[lug] Advice for a incoming Colorado newbie

[D. Stimits]

Jordan Crouse wrote:

> Greetings -
>
> My name is Jordan Crouse, currently of Salt Lake City, but soon to hail
> from the Boulder / Longmont area.
>
> I'm in the process of getting all my ducks in a row to move, so I turn
> to you for advice on the geekiest (and therefore most important)
> options:
>
> 1) Internet connectivity:  High speed is mandatory (I have a cable modem
> right now, and I don't even want to contemplate going back to dialup).
> What options are available (cable, DSL, etc)?   What providers are the
> most Linux and geek friendly?  Are there any areas around Boulder /
> Longmont that are *not* wired for high speed?  Personally, I would
> prefer DSL with a static IP, but really, any high speed / always on
> connections will do.

Comcast cable is nice to have. I had some long problems with some bad 
underground cables, but now that they are fixed, it is quite reliable 
and fast. You probably need a windows machine for the initial web based 
activation, but don't need a windows machine to run off of, and don't 
need windows for the installation people (just put it in yourself past 
the cable modem itself). Just be sure that if you buy a modem you get 
the right one. Local Circuit City and some others sell the Motorol 
Surfboard modems that they accept, but check first.

>
> 2) Television:  Is cable or satellite preferred?  Who is the cable
> company, and what is their track record?   Here in Utah, everyone has
> Comcast, and hates them universally.

Originally all of the cable here was AT&T, which was bought out by 
Comcast, so I think some of the infrastructure is probably better made 
than what Comcast would have done (it depends where you are, it varies 
from one neighborhood to another). Once I got rid of the underground 
cable problems, I found that service was reliable, both tv and Internet.

>
> 3)  Location:  Are there any neighborhoods or areas that are wired for
> fiber?  Where would be the ideal place for a Linux geek to live?

Some of the new infrastructure around Longmont is fiber. But, nobody 
gets fiber to their house, there are trunk lines that circle 
neighborhoods, then it is copper to main boxes in neighborhoods. The 
ideal geek would live in the industrial section and pay for a fiber 
based T1 or better...wait, I have to take that back, true geeks can't 
afford a private T1!

>
> 4) Is there anything else I need to know before making the move?
>
> Thanks in advance for your assistance, and hope to see you all soon.


If you get cable, then owning your own modem is less expensive in the 
long run. You should also be ready ahead of time to ask to pay like $5 
more per month for extra IP addresses if you wish to use more than one 
machine with unique IP addresses.

If you decide to wire your own home for 10/100, there is a place in 
Longmont that sells 1000 foot roles for the same price that most stores 
charge for 100 feet. I forget their official name in the phone book, but 
it used to be Colotex Electric...now it is some variation of that name. 
It is on south main in Longmont.

D. Stimits, stimits AT comcast DOT net