I suspect you've been hearing the radio ads where this company or that claims that they'll give you a free computer if you sign up for their Internet access service for some period of time. If your old computer is getting too old and tired to run current software, these ads may have caught your ear, because the machines they're giving away sound like pretty good machines. So, is it worth it?
A good Internet acronym to remember in such cases is TINSTAAFL (There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch). While a free computer sounds like a good deal, make sure you understand all of the costs involved before you sign up.
For example, in some cases, you'll have to agree to buy as much as three years of Internet service from the company in question, at a cost of as much as $20 per month. That works out to over $700 in Internet access charges. If you're not a heavy user of the Internet, you can sometimes find Internet access deals in the $10 per month range, and you can buy a pretty decent PC for as little as $600 these days, so the free PC deal may not save you a whole lot of money.
Another thing to consider is the fact that three years is a long time in the world of networking and the Internet. What looks like a good deal today may look really terrible a year down the road. You might regret being locked into a three-year contract for a dial-up connection if new, high-bandwidth connectivity options, such as the much-touted ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), are suddenly available in your area.
Some of these companies also charge a one-time startup fee of $150 or more, or they may add a charge for the software you need to connect to their service. You might find that you'll have to pay another hefty application fee, and shipping costs for the computer as well, and it all adds up. In some cases, if you decide to drop the service before the end of the contract period, you could be billed for some or all of the cost of the PC.
With all of that said, don't be discouraged. There are some pretty good deals out there, and you may find one, but be careful to understand all of the costs and the terms of your agreement before you sign on the dotted line.
If the free PC doesn't appeal to you, how about free Internet access? There are several companies now that provide unlimited free Internet access in return for the right to bombard you with advertising while you use their service. It works the same as it does with the free e-mail services: you begin by filling out a survey form that provides the company with information about your interests and purchasing habits, and this information is used to select what sorts of things are advertised when you're online.
The advertising may be a little annoying at first, but many users of the free e-mail accounts have learned to deal with them. Besides, most of us are used to the presence of advertising on the 'Net, having been exposed to it virtually every time we surf the World Wide Web.
A free Internet access account would be a very handy thing for those of us whose jobs require us to travel. Instead of racking up a big long-distance bill while checking your e-mail from your hotel room, you might have the option of dialing the local access number for your free Internet access provider in whatever city you happen to find yourself.
A quick check of as many as half a dozen free Internet providers turned up the unfortunate fact that only one of the services I found provides local access numbers for the Lawrence area (webCombo, http://www.webcombo.net), and some of the others aren't really that close to having widespread availability of local access numbers; some don't serve Kansas at all yet.
Just remember: TINSTAAFL.
-- Doug Heacock is executive director of the Kansas Research and Educational Network at Kansas University. You may address questions to him in care of the Lawrence Journal-World, 609 N.H., Lawrence 66044, or e-mail him at heacock@kanren.net.
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