# Free ISPs : worth the hassle ?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 13, 2000, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974 "2000-09-13T02:01:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2000, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/1 "2000-09-13T02:01:28Z")
Yes, I know this topic has been addressed a few times in the past, but things change quickly. FreeWWW and that other bannerless ISP were bought out by the evil Juno bastards. And now I’ve just found out that Worldshare, the company that gave you free, bannerless access just for donating $15 to charity is introducing banners. Dammit, I _knew_ that offer was too good to be true! Luckily they haven’t release the banners yet, so my tiny 12.1" laptop display is unobstructed.
Well, I suppose that means the end of the banner-free ISPs, unless one of y’all has found a hidden jewel somewhere that I haven’t come across. Even if you haven’t, what do you think is the best free provider right now? Who has the smallest and least resource-hogging banner? Fewest busy signals and disconnects?
---
### Author:  [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2000, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/2 "2000-09-13T02:09:39Z")
Also, are there any free ISPs with a decent Usenet feed?
---
### Author:  [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2000, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/3 "2000-09-13T02:42:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by neutron star \*
> \*\*Yes, I know this topic has been addressed a few times in the past, but things change quickly. FreeWWW and that other bannerless ISP were bought out by the evil Juno bastards. And now I’ve just found out that Worldshare, the company that gave you free, bannerless access just for donating $15 to charity is introducing banners. Dammit, I _knew_ that offer was too good to be true! Luckily they haven’t release the banners yet, so my tiny 12.1" laptop display is unobstructed.
>
> Well, I suppose that means the end of the banner-free ISPs, unless one of y’all has found a hidden jewel somewhere that I haven’t come across. Even if you haven’t, what do you think is the best free provider right now? Who has the smallest and least resource-hogging banner? Fewest busy signals and disconnects? \*\*
Well, I’ve only been using it for a week or two, but FreeAtLast has been very good. No banner. Sometimes a small popup window (easily disposable) pops up in the upper right corner (I usually don’t notice it for a few minutes).
Zev Steinhardt
---
### Author:  [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2000, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/4 "2000-09-13T04:17:36Z")
I just signed up with FreeAtLast. Thanks, zev. It seems pretty good. I’ve been connected 25 minutes and haven’t seen a pop-up yet. No newsgroups, though.
---
### Author:  [@andyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andyman)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2000, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/5 "2000-09-13T16:16:05Z")
I’ve been on Bluelight for about a month now, and have always easily connected, and have never been kicked off. One annoying thing though, since it’s a service provided by K-Mart, every time you connect it plays a K-Mart commercial… usually the Judd’s one. :eek:
It’s not so bad though. The commercial is usually over by the time you’ve connected. There is a banner, but I’ve configured my browser so that I can leave it at the top of the screen and not really cover any buttons I would normally use.
---
### Author:  [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2000, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/6 "2000-09-13T22:58:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by neutron star \*
> \*\*I just signed up with FreeAtLast. Thanks, zev. It seems pretty good. I’ve been connected 25 minutes and haven’t seen a pop-up yet. No newsgroups, though. \*\*
Well, that’s what [Deja.com](http://Deja.com) is good for…
Zev Steinhardt
---
### Author:  [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2000, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/7 "2000-09-13T23:23:30Z")
I used FreeI over the summer–at least, after freewwweb went under. It was OK, but does have an ad banner. The upside to theirs is you can dock it so it’s not blocking part of your window–I have a 17" monitor, so losing an inch or so at the top was bearable. Juno’s was a pain in the ass, because even “docked” it blocked part of the screen.
---
### Author:  [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2000, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/8 "2000-09-14T04:25:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Well, that’s what [Deja.com](http://Deja.com) is good for…
Not if you’re looking for binaries.
---
### Author:  [@fierra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fierra)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2000, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/9 "2000-09-14T18:24:53Z")
Try this one, neutron:
[http://www.nailnews.com/](http://www.nailnews.com/)
You don’t have to be a member & they have a lot of the binaries (& you can add pics to a zip & download them in a batch).
---
### Author:  [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2000, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-isps-worth-the-hassle/32974/10 "2000-09-14T18:32:04Z")
“Hassle” is in the eye of the beholder. Some people may consider it a hassle to have an ad banner while they’re web surfing. However 10 years ago I considered it a hassle to actually have to leave my house to buy books/groceries/porn, to hand write letters to people which were delivered via “snail mail”, to wait until the nightly news to get my weather forecast or sports scores, to buy a newspaper to find out theater showtimes or read a movie review, or call people long distance on an old fashioned phone. The fact that I can now do ALL THAT online _and_ save the usual $20 a month I would normally pay, makes a pissy little ad banner hardly worth worrying about.