[lug] IDSL

[Michael Deck]

I'm looking for recommendations for a Linux-friendly (or at least not Linux-unfriendly) IDSL provider. 

My current ISP, Front Range Internet, has partnered with New Edge but they don't offer service yet to my location. 

US Wurst won't qualify me for their service and in any case I am fed up with US Wurst and would prefer (almost) anyone else. 
  
If possible, I'd prefer to be working with a local company as my ISP rather than a big national one.

I got a mailing from Hostpro (a Micron company) who are partnering with Covad. Covad _will_ qualify me. With Hostpro I can get everything I need (webhosting 100MB including CGI and Java Servlets, email boxes, 1 static IP) for $139/mo. (IDSL is 144K symmetric DSL over ISDN). They'll setup and install, and provide the Flowpoint 144 hardware for free with a one-year commitment. 

(This compares pretty favorably with the $70 telco + $150 ISP + $25 webhost I'm paying per month for _half_ an ISDN connection, to connect up with Ryan Kirkpatrick's High-Speed rural thread. That's my situation too, BTW) 

My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) is that I can tell the Flowpoint not to route or masquerade, give the one static IP address to my Linux firewalling/proxy/masquerading router, and I'm in business. Hostpro seemed to think that would work but also seemed a little uncertain. 

TIA,
    Mike

Michael Deck
Cleanroom Software Engineering, Inc.