On Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:03:33 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
The AT&T news server farm is shutting down "about July 15th." For those
unlucky
enough to have to deal with AT&T motzarella.org provides free text-only
newsgroups for those who want to use a newsclient rather than Google
Groups,
etc.

And as an aside, this is just one more example of why AT&T sucks...and
now, the
Obama Administration is tapping none other than Mr. "I don't know nuthin'
'bout
makin' no cars." Ed half-Whitacre, Jr. to - are you ready? - fix GM...

Sheesh,
R
...but on the, um, "positive" side, he's got a rosy outlook - "If I can
royally
screw folks with telecom, surely I can do it with automotive...why,
shucks, I'll
have this company back to ****ing its vict...er, 'customers' faster than
you can
say 'Yugo'..."


ATT has just installed fiber in the neighborhood. Guy come by yesterday to
inform me of this, and maybe I would like DSL from them. Get Fiber for DSL.
He did not know about newsgroups or dropping them. Informed him to make a
note that no way would I go with such a 1/2 assed concern. Had to tell him
newsgroups were the internet before the web.

Here's another reason AT&T sucks: when AT&T re-acquired Cingular, they
cancelled many in-place "sharing" agreements, such as with Cellular South.
Therefore, the "more bars in more places" is just so much adcrap. "Oh, sure,"
some would say, "in remote corners of the US with no real customer base." Er,
nope. They left a major NASA installation, Stennis (and its related industry),
several Armed Forces bases/posts/forts, and a fair chunk of agri-business with
no choice but to turn to other providers/carriers. They, from what I've heard,
thought that the former Bellsouth lock on landlines, with the resultant tie-ins
to cellular, internet, etc., would keep customers on the tit. Oops. Now "the
government" is going to let the genius behind such ****-ups "fix" GM. He'll
probably suggest selling vehicles without engines or seats because, hey, once
they buy the vehicle, they'll be forced to buy the engine and interior...

TC,
R