Ubuntu Linux® For Dummies®

Chapter 9. Internet Old School: Using Dialup Modems

In This Chapter

• Selecting your ISP

• Choosing a modem

• Configuring your modem

• Making your Internet connection

Modems are old school. Back in the day — oh, way back at the turn of the century — they were the only game in town for most people. The only broadband Internet connections you could get were through large organizations such as universities. Otherwise, you had to live with the slow connections modems provided.

Modems enabled a lot of people to get onto the Internet. As large numbers of us got online, economies of scale drove the introduction of consumer‐level broadband connections. Today, it's hard to think of a world without those fast, always‐on connections. But not everyone has access to such luxuries, and modems still serve as an inexpensive, widely available connection method.

Ubuntu provides all the tools necessary for using modems. This chapter describes how to make your modem connection. We play to the classic hits here. It's old school, baby!

Selecting a dialup ISP

Internet service providers (ISPs) come in all shapes and sizes. You don't have to make any long‐term commitments to an ISP. You can quickly change companies if you don't like the one you subscribe to.

You can subscribe to a couple of types of ISPs:

• Large, corporate‐type ISPs: Larger ISPs often offer very low‐cost or free service. Large ISPs can offer lower costs, but not much lower than small operations — the difference is about $5 to $15.

  National ISPs provide service ...