Cables, more cables, and no cables.

Well, that’s quite a difference.

Spent tonight setting up cable modem and wireless network. I’ve been grouchy about the whole project for some time - I didn’t want to spend additional money on something that only I’d really use - so finally I cut my cell phone bills by $20/month and will cancel the dialup account (also $20/month), which gave my conscience the permission it somehow needed to get a high-speed wireless connection.

I have strange hangups. I admit it.

My biggest concern was with the cable company - I don’t trust them, even though they’ve been less apt to price gouge than, say, my cell phone company. I really hate dealing with my cell phone company, and can’t wait until LWNP (local wireless number portability) goes into effect this November. But, overall, it was much more pleasant dealing with the cable company.

Did I just say that? Someone please hit me.

Right. So. I drag my tower (Sarantium) downstairs to where the live cable outlet is early this evening and hook up the cable modem. I do this because I’m not letting the cable company’s software anywhere near Merrystar’s laptop, Tigana. You will in fact have to shoot me before I let them mess with her internet settings litke that. But, and this is wonderful, there’s software that you need to run once to register, and it only runs on Windows - actuallly, I could have said I have a game box or something like that, or pressed the point about a non-Windows solution, but I didn’t - well, I thought it only ran on Windows, so I drag the tower and monitor downstairs to watch Merrystar play Atari whilst I get the cable modem working. Soon it is, and then it’s the wireless router’s turn.

Nothing worked. Absolutely nothing! Argh! Then I had a flash, put the install CD back in the drive, and reinstalled the router software. I had to reset the router twice and get rid of all the stupid changes I’d made before, but eventually everything was conifgured. I got Sarantium’s firewall set up to handle the new configuration, and then - as I’d just reinstalled the operating system(s) last night in a sucessful attempt to get the computer to recognize itself on the network - proceeded to do the Windows Update dance. So much faster now! I can almost remember what it was like to just have a list of software sites and download whatever the latest versions were. (Almost.)

While Sarantium was patching, I got Al-Rassan out and ran up2date on her. Then I browsed the web until Sarantium finished and I rebooted her into Linux, where she got the up2date treatment, too. I then disconnected everybody from the network and dragged them upstairs again, reassuring a somewhat concerned Merrystar that Sarantium wasn’t going to live permanently in our kitchen.

So.

I’m in bed, a floor away from the router, typing away. I’m not so grouchy anymore about high-speed access.

Just don’t ask me about my cell service provider.