Was told by DSL tech support that

On 22 Aug 2006 07:42:03 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote in :

It's probably cheaper to do it with their own software, not only from an admin standpoint but also from a support standpoint. Regardless, that's the way it's done, and it matters not if it could theoretically be done some other way. ;)

On Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:09:11 GMT John Navas wrote: | On 22 Aug 2006 07:42:03 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote in | : | |>On Mon, 21 Aug 2006 14:20:02 GMT John Navas wrote: | |>| The software register and creates the new account (including userid and |>| password, as well as account options); i.e., much more than just |>| authenticating the modem itself. |>

|>You don't need software in the customer computer to do that. It can be |>done by customer service on their computer. They just need the ID number |>of the modem and the customer's cable account (searchable from address). |>It would be possible to turn the service on completely with no computer |>at the customer end at all, ready for them to be online as soon as they |>put one in. | | It's probably cheaper to do it with their own software, not only from an | admin standpoint but also from a support standpoint. Regardless, that's | the way it's done, and it matters not if it could theoretically be done | some other way. ;)

It always matters that it could be done. That's how we know to complain about bad management.

Nevertheless, I watched the Comcast tech install my brother's internet service (because no one else would be at home at the time, I was drafted for the job). After spending about 20 minutes changing the wiring around so that instead of an 8-way split to all the jacks, a 2-way split went one way to the computer room, and the other went to the original 8-way splitter sporting a shiny new terminator on one of the output jacks, the tech went to the computer room, plugged in a modem, installed software on the computer, and called someone on a phone line to activate service. He spent then next 50 minutes waiting for someone to talk to. He gave them some numbers from the modem label and from the install order, then waited a few more minutes, talked again, then hung up. He then checked that the computer could get online, and it could. That was it.

So what does that software do? It didn't provide him any info to give over the phone. It didn't prevent him from wasting nearly an hour of time that perhaps could have gotten someone else's cable fixed an hour sooner that day. Could it have been a test responder that the remote net administration staff used to verify the modem was working? Possibly. If it isn't needed after the modem is set up, then it must not be some kind of firewall.

Anyway, your argument just doesn't fly. There are a number of "what they _could_ do better" ideas that really are justified if they do make things better. One possibility is for the staff to test every modem and preregister them with the account they have the work orders for before rolling out to that day's rounds. Then it would just be a matter of hooking them up (plus any wiring work that might be needed) and then verifying that they indeed are online.

But do let me know if you start working at any of these providers in any business critical decision making position, so that I will know who not to waste time and money with.