I'm still on dial-Up myself. I had highspeed or ultralight as it is called here. You can get three levels of highspeed. I had so much trouble with the provider (bell) i canceled the service and went back to dial-Up. Since then i have replaced my computer and found most of the speed issues i was going threw were due to my computers operating system. Dial-Up is still slow but not like it was with the older computer....Mark

Robert,

According to the Virginia Broadband website, you should be in their coverage area. But then again, I am also listed as an area they cover, but when they came out, they could not get a signal.

Satellite should be available in your area. I use wildblue and am relatively happy with it. When it rains, I cannot get a signal. This is pretty frustrating in the spring when the only time I have to work on the computer is when it rains.

We want you to post pictures. Your gardens are so photo-worthy.

Kathy

Here is a link that might be useful: VABB

We only got satellite in October. No DSL locally, just a decrepit land line that gave 3KBS. Hughes Net was a pain to get started, and we opted for the lowest cost, but I can see pictures now.
To upload the RRD book, to send pix with articles to publishers, we'd have to go to use the University connection or to a friend's who has the highest HughesNet.

Everytime the freakin' phone company plays their "are you too stupid to upgrade to DSL " ads, I hated them more and more. (And the state representative on the other side fo the river has DSL as do his closest neighbors, so they definintely knew how to buy his vote, as he's has the only DSL in a huge area.)

Larry and I made a pact after Katrina. Once our Katrina damaged boat was back in the water, we'd upgrade. (The cost of keeping a boat out of water in a boat yard is a lot higher than keeping her in some marinas) She's in the water, so we're now in the 20th century (not the 21th).

This past week we took our new laptop with us to Florida, and enjoyed the highspeed in the motels. There are so many sites now with highspeed, that that can be a somewhat clumsey option for uploading.

Sometime, maybe the powers that be will bring all of this country up to speed.

I share your pain, because the frustration remains.

Ann

Oh dont I know. ..They have DSL on the other side of the river. We are chopped liver on this side. I could have Hughsnet but it is so much more expensive here-6Xs more. There are days when doing anything is like watching paint dry. I know I miss alot by not being able to look at pictures. Oh well.....patricia

Robert,

What about posting link to Photobucket? I would love to see your gardens.

Veronica

Well, he would STILL have to upload the images -- and I have not forgotten how frustrating that sort of thing was, when we were on dialup.

Jeri

Robert, I look forward to the day you post your roses with much anticipation!

Carla

If the dial-up account comes with server space, that works much better than the photo hosting sites. All you need to do is downsize the photos to files you can deal with, then upload those files to the server. Since the files aren't that big, dealing uploading them doesn't take that long, and you don't have to fight the hosting software.

The problem is that too many people either don't know what they are doing, or are convinced we are all so happy to give them a chance to show off their "programming skills".

I'm still dial-up, but it's a matter of choice. All the other stuff is available, but I just don't want to bother with making changes. Of course, there are times when I really want to see some pictures, and they are very slow to come up. When that happens, I just close down and come back another time (on the assumption that there's a lot of traffic that's bottling up the line), or I get out my knitting and work on that while waiting. It really saves me a lot of frustration. I do think that some of the photo files are probably bigger than they need to be, but I also know that my dial-up is the main problem. It's possible that if I ever get myself a digital camera and want to post pictures of my own roses (providing they ever bloom), I will change my mind and switch.
Laura

The easiest solution is that we all go visit Robert's garden this spring.

There's another alternative that might be better for you guys, if you're able to get a cell phone signal, and that is CDMA. It's better than satellite (continuous connection without the latency problems), and I believe it's cheaper as well. You have to get either a USB or PCI version for a desktop computer, but if you have a laptop, the you get the express card or PCMCIA card and pop that in the slot (if it has one of those slots, otherwise USB). I use it on my laptop when I travel, and it works quite well. Mine is on Verizon, but AT&T has this as well, and possibly Sprint, so it depends on who gives you the best coverage. It's not as fast as DSL, but it's faster than Satellite.

--Ron

We're on Qwest here. We are a small subdivison here, 48 houses, down an old road that winds by the river. About the same amount of houses there. The people here got a letter writing campaign going. After all, if they can get dial-up to your house, they can get DSL.
Pretty pricey, a hundred a month for telephone and DSL. I've been thinking of getting Skype and just keeping the DSL, which you can do.
Bresnan is the best connection. Telephone, cable, and DSL for a hundred there, but they won't come out here.
Probably we should just turn the telephone off until they GET IT. Don't you think 2 bucks a day for phone is ridiculous? I do.

I've been thinking of getting Skype and just keeping the DSL,

Skype is great. I can video call my husband when he is in India and talk for hours for nothing. He called his mother on her phone via Skype from India to the US, and it cost one cent per minute! Big drawback of Skype is no 911 service, something to consider.