETNEWS. It's crude, but lots of topics.
rlp@druwa.ATT.COM (PrehnRL) (10/01/90)
I signed up for the `free' 1 month trial early this year. I was in the market for a new van then and ordered some info on-line from Ford & Chrysler. Reading Consumer reports was tedious. I wrote cancel on the bill when it arrived and sent it in promptly. It took several calls to their customer service to get them to credit me for the first month. Like many `free trials' they do not accept one cancel as final, forcing you to spend more postage and/or phone calls to cease & desist. I was receiving more bills through the summer for the second month (they claim I didn't return the bill soon enough). I quit responding since they removed the 800 customer service number from the bills. Usual disclaimer applies here of course. Bob Prehn
JJL101@psuvm.psu.edu (J.J. Lehett) (10/02/90)
I also signed up recently to PRODIGY. Yes, the intereface will make
you think that your running slower than 2400 baud, but then again I don't
remeber compuserve and other online services as being all that fast either.
It is nice though to have a fairly good looking (for the status quo) VGA
graphics screen being presented to you though. I may eventuall tire of it,
but for now.... I am enjoying the weather maps (nicely done), the sports and
news in a nutshell.... a couple of the games are pretty interesting.
And the online shopping may be a useful feature for those who don't like
going out to do it.
All in all... try it for a month free, you've got nothing to lose.
*************************************************************************
* J.J. * Internet: JJL101@PSUVM.PSU.EDU * Penn State *
* * * Center for *
* John Lehett * Bitnet: JJL101@PSUVM * Academic Computing *
*************************************************************************
* Limit(Continuous Luck) = Skill *
*************************************************************************kevin@msa3b.UUCP (Kevin P. Kleinfelter) (10/02/90)
We use Prodigy fairly often, to order groceries from Kroger. That is about
the only benefit I can see.
--
Kevin Kleinfelter @ Dun and Bradstreet Software, Inc (404) 239-2347
{emory,gatech}!nanovx!msa3b!kevin
"Don't hold your finger on the button if the motor ain't goin' roundy-roundy."lowery@se-sd.SanDiego.NCR.COM (Tim Lowery) (10/02/90)
I also tried PRODIGY for the free month's trial. I thought it was too marketing oriented. 10% to 20% of each screen was devoted to advertising for some product or service available at extra cost. Also, it seemed that none of the really useful services were included in the basic monthly rate (you get just the opposite impression from their ads on TV and in print). Most of the imformation that is available through basic rate services is more easily obtainable through watching TV, listening to the radio, or reading a newspaper. Needless to say, I dropped the service after the first month. My recommendation: If you're really curious, try it for the free month, then drop it. It's really not worth the money. Regards, Tim -- tim.lowery@se-sd.SanDiego.NCR.COM
marocchi@motcid.UUCP (Jim Marocchi) (10/02/90)
Is the access to the system constitute a local call? Long distance? I'm sure this varies by area, but maybe a cross section of your experiences will give a fairly good feel for the phone costs involved. -- -- Jim Marocchi -- Motorola, Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Division -- 1501 W. Shure Dr. | (708) 632-2407 Arlington Heights, IL 60004 USA | ...uunet!motcid!marocchi ----------------------------------------------------------------------
JJL101@psuvm.psu.edu (J.J. Lehett) (10/03/90)
In article <4466@apricot22.UUCP>, marocchi@motcid.UUCP (Jim Marocchi) says: > >Is the access to the system constitute a local call? Long distance? I'm sure >this varies by area, but maybe a cross section of your experiences will give >a fairly good feel for the phone costs involved. >-- >-- Jim Marocchi -- Motorola, Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Division -- >1501 W. Shure Dr. | (708) 632-2407 >Arlington Heights, IL 60004 USA | ...uunet!motcid!marocchi >---------------------------------------------------------------------- Local calls to quite a few cities as they have them listed in thier phone book. True, I would agree that a lot of the info can be obtained in other ways. However, I don't mind the form its presented in.... don't always buy a newspaper, etc... and this resource is always there. As for entertainment, I think it would be very good for children, even educationally. I enjoy the occasional game or contest or two. The bulletin board messaging has something to be desired, but, if you're not in a race, it can be tolerated. It's not really comparable to usenet.... For use netters, it doesn't even compare... but, for the people without net access, this may be a good low cost, entertaining alternative. ************************************************************************* * J.J. * Internet: JJL101@PSUVM.PSU.EDU * Penn State * * * * Center for * * John Lehett * Bitnet: JJL101@PSUVM * Academic Computing * ************************************************************************* * Limit(Continuous Luck) = Skill * *************************************************************************
zech@leadsv.UUCP (Bill Zech) (10/04/90)
In article <4466@apricot22.UUCP> motcid!marocchi@uunet.uu.net writes: >Is the access to the system constitute a local call? Long distance? I'm sure >this varies by area, but maybe a cross section of your experiences will give >a fairly good feel for the phone costs involved. >-- Prodigy has "gone national" by hooking up with one of the common- carrier network companies. So unless you live in the boonies, all calls should be local, in any of the 48 states. And BTW, it does have an on-line encyclopedia now, among many other services. - Bill
ashing@polari.UUCP (---) (10/04/90)
In article <90275.182407JJL101@psuvm.psu.edu> JJL101@psuvm.psu.edu (J.J. Lehett) writes: >In article <4466@apricot22.UUCP>, marocchi@motcid.UUCP (Jim Marocchi) says: > > As for entertainment, I think it would be very good for children, even >educationally. I enjoy the occasional game or contest or two. The >bulletin board messaging has something to be desired, but, if you're not >in a race, it can be tolerated. It's not really comparable to usenet.... >For use netters, it doesn't even compare... but, for the people without >net access, this may be a good low cost, entertaining alternative. > Prodigy is implementing charges for email beginning January 1, 1991. For the $12.95 monthly fee, you will get 30 free messages a month, and then messages will cost $.25 apiece. This is raising a major stink on the service, and many long-time users are moving to GEnie, and leaving Prodigy. Prodigy has severe censorship policies which have caused most users to resort to email to discuss garden variety Usenet type topics. It is not uncommon for users to send 30 messages a *day*. If this were to continue under the new pricing structure, it would cost users $225 a month plus the monthly fee. If you have net access, forget Prodigy. The people who run the service have the worst attitude in the online service industry, and the level of discussion on the BB's is limited to eight year old level. Al Shing
kristoff@genbank.bio.net (David Kristofferson) (10/04/90)
There was a mention in Business Week some time back (if I remember correctly) that Prodigy carries any story that Dow Jones news service has released in the last day or two in connection with any stock of interest. Is this accurate? -- Sincerely, Dave Kristofferson GenBank Manager kristoff@genbank.bio.net
lodzins@pilot.njin.net (Dean Lodzinski) (10/04/90)
I subscribed to Prodigy a while back. It only lasted a few months. I felt it was too slow and didn't have many things which were of interest to me. The major problem I had was that you could only print what they wanted you to print. A lot of times I would be reading the news articles and thought something was interesting but could not print it to show it to anyone. Someone did write a program that would capture everything on a screen and print it out, but I didn't find that until I was about ready to drop the service. I also subscribe to GEnie. They are implementing a new pricing policy. $4.95 a month for the basic package, which includes Email, most bulletin boards (except the computer related ones I believe) and some games among other things. Then all non-prime time rates are $6.00 and hour for anything not covered in the basic monthly rate. I am pretty sure what I have stated is correct, but if I am wrong I am sure I will be corrected. <grin> The only problem I have seen since the new prices started on 10/1 is I couldn't get on GEnie. I got a message stating something to the effect that GEnie was full at this time, call back later. Since I assume usage will increase quite a bit now, I hope GEnie will take the necessary measures to allow more users on at one time. I don't consider this a big problem when comparing GEnie to Prodigy, since numerous times I would get logged off of Prodigy or get error xxx when trying to dial the local Prodigy access number. So, in my opinion, GEnie is better than Prodigy. It has more features that interest me, I can capture what I like to view offline, unlimited Email usage, the GEnie Mall is in the price of the basic montly fee for those who like shopping and for those that are interested in downloading files, the non-prime time hourly rate for 300/1200/2400 bps users is now only $6.00 (US). Any comments on what I have said are always welcome. -- Dean Lodzinski DEAN_L@TURBO.Kean.edu, lodzins@pilot.njin.net 47 Mercury Circle csra19@TURBO.Kean.edu or D.LODZINSKI on GEnie South Amboy, NJ 08879 Dean Lodzinski on Hologram Inc., FNET Node 133, USA at 201/727-1914 (1200/2400/9600)
zech@leadsv.UUCP (Bill Zech) (10/05/90)
In article <Oct.4.01.19.04.1990.15068@genbank.bio.net> kristoff@genbank.bio.net (David Kristofferson) writes: >There was a mention in Business Week some time back (if I remember >correctly) that Prodigy carries any story that Dow Jones news service >has released in the last day or two in connection with any stock of >interest. Is this accurate? >-- I'm not sure of the above, but I can state that the various new service features are updated every few hours. I have found it a good means of staying on top of the Gulf crisis. It is much more matter-of-fact that the sound-bite crud on TV. Prodigy gets a bad rap that really isn't deserved. It's not Usenet, nor does it try to be. It's biggest problem is attempting to appeal to such a wide audience. True, the public forums are censored, and many object to this. However, for a family-oriented service, I don't think that's out of line as long as people like Jesse Helms are around. One poster claims the forums operate at an eight-year-old level. Certainly some topics might, but keep in mind many of the users may be children. Each family gets an ID for each family member. I have found some of the discussions to be quite adult. The same could be said for Usenet, except that few of its users are actually children. I considered dropping Prodigy a while back, but with the new VGA level software and faster operation via look-ahead and more caching, it is much improved. I use it every day, much as I would scan a newspaper. I'm more interested in news and stock quotes, movie reviews, road & track, the encyclopedia, and other services than I care about email. None of those are available on Usenet, and I don't end up with piles of newpaper in my garage. Each service has its good and bad points. That's why I use 3 or 4 of them. Choose the ones that suit you best, and keep an open mind. - BZ
henry@garp.mit.edu (Henry Mensch) (10/05/90)
you didn't say what "prime time" means for GEnie ... is it "business day" prime time, or "hacker-weenie" prime time. -- # Henry Mensch / <henry@garp.mit.edu> / E40-379 MIT, Cambridge, MA # <hmensch@uk.ac.nsfnet-relay> / <henry@tts.lth.se> / <mensch@munnari.oz.au> # via X.400: S=mensch; OU=informatik; P=tu-muenchen; A=dbp; C=de
allebrandi@inland.com (Tom Allebrandi) (10/05/90)
In article <13219@leadsv.UUCP>, zech@leadsv.UUCP (Bill Zech) writes: > Prodigy has "gone national" by hooking up with one of the common- > carrier network companies. So unless you live in the boonies, all > calls should be local, in any of the 48 states. Which carrier? I know that you can get at Prodigy via Tymnet but that doesn't mean you have local calls. None of the major data carrier services - Tymnet, Sprintnet (aka Telenet), CompuServe - have local numbers where I live. And I am only 40 miles outside of Chicago! --- Tom Tom Allebrandi | Vice-char and mail guru, VMSnet WG, DECUS VAX SIG Inland Steel Research Labs | Internet: allebrandi@inland.com East Chicago, IN | UUCP: ...!uunet!inland!allebrandi 219 399 6306 | DECUServe: allebrandi BIX: ta2
jah@b15.INGR.COM (James Harvey) (10/06/90)
>In article <Oct.4.01.19.04.1990.15068@genbank.bio.net> kristoff@genbank.bio.net (David Kristofferson) writes: >There was a mention in Business Week some time back (if I remember >correctly) that Prodigy carries any story that Dow Jones news service >has released in the last day or two in connection with any stock of >interest. Is this accurate? >-- Yes, it is true. The stories are available for two days after initial release. I use this feature every day. You can also maintain a list of stocks for which you can get quotes on a 15 minute delay basis. Market summaries are also available for stocks, bonds, commodities, and currencies. I use these every day to quickly see how much money I'm losing. But these features alone are not enough for me to continue the service. Why I will keep PRODIGY is because of the following: In article <13244@leadsv.UUCP> zech@leadsv.LEADS.LMSC.COM.UUCP (Bill Zech) writes: >Prodigy gets a bad rap that really isn't deserved. It's not Usenet, >nor does it try to be. It's biggest problem is attempting to appeal >to such a wide audience. True, the public forums are censored, and many >object to this. However, for a family-oriented service, I don't >think that's out of line ... I agree. I want this service moderated for family use because I let my two sons (9 & 11) use this service without my being present. There are several bulletin boards that they use having kids their own age as participants. NOVA has fantastic special features for kids which include graphics. Also there are several interactive games with graphics that they enjoy. I also have GEnie membership but do not allow my kids to access it. My wife also uses PRODIGY a great deal. It will be interesting to see how long PRODIGY maintains its unlimited usage at the current monthly fee considering GEnie's Star Services lower (non-prime time) fee. Let's hope Compuserve follows suit with flat fees soon. Jim Harvey My company doesn't know I exist, so these must be my opinions and not theirs.