Juno Dialup Access Client Software

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lwill
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#16 Post by lwill »

Does anyone know if this still works?
On old or current puppy?

My dad lives in the boonies, stuck on dial up, but uses NetZero to use Chrome / Google Voice for long distance, and his computer crashed. Had to use Chrome since Voice no longer supports older IE.(he was still using Vista that came on the machine)
I am too far to ship it to me to fix now, and the guy he talked to about looking at it said "sure I can install Chrome, just give me the disk". Well they don't offer a disk!! just an installer you download. (can you tell how much confidence I have in his knowledge?)
At best dad gets about 28-36K so I don't even want to think about having him download it.

I was hoping to roll a quick custom puppy for him with just NetZero and Chrome (and deps) and send it to him so he can run from cd to make long distance calls and mail it to him.
Any thoughts?

Dewbie

#17 Post by Dewbie »

lwill wrote:
Does anyone know if this still works?
On old or current puppy?

Juno is my only ISP; I use it all the time with Puppy.

It works with Classic Pup 2.14x / Puppy Linux 4.1.2 and 4.3.1 / Wary 5.1.1 and 5.1.4.1.
(Probably with others, too...those are the only ones that I have.)

I can't verify whether NetZero for Puppy works because I don't have an account.
But I would imagine that it should, because it's a sister company of Juno.
(And don't forget, Java is required for both.)

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#18 Post by lwill »

Thank you for the confirmation.
I just downloaded Precise and going to give it a try, if not I will fall back to an older one.
Of course I may still have an issue getting his modem to work since I have no idea what he has. His machine is only a few years old, better than most I have. :) (It gave him a "hard disk failed" BSOD error)
Maybe I should just go with a slightly older pup with more modem drivers available? Hmm. Which to choose.....

Dewbie

#19 Post by Dewbie »

lwill wrote:
Maybe I should just go with a slightly older pup with more modem drivers available?
The latest Wary has more dial-up drivers than the others.
(BarryK uses an older kernel because it allows him to do this.)

Dewbie

#20 Post by Dewbie »

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mouldy
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#21 Post by mouldy »

Dewbie wrote:
I can't verify whether NetZero for Puppy works because I don't have an account.
It still works. I am using Slacko 5.3.3. And on Netzero dialup connection posting this. Remember it only works with a paid account unless they are having one of their free weekends for the free account. Not even sure they still do those. They know dialup is about dead so not much incentive to offer incentives to sign up.

One problem I recently ran into during a fresh install was that all the local numbers on this old Linspire linux version were no longer functional. Unlike the current windows version, this old Linspire version cant dial an 800 number to check for number updates. So if the local numbers built into it dont work, it cant connect to anything.

I had it installed on another Puppy computer with updated numbers and was able to just copy "phn.dat" file with its updated local numbers from Netzero directory from that install to the new one. You can also try opening the phn.dat file and manually modify it though that is more work, but it maybe only option for somebody without working numbers.

Pretty much means most people still on dialup probably wont be informed enough to do this and the Linspire netzero client for all intents and purposes will be unusable. Its a shame but people posting for info on most linux help sites, are misinformed that the Linspire Netzero software no longer works. Course getting dialup info or dialup modem info for linux has been difficult for very long time. Puppy has been best by far on dialup/modem support. Lot linux "experts" on such sites think all dialup users are too stupid luddites to upgrade to broadband or just too cheap to have broadband. Let them live out in boonies and they will learn quick there is no broadband other than way overpriced satellite. Mobile broadband if you happen to live near enough to an interstate hiway system. And no, I aint movin to the big city just to get broadband......

Also need to remind people this software is buggy in that it doesnt remember passwords. Also to connect hit return key instead of clicking button with mouse. It wont do anything if you just click the connect button. Oh and the whole netzero window disappears when it does properly connect, though winky in your tray will show you connected. On older Puppies I could then click on Netzero again and click to close. My install no longer does this. You have to force the connection to end with a killall. Or just shut down Puppy and reboot.

