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Mac FTW, D-Link FTL, Speakeasy Pwnz
Jan. 12th, 2007 09:18 amSpeakeasy - my ISP - recently had a service outage in my area. It actually didn't last that long, but by the following morning, I still didn't have Internet access. I called up their tech support and they suggested resetting the router (a D-Link router, which I got when ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
colorwhirl moved out), so I tried it.
After performing a hard reset, I should have been able to connect to the router's signal, and then entered its URL into my browser to access the configuration menu. That didn't work. I couldn't find the signal. Even when I physically connected my computer to the router, I couldn't get into the thing's configuration.
I tried calling D-Link's tech support and ended up in a phone-tree maze. As far as I could tell, they also charged for tech support if the caller's device was no longer under warranty, and I'm not sure whether my router is or not. Feeling desperate, I called Speakeasy to check again if my service was working.1 The tech support guy I spoke to tried to help me with my router, and we determined that it wasn't assigning an IP to my computer, which is what it's supposed to do. Only when we had exhausted all options did he say I should talk to the device manufacturer. In my experience, that kind of courtesy and diligence from a customer service rep or tech support person is relatively rare (therefore, Speakeasy Pwnz, even if they couldn't help me resolve my issue).
I could still get online by plugging into the modem, though, so I did that and sent a message to D-Link's tech support describing the problem. To their credit, they sent me a response very quickly: I had an e-mail from them in my inbox when I got to work this morning. I'll have to fiddle with the router again tonight.
On a brighter note, I'm quite enjoying my new Mac. I learned that Boot Camp creates a non-destructive partition for other operating systems, so it's okay for me to start changing settings and stuff on the Mac now (I will have a copy of Windows soon). MacOS is taking some getting used to - the lack of right-click menus especially - but it's got a lot of neat stuff. The dashboard widget, for instance, is a nice feature, as is the unit and currency converter. There's also an application that seems to be designed for webcomic publishers, as it will easily let you organize your comic panels into layouts and pages. I'm not a webcomic author myself, but I think it's so cool that something like this exists.
Also, after all these years using Windows, using a MacOS is like...well, like I suddenly won a vacation to some lovely tropical paradise, where I get the best suite in the finest luxury hotel, which comes equipped with a well-trained personal valet or maid. Mac just quietly takes care of stuff that Windows would bother you about, or make you take care of yourself. I had better get Windows on this thing too soon, before I get spoiled.
1Speakeasy has a mercifully small phone tree. It's more like a phone shrub. You don't have to jump through too many hoops to get on the phone with a human being.
colorwhirl moved out), so I tried it.After performing a hard reset, I should have been able to connect to the router's signal, and then entered its URL into my browser to access the configuration menu. That didn't work. I couldn't find the signal. Even when I physically connected my computer to the router, I couldn't get into the thing's configuration.
I tried calling D-Link's tech support and ended up in a phone-tree maze. As far as I could tell, they also charged for tech support if the caller's device was no longer under warranty, and I'm not sure whether my router is or not. Feeling desperate, I called Speakeasy to check again if my service was working.1 The tech support guy I spoke to tried to help me with my router, and we determined that it wasn't assigning an IP to my computer, which is what it's supposed to do. Only when we had exhausted all options did he say I should talk to the device manufacturer. In my experience, that kind of courtesy and diligence from a customer service rep or tech support person is relatively rare (therefore, Speakeasy Pwnz, even if they couldn't help me resolve my issue).
I could still get online by plugging into the modem, though, so I did that and sent a message to D-Link's tech support describing the problem. To their credit, they sent me a response very quickly: I had an e-mail from them in my inbox when I got to work this morning. I'll have to fiddle with the router again tonight.
On a brighter note, I'm quite enjoying my new Mac. I learned that Boot Camp creates a non-destructive partition for other operating systems, so it's okay for me to start changing settings and stuff on the Mac now (I will have a copy of Windows soon). MacOS is taking some getting used to - the lack of right-click menus especially - but it's got a lot of neat stuff. The dashboard widget, for instance, is a nice feature, as is the unit and currency converter. There's also an application that seems to be designed for webcomic publishers, as it will easily let you organize your comic panels into layouts and pages. I'm not a webcomic author myself, but I think it's so cool that something like this exists.
Also, after all these years using Windows, using a MacOS is like...well, like I suddenly won a vacation to some lovely tropical paradise, where I get the best suite in the finest luxury hotel, which comes equipped with a well-trained personal valet or maid. Mac just quietly takes care of stuff that Windows would bother you about, or make you take care of yourself. I had better get Windows on this thing too soon, before I get spoiled.
1Speakeasy has a mercifully small phone tree. It's more like a phone shrub. You don't have to jump through too many hoops to get on the phone with a human being.
