

AT&T DSL blocks Linux Configuration - lloeki
http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2010/12/at-blocks-linux-configuration.html

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hoop
The author says:

    
    
        As a matter of course, I have established the habit of
        carrying around a small laptop with Windows XP installed 
        in order to do this.  Doing so is absolutely ridiculous 
        and should be unnecessary,
    

After stating this, he goes on to hint that he may have to start pirating
Windows just to do the install. I'm sorry, but what?

The financial condition of his clients are irrelevant in this case. As the
technician doing the install, it is his responsibility to bring the right
tools for the job. In this case, that includes a laptop running Windows.

Is he going to get all bent out of shape because one of his other tasks is
going to require a Torx bit and he thinks he only needs to bring a Phillips?

Aside from that, it is no secret at all that no Tier 1 support person at any
large, commercial ISP anywhere is going to talk to anyone about Linux. I went
through this same problem back in 2001-ish with @home when I made the mistake
of mentioning the letters "BSD" (I had the opposite problem, I could say
connected on FreeBSD for days but any Windows PC would routinely disconnect
and reset all TCP connections).

The basic reality is that we (the non-mainstream OS users) are not AT&T, et
al's cash cow. These are capitalist enterprises designed to make a buck and,
as such, aren't going to spend a single green dollar on supporting Linux until
they see a clear ROI for doing so.

Finally, hinting to AT&T that their customers are going to start pirating
Microsoft software is absolutely ridiculous. AT&T does not care. AT&T !=
Microsoft.

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dkokelley
I wonder if AT&T has ulterior motives for this. It's not that they are being
asked to go out of their way to support Linux. Quite the opposite in fact!
They have taken significant steps to actively prohibit non-Windows/OSX
machines from properly setting up the connections. Maybe they're concerned
that by even allowing Linux to set up modems, they would be opening up an
entire side to tech support that they don't want to address.