Dialup is getting nearly unusable anymore except for email via an email client, and Netzero is about only dialup isp that doesnt severely limit hours you can be connected. At least one that is $10. The cheaper ones have either severely limited hours or went out of buisiness. The remaining full service ones seem high price. Nearly what I would pay for basic DSL if it were available to me. So for some of us out in boonies without any good broadband options, but still have a local Netzero network number, it can be made to work. I however get loads of practice playing solitaire waiting for webpages to load......
Last edited by mouldy on Thu 03 Apr 2014, 19:06, edited 1 time in total.

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#22 Post by mouldy »

lwill wrote:Thank you for the confirmation.
I just downloaded Precise and going to give it a try, if not I will fall back to an older one.
Of course I may still have an issue getting his modem to work since I have no idea what he has. His machine is only a few years old, better than most I have. :) (It gave him a "hard disk failed" BSOD error)
Maybe I should just go with a slightly older pup with more modem drivers available? Hmm. Which to choose.....
The easiest current way to deal with dialup modem is to buy a $10 generic chinese usb modem with 93010 chip off ebay. This is supported by the standard linux ACM-cdc module for usb. Make sure it has the connexant 93010 chip, there are many that look identical but are software modems that may or may not work, and at best are lot more trouble to setup if there happens to be a driver available. I have had good luck with these modems, though I live on hilltop so if I happen to forget to unplug before thunderstorm, they are wiped out. The old serial modems could take a small lightening hit to phone line if it happened far enough away. But it would wipe out the serial to usb conversion cable. Most modern computers dont have serial port so require the cable. But every pc computer unless very, very old has usb that works for dialup modem.

Dewbie

#23 Post by Dewbie »

mouldy wrote:
And on Netzero dialup connection posting this. Remember it only works with a paid account unless they are having one of their free weekends for the free account. Not even sure they still do those.

Juno and NetZero still provide a free, 10-hour-per-month account.
On older Puppies I could then click on Netzero again and click to close. My install no longer does this. You have to force the connection to end with a killall. Or just shut down Puppy and reboot.

TheAsterisk! re-did his NetZero software a while ago because of a few complaints.
I have both versions if you need them.
Dialup is getting nearly unusable anymore
Dillo still cuts through lots of fat and loads pages quickly. :)
except for email via an email client
Gmail's web interface can also be accessed in basic HTML, which works great with dial-up.
(BluMail, SIFY, and certain other webmail providers also use the Gmail platform.)
and Netzero is about only dialup isp that doesnt severely limit hours you can be connected. At least one that is $10. The cheaper ones have either severely limited hours or went out of buisiness. The remaining full service ones seem high price.

Not true. I just switched to the Advantage plan over here.
You'll only reach the limit if you're on for 5 hours a day, every day.

It works straight through PupDial; no Java required. :)
(Warning: It will lose the connection if you restart X server.)

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#24 Post by mouldy »

Dewbie wrote: Juno and NetZero still provide a free, 10-hour-per-month account.
Do they still have the "free weekends" ever so often? That was the only time you could use the Linspire client to connect to free account.
TheAsterisk! re-did his NetZero software a while ago because of a few complaints.
I have both versions if you need them.


Did he somehow find a workaround so it can store the password? That would be really nice. I thought that was a permanent bug. Really dont care about the connect button not working in newer Puppies, its not a big strain to hit the enter key.
Dillo still cuts through lots of fat and loads pages quickly. :)
Alas only html pages. Lot of flash and java and all that nonsense in modern world.


You'll only reach the limit if you're on for 5 hours a day, every day.


I am! I start page loading then go do something else while it loads. Sometimes browser times out and requires reloading page multiple times. The isp's clock keeps ticking.

