PC Pro

colirv · Nov 07, 2007, 12:52:49

Judging from this item on ISPreview there can't be many IDnetters who read PC Pro.

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 12:55:42

I don't anymore, I got fed up with its Evesham love affair.

(Site seems to be down at the moment...)

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 13:04:04

Site has been down all morning.

colirv · Nov 07, 2007, 14:16:13

Site back up now.

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 14:22:03

Not from here, Colin.

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 14:22:41

Nor here.

colirv · Nov 07, 2007, 15:44:49

Well I've just reloaded the link I gave you - twice. And I've opened it in IE as well. So definitely not cached. So definitely working now!

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 15:48:41

Odd, it still times out for me in both FF and IE, Colin. Are you using the IDNet DNS servers?

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 15:50:49

Same here in IE6, FF and Opera, I visit that site almost every day.

colirv · Nov 07, 2007, 16:30:33

Quote from: Rik on Nov 07, 2007, 15:48:41
Are you using the IDNet DNS servers?

No, OpenDNS. The news item is actually on ISPreview's home page, if you can get there.

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 16:32:56

As is the following;

Most of our regular readers are probably aware that the site has been suffering short but random periods of outage since we upgraded the server to a faster platform two months ago. Today the site was shifted onto completely new hardware in an attempt to resolve said problems.

Sadly the host failed to inform us that the process would take place today (we had hoped to get it done during the night) and as a result we have been offline for a few hours since just after 10:30am this morning. However this process is now complete and we will begin monitoring to check for reoccurrence of the problems.

Now back to ISP news..

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 16:38:16

I still can't get there...

Anyone got the IP address handy?

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 16:40:43

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.shtml

Home Page

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 16:43:30

I don't appear able to resolve it, In, nor to ping it. I was looking for the numeric IP address (shown if you ping the URL), so that I could see whether it was DNS or something at my end.

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 16:46:51

Works fine for me now Rik, in FF and Opera, I wouldn't know what a ping was if one run over me.

Another link;

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 16:50:16

No, still times out.

Hit Start > Run, type CMD and hit ENTER. In the resultant window, type ping www.ispreview.co.uk.

It will do four pings, reporting times, but it will also show you the IP address.

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 16:53:58

Did that..nothing apart from a DOS Box..I did warn you Rik..

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 16:54:20

Problem solved - I flushed DNS... Why didn't I think of that earlier.

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 16:55:12

Great, toilet training required, that's all.

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 17:00:15

The ping result should have looked like this, btw:

ping www.ispreview.co.uk

Pinging www.ispreview.co.uk [87.106.71.82] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 87.106.71.82: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=56
Reply from 87.106.71.82: bytes=32 time=51ms TTL=56
Reply from 87.106.71.82: bytes=32 time=44ms TTL=56
Reply from 87.106.71.82: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=56

Ping statistics for 87.106.71.82:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 40ms, Maximum = 51ms, Average = 44ms

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 17:02:18

I followed your instructions to the letter Rik, zilch, nothing, zero, bugger all.

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 17:07:14

There should have been an added ENTER after the URL, sorry.

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 22:43:37

Quote from: Rik on Nov 07, 2007, 17:07:14
There should have been an added ENTER after the URL, sorry.

Glad it was your fault and not mine Rik, that makes a change.

colirv · Nov 07, 2007, 22:53:29

Right, well IF you've quite finished messing about trying to find the site, the point was that it was surprising that IDNet didn't get a mention in the top 12 best ISPs, whereas Plusnet and Sky, for example, did!

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 22:59:43

Quote from: colirv on Nov 07, 2007, 22:53:29
Right, well IF you've quite finished messing about trying to find the site, the point was that it was surprising that IDNet didn't get a mention in the top 12 best ISPs, whereas Plusnet and Sky, for example, did!

I did read it, but I always take them surveys with a huge pinch of salt.

Noreen · Nov 07, 2007, 23:08:08

Good heavens, it's got Freedom2Surf on the list of best ISPs!

Simon · Nov 07, 2007, 23:13:24

Quote from: colirv on Nov 07, 2007, 22:53:29
Right, well IF you've quite finished messing about trying to find the site, the point was that it was surprising that IDNet didn't get a mention in the top 12 best ISPs, whereas Plusnet and Sky, for example, did!

It was probably just that IDNet didn't bother to buy a place in the listing.

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 23:24:03

Quote from: colirv on Nov 07, 2007, 22:53:29
IDNet didn't get a mention in the top 12 best ISPs, whereas Plusnet and Sky, for example, did!

Given the audience for the magazine, I'm not that surprised, Colin. Look at the Watchdog survey - they managed to get the same companies in the top and bottom 10!

The truth is, we are a small group, willing to pay a little more for a quality service and, in this current age, out of step with the masses as a result. In many ways, I'm all in favour of IDNet not getting a mention.

What is interesting to me, though, is that you now regularly see IDNet mentioned as a prospective ISP over on TB when someone has had a problem getting the speeds that their line should support.

Inactive · Nov 07, 2007, 23:26:25

Quote from: Si6776 on Nov 07, 2007, 23:13:24
It was probably just that IDNet didn't bother to buy a place in the listing.

Agreed Simon, or isn't one of their regular advertisers.

Simon · Nov 07, 2007, 23:28:32

It does seem that the 'top 10' of any survey seems to list the same ISPs, and they are the ones who can afford to advertise the most.

Rik · Nov 07, 2007, 23:49:25

Or have to? 8)

Simon · Nov 07, 2007, 23:55:33

Indeed.

mogden · Nov 08, 2007, 08:21:41

Quote from: Noreen on Nov 07, 2007, 23:08:08
Good heavens, it's got Freedom2Surf on the list of best ISPs!

...and Eclipse!

(two for emphasis!)

PCPro can't be doing themselves any favours peddling this sort of disinformation.

colirv · Nov 08, 2007, 08:42:43

I've just had a browse of PC Pro's site, and zoomed in on their Broadband page. The lead article under "Features" looked interesting - a guide to freeware called "Cheaper than chips". I had a good read, puzzled by some of the comments and the omission of Firebird and Thunderbird, then noticed the date - 2002! I think I'll give them a miss.

Inactive · Nov 08, 2007, 08:48:17

Quote from: colirv on Nov 08, 2007, 08:42:43
then noticed the date - 2002! I think I'll give them a miss.

Speaks volumes Colin..

Rik · Nov 08, 2007, 08:50:50

I let my sub expire three months ago, and I really haven't missed it. It seems to me that it had become far too biased towards advertisers and its Lab Tests were becoming a bit like Which? tests.

Noreen · Nov 08, 2007, 11:23:55

I've just made an ISP comparison on thinkbroadband of the top 5 in the PCPro list (couldn't find Force9) and IDNet. Really makes you wonder, doesn't it? http://www.thinkbroadband.com/isp/compare.html?commit=Compare&isp_4=1&isp_10=1&isp_12=1&isp_14=1&isp_16=1&isp_17=1

Rik · Nov 08, 2007, 11:28:56

Royal purple - how appropriate, Noreen.

Ann · Nov 09, 2007, 20:10:27

I think it's just old information. It takes them time to collate it all and give the results so that by the time it's published it's already out of date. When I joined Eclipse over a year ago it was near the top of all the tables. And service was very good for a while. It didn't last though and now they're near the bottom. I just hope it's not me that jinxed them $:-\$

Rik · Nov 10, 2007, 10:46:44

Given you're now with IDNet, Ann, so do we.