Also remember dialup isps rent their numbers and bandwidth they retail from one or more wholsale networks. The cheaper networks are significantly SLOWER. I used to use AOL for a while cause they too offered unlimited hours for real for $10 a month and Penggy dialer for AOL worked in Puppy, but their local network numbers dwindled to one and it was on a slow network. Netzero/Juno were only dialup isp offering more than one or two local numbers for me on multiple networks. I removed two of the local numbers from dialer selection just because they are always super slow. The Netzero dialer thing tries to add them back every once in a while. If I let it, then it always wants to use those two numbers. I am sure bandwidth on those networks costs much less for Netzero.

Dewbie

#25 Post by Dewbie »

mouldy wrote:
Do they still have the "free weekends" ever so often? That was the only time you could use the Linspire client to connect to free account.
I only used Juno Platinum (paid, unlimited access account), and could always sign on with Linspire client (the Juno .pet). The most recent "free weekends" mention I could find is over here.
Did he somehow find a workaround so it can store the password?
Not that I know of.
Also remember dialup isps rent their numbers and bandwidth they retail from one or more wholsale networks.

Yes; I'm using the same access number, despite having changed ISPs.

Here are a few others to check out:
http://www.basicisp.net
http://www.copper.net
http://www.toast.net
(The first two are run by the same company, just like Juno/NetZero.)
The easiest current way to deal with dialup modem is to buy a $10 generic chinese usb modem with 93010 chip off ebay.
You can also get a USB-to-serial adapter, which should allow you to run a USRobotics faxmodem. As far as I know, all Puppies work with those.

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#26 Post by mouldy »

Dewbie wrote: I only used Juno Platinum (paid, unlimited access account), and could always sign on with Linspire client (the Juno .pet). The most recent "free weekends" mention I could find is over here.
People get confused, as I think other poster seemed to be. Like I said the Linspire client only works with paid "platinum" account or when Netzero is having a free weekend for the free accounts. Otherwise the free accounts require the client to communicate some code over and over to remain connected and surf beyond the Netzero signup page. The Linspire client cant do this.


Also remember dialup isps rent their numbers and bandwidth they retail from one or more wholsale networks. .....Yes; I'm using the same access number, despite having changed ISPs.
I just went through this again. Number that used to be the fastest got sluggish. Seems Netzero changed nearly all the access numbers and none of the ones that come with the Linspire client work of course and Linspire client hadnt picked up the latest numbers yet (sometimes it does, sometimes it doesnt). But if you open that file I mention, change one of the old useless numbers to a new number, using a text editor, save, close file, then open client and edit number you allow client to use, deselecting anything but the new number, it will dial and connect. After a couple uses it will offer you rest of available numbers... well sometimes, doesnt always do this. As to number selection, I found I have to painstakenly try each of them one by one (deselect all others) to find the fastest, then limit client to using only that number. Client doesnt give option to select which number is tried first if you select more than one number as available.
You can also get a USB-to-serial adapter, which should allow you to run a USRobotics faxmodem. As far as I know, all Puppies work with those.
If you own a working serial modem (all serial modems, not just UsRobotics, are hardware modems and automagically recognized and usable without special drivers), you maybe can get an usb adapter cable cheaper (if you dont have a serial port). If you have a serial port, you dont need an adapter cable. Even then be careful which chip the adapter cable uses. One is automagically recognized and easy peasy, driver built in to linux kernel for generations now, the other can be PITA to make work though newer kernels have the driver if it was compiled as into kernel as option.

But if you dont already own a seriel modem, trying to find a good working serial modem plus buying an adapter cable is not cheaper than $10. Those cheap chinese usb generic modems I mention (make sure it has that specific chip I mention) is way to go. They are a hardware modem and work without added software drivers. Also small and very convenient. Serial modems on other hand are bulky and clumsy and more crap to have setting on your desk and another wall wart to find space to plug in. With any hardware modem, you just have to make Puppy Connect try it and set up everything if it wasnt automagically recognized and set up on boot up. In my experience Puppy sometimes sees it automagically, sometimes you have to run the wizard. Even after installing, Puppy sometimes forgets and you have to run wizard yet again.

